Reply filed by the Director, Environment-cum-Special Secretary, Forest, Environment and Climate Change Department, Odisha and Member Secretary, Odisha Coastal Zone Management Authority, May 1, 2025.

NGT, had registered suo motu in response to the news item in the Hindu, May 4, 2024 titled "Swell waves likely to strike coastal areas over weekend."

The Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP), 2019 of Odisha has been approved by MoEFC&CC on June 1, 2021. Public hearings were conducted in all the 7 coastal districts of Odisha during CZMP preparation.

Climate change is fuelling a global surge in violence against women and girls, with one in 10 cases of intimate partner violence projected to be linked to climate impacts by the end of the century, a new United Nations report has warned.

Europe is the fastest-warming continent, and the impacts of climate change are clear. 2024 was the warmest year on record for Europe. Storms were often severe and flooding widespread, claiming at least 335 lives and affecting an estimated 413 000 people.

Hunger remains one of the most pressing global challenges today, with Africa particularly vulnerable. In 2023 alone, 868 million Africans faced food insecurity, including 342 million, or one in five Africans, who suffered from severe hunger.

At least 242 million students in 85 countries had their schooling disrupted by extreme climate events in 2024, including heatwaves, tropical cyclones, storms, floods, and droughts, exacerbating an existing learning crisis, according to a new UNICEF analysis released today.

A double-whammy of El Niño and long-term climate change hit Latin America and the Caribbean in 2023, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Drought, heat, wildfires, extreme rainfall and a record-breaking hurricane had major impacts on health, food and energy security and economic development.

Education can be the key to ending poverty in a livable planet, but governments must act now to protect it. Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as cyclones, floods, droughts, heatwaves and wildfires.

Asia remained the world’s most disaster-hit region from weather, climate and water-related hazards in 2023. Floods and storms caused the highest number of reported casualties and economic losses, whilst the impact of heatwaves became more severe.

The report discusses the climate condition over Indian region during the year 2023. Notably, global temperatures soared to exceptionally high levels during this period (WMO.No.1347). The India Meteorological Department continuously monitors weather and climate over Indian region.

A devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria, severe convective storms (SCS) and large-scale urban floods were the main events driving insured natural catastrophe losses to USD 108 billion in 2023, reaffirming the 5–7% annual growth trend in global insured natural catastrophe losses since 1994.

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