Page 17 - Climate Change

'Urgent need for climate risk evaluation rules, more adaptation funding'

India is yet to create a common framework for evaluating risks due to climate change and a systematic methodology for ascertaining the extent to which development programmes address climate risk and vulnerability, according to a new report released on Wednesday. The report by Climate Policy Initiative, a multi-national analysis and advisory organisation with expertise in finance and policy, said the lack of a common framework for evaluating climate risks makes it hard to tell how development projects address these issues, and to track funding for adaptation measures. Despite these challenges, it said, there is a growing push for climate adaptation action in India, leading to plans, policies, and schemes at national and state levels. However, the focus and progress vary among states. The report titled "Financing Adaptation in India" also highlighted the need for "significant" investment for adaptation (adjusting to the effects of climate change) in the country. An analysis of state

Ladakh organises 'world's highest frozen lake marathon' on Pangong Tso

The event was organised with the agenda to bring attention towards the melting Himalayan glaciers, which pose a massive threat to our environment

Rare triple-dip La Nina behind unusual AQ trend in India in 2022-23: Study

An unprecedented triple-dip La-Nina event, extended by climate change, triggered a peculiar trend in the 2022-23 winter season where air quality improved in north India while peninsular India recorded an increase in pollution levels, according to a new study released on Sunday. The three consecutive years of La Nia conditions (2020-23) - a rare triple-dip phenomenon - had widespread impacts on the ocean and climate across the globe. The study by a team of scientists led by Gufran Beig, Chair Professor, National Institute of Advanced Studies, emphasised that besides local emissions, rapidly changing climate is a significant factor affecting air quality. Published in the Elsevier Journal, the study reveals that the air quality worsened in peninsular Indian cities in the 2022-23 winter season but improved in the northern part of India, contrary to the trends seen in recent decades. Among the north Indian cities, Ghaziabad registered the most significant improvement with a reduction of

Climate change is fueling a different type of anxiety, say therapists

In her book A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety, Sarah Ray describes a student who had such severe "self-loathing eco-guilt" that she stopped consuming much at all, including food

JPMorgan Chase, State Street drop out of largest investor climate group

The changes "are not consistent with our independent approach to proxy voting and portfolio company engagement," said State Street spokesman Randall Jensen

Regulations to climate risk: Managing challenges in a complex banking world

Banks must move beyond being transaction platforms to act as facilitators guiding customers

APSEZ secures top rank in climate actions, environmental performance

Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) on Sunday said it has secured top position for its climate actions and environmental performance in assessments done by four global rating agencies. The assessments were done by CDP, S&P, Sustainalytics and Moody's . While the company secured 'leadership band' in CDP Climate Assessment 2023, it ranked first on the environmental dimension among 324 companies in the transport and transport infrastructure sector by S&P Global CSA 2023, the statement said. The company also secured the top rank in the marine ports sector on a low carbon transition rating by Sustainalytics. It also received the 'advanced' rating in Moody's Energy Transition Rating and the first rank in the overall ESG Assessment and Strategy review in their last update. APSEZ is a part of the globally diversified Adani Group and is the largest port developer and operator in India .

Seychelles to work with India on joint biofuels project, says minister

While Seychelles joined the India-led Global Biofuel Alliance last year, it has yet to begin using the alternative fuel

Nasa satellite blasts off to survey oceans, atmosphere of a warming Earth

NASA's newest climate satellite rocketed into orbit Thursday to survey the world's oceans and atmosphere in never-before-seen detail. SpaceX launched the Pace satellite on its USD 948 million mission before dawn, with the Falcon rocket heading south over the Atlantic to achieve a rare polar orbit. The satellite will spend at least three years studying the oceans from 420 miles (676 kilometres) up, as well as the atmosphere. It will scan the globe daily with two of the three science instruments. A third instrument will take monthly measurements. It's going to be an unprecedented view of our home planet," said project scientist Jeremy Werdell. The observations will help scientists improve hurricane and other severe weather forecasts, detail Earth's changes as temperatures rise and better predict when harmful algae blooms will happen. NASA already has more than two dozen Earth-observing satellites and instruments in orbit. But Pace should give better insights into how atmospheric ...

January 2024 was world's warmest on record: European climate agency

The world last month experienced the warmest January on record, with the global mean temperature for the past 12 months exceeding the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold, according to the European climate agency. However, this does not imply a permanent breach of the 1.5-degree Celsius limit specified in the Paris agreement, as it refers to long-term warming over many years. Every month since June last year has been the warmest such month on record. Scientists attribute the exceptional warming to the combined effects of El Nio -- a period of abnormal warming of surface waters in the central Pacific Ocean -- and human-caused climate change. The global average temperature in January was 1.66 degrees Celsius above the January average for 1850-1900, the designated pre-industrial reference period. With an average temperature of 13.14 degrees Celsius, January 2024 was 0.12 degrees Celsius warmer than the previous warmest January in 2020, the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said. Scien

India a global force multiplier in climate change fight: PM lauds TERI

Celebrating TERI's 50 years since it was established, Dr Vibha Dhawan, Director General, TERI said that the institution has tirelessly dedicated efforts to mainstream sustainability

Death toll from Chile's wildfires reaches 131, more than 300 people missing

The death toll from wildfires that ravaged central Chile for several days increased to 131 on Tuesday, and more than 300 people were still missing as the blazes appeared to be burning themselves out. The fires in Valparaiso are said to be Chile's deadliest disaster since an earthquake in 2010. Officials have suggested that some could have been intentionally set. President Gabriel Boric during a visit to the region announced that furniture used for the 2023 Pan American Games will be donated to victims. He said the government also will forgive the water bills for 9,200 affected homes. The fires began Friday on the mountainous eastern edge of Vina del Mar, a beach resort known for a festival that attracts the best in Latin music. Two other towns, Quilpe and Villa Alemana, also were hit hard as the fires spread quickly in dry weather and strong winds. The Vina del Mar Festival cancelled its opening gala as a sign of mourning. Many participating singers including Alejandro Sanz, Pablo

Climate Change: Parliament panel unhappy over delay in submission of ATNs

A parliamentary committee has expressed displeasure over the "unprecedented" delay by the environment ministry in submitting action taken notes on the recommendations made in a report in 2018. In a report presented in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, the 30-member Committee on Estimates chaired by BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal said that ministries and departments concerned are required to furnish action take notes (ATNs) on the panel's recommendations within six months of the presentation of its report to Parliament. The committee presented its 30th report (16th Lok Sabha) on Performance of the National Action Plan on Climate Change to Parliament on December 13, 2018. While the ministry was expected to provide the ATNs by June 12, 2019, "the first set of requisite ATNs were received after a long delay" on September 13, 2021, the committee said. Subsequent sets of ATNs were received on October 28, 2021; and July 18 and August 24 last year, the committee said. "The committee takes serious note of

World Bank Chief Banga says lender 'wasting time' with too many rules

In addition to focusing the bank more on climate change and its consequences since taking over in June, Banga has often flagged what he sees as slowness and inefficiencies of the institution

Trade rules for the planet and people

The Indian government has announced fiscal incentives for solar cell and module manufacture and imposed higher import duties on Chinese products

Prez Murmu suggests global collaborations to ensure 'environmental justice'

President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday said the world faces the threat of climate change and suggested global collaborations to ensure "environmental justice" and deal with other cross-border legal challenges. Addressing an international conference of Commonwealth law officers here, she said the Commonwealth, with its diversity and legacy, can show the rest of the world the way to address the common concerns in a spirit of cooperation. Murmu said the preamble to the Constitution speaks of "justice, social, economic and political". "Therefore, when we speak of justice delivery, we should keep in mind all aspects of it, including social justice," she said, addressing the valedictory function of the Commonwealth Legal Education Association (CLEA) -- Commonwealth Attorneys and Solicitors General Conference (CASGC) 2024. In recent times, as the world faces the threat of climate change, "we should also add environmental justice to these varied aspects of the concept of justice", the presiden

Parivesh 2.0 portal to be default platform for all environment clearances

The guidelines signed on January 25 said that the applications on PARIVESH 1.0 that haven't shown progress in the past 90 days will be deemed inactive and rejected

Net-zero goal: Interim budget focuses on green economy, climate investments

In an effort to achieve net-zero carbon emissions, India will solarise rooftops of one crore households and provide viability gap funding for harnessing offshore wind energy potential with an initial capacity of one gigawatt, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Thursday. Presenting the interim budget for 2024-25, she also said that the government will mandate the phased blending of compressed biogas (CBG) in compressed natural gas (CNG) for transport and natural gas (PNG) for domestic purposes. The finance minister emphasised that the government would enable one crore households to obtain up to 300 units of free electricity every month through the rooftop solar programme. This will result in savings of up to Rs 18,000 annually for households from free solar electricity and selling the surplus to distribution companies, Sitharaman said. According to an analysis by the Council on Energy, Environment, and Water (CEEW), 20-25 gigawatts of rooftop solar capacity could be support

Soup thrown at Mona Lisa in Louvre Paris; da Vinci's artwork 'safe'

According to the Louvre museum officials, the artwork, guarded by a glass shield, did not face any damage. The Paris museum plans to lodge a complaint against the protestors

Climate change: World's forests are doing much better than we think

The destruction of tropical forests gets so much (justified) attention that we're at risk of missing how much progress we're making in cooler climates.