Page 4 - Global Warming

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

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 ...

Global warming, not El Nino was primary cause of Amazon drought: Report

Human-induced global warming, and not El Nio, was the primary driver of last year's severe drought in the Amazon that sent rivers to record lows, required deliveries of food and drinking water to hundreds of river communities and killed dozens of endangered dolphins, researchers said on Wednesday. Both climate change and El Nio contributed about equally to a reduction in rainfall. But higher global temperatures were the biggest reason for the drought, according to World Weather Attribution, an initiative that brings together climate scientists to rapidly analyze extreme events and their possible connections to climate change. The drought was agricultural, combining reduced rainfall with hotter conditions that evaporated moisture from plants and soil. It was that heat-driven evaporation that was critical in the drought's severity, said study co-author Friederike Otto, a climate scientist at the Imperial College of London. What is now about a one-in-50-year event would have been much

Indian Navy chief inaugurates CO2-based AC plant at INS Shivaji in Pune

"This is a major step towards meeting the government's commitment to reduce global warming and emission of gases harmful to the environment," he added

2023 officially warmest year on record by huge margin, confirms WMO

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has officially confirmed that 2023 is the hottest year on record by a huge margin, smashing global temperature records. The yearly average global temperature approached 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, which is significant because the Paris Agreement on climate change aims to limit the long-term temperature increase to no more than the same amount. According to the agreement, the long-term increase is calculated as an average over decades rather than an individual year like 2023. Global temperatures in every month between June and December set new monthly records, with July and August registering as the hottest months on record, the UN agency said in a statement. Strictly, the WMO found that the annual average global temperature was 1.45 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial levels. They consolidated six leading datasets used for monitoring global temperatures, all of which ranked 2023 as the warmest year on record. T

ProClime commits Rs 450 crore investment in TN to drive carbon projects

ProClime, a unified service provider in the climate space across Singapore, Sri Lanka, and India has committed Rs 450 crore investment in Tamil Nadu for taking up carbon projects, the company said on Friday. The Chennai-headquartered firm signed a memorandum of understanding with the Tamil Nadu government during the recently held Global Investors Meet. "Over the next five years, ProClime will invest Rs 450 crore as climate investments in the state and aims to create employment opportunities through carbon projects. ProClime is poised to be the first unified climate service provider investing in Tamil Nadu for carbon projects that generate carbon credits to mitigate climate change," the company said in a statement. These credits would play a pivotal role in supporting the sustainable development goals across Tamil Nadu. Besides, it would also position itself as a front-runner in both Indian and Global Carbon markets. "Our MoU with the Government of Tamil Nadu marks a pivotal step ..

2023 recorded hottest year ever as Earth nears critical 1.5C limit

"This has been a very exceptional year, climate-wise... in a league of its own, even when compared to other very warm years," C3S Director Carlo Buontempo said

CMAI, UK-based VCMI partner to help stakeholders in carbon credit trading

The Carbon Markets Association of India (CMAI) has partnered with global body Voluntary Carbon Market Integrity Initiative (VCMI) to help stakeholders in carbon credit trading. The agreement with London-headquartered VCMI aims to guide industry players from the registration process for projects involved in the generation of carbon credits, monitoring of projects to trading of the carbon credits generated in a transparent manner, CMAI said in a statement. The partnership will seek to promote an enabling environment for high-integrity voluntary carbon market (VCMs) that attract private investment aligned with national and sub-national climate and socioeconomic policy priorities, the statement said. As part of the agreement, CMAI and VCMI will facilitate the stakeholders in scaling up carbon finance activities across priority sectors in India. VCMI is an international non-profit organization which works to enable high-integrity voluntary carbon markets (VCMs). The organization is alig

Climate change driving birds in mountains to higher elevations: Study

Logged forests and climate change are driving birds in tropical mountains to higher elevations due to rising temperatures, a research by the Indian Institute of Science has found. While smaller bird species are able to withstand higher temperatures, and thus colonise these logged forests better, the larger ones appeared to be increasing in the primary (undisturbed) forests, researchers found after analysing 10 years of data. Logged forests refer to the commercial cutting of trees for sale as timber or pulp. Such forests have higher average temperatures and lower humidity than primary forests, thus hastening the movement of birds to higher elevations, the researchers said. Logging can thus lead to the loss of large-bodied, old growth-dependent species, and decrease the overall biodiversity, they said. Further, logged forests also have fewer foliage-dwelling insects, reducing the available resources for the birds. As large species require more energy, this disproportionately reduces

Adaptation fails to get limelight at mitigation-focused COP28 summit

'A transition away from fossil fuels'. The decision was lauded, but what lies ahead?

Cutting pollution to Covid level may stop glaciers from disappearing: Study

Reducing air pollution to levels similar to those during the COVID-19 pandemic could protect the Himalayan glaciers and prevent them from disappearing by the end of the century, a study by an international research team from India, Germany and the UK has found. Analysing the situation during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, the team found that cleaner air during the period ensured that less soot was deposited on the glaciers, resulting in 0.5 to 1.5 milimeter (mm) less snow melting per day. The rapid retreat of glaciers and the loss of snow cover already pose a threat to the sustainable water supply of billions of people in Asia who live in the catchment areas of rivers such as the Indus, Ganges and Yangtze, according the researchers. If emissions of air pollutants such as soot could be reduced to at least the level of the lockdowns, snowmelt could be reduced by up to half, they said. The study, published in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, found that a switch to clean

1.5 degrees Celsius climate goal: Relevance, current warming scenario

Here's a lowdown on origin, measurement, and current status of the global temperature rise target in the aftermath of COP28

COP28: India calls for implementation of Paris Agreement, focus on equity

India on Wednesday urged world leaders at the global climate talks COP28 to implement the Paris Agreement in letter and spirit through the Global Stocktake process while maintaining the focus on the principles of equity and climate justice. Speaking at the closing plenary of the COP28, where a historic climate deal that called for a transition away from fossil fuels was reached, Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav said the collective efforts here have sent positive signals to the world in reinforcing commitment to maintaining the temperature goals set in Paris. The way ahead must be based on equity and climate justice, let us implement the Paris Agreement in letter and spirit through the Global Stocktake process, he said. Adopted after nearly two weeks of hectic negotiations, the first Global Stocktake deal, being termed the UAE consensus, urges countries to accelerate efforts toward the phase down of unabated coal power, which is a climb down after India and China strongly resiste

COP28 summit forced into overtime as fossil fuel talks divide nations

Al Suwaidi said the COP28 presidency aimed for a "historic" result that included mentioning fossil fuels - but that it was up to countries to agree

Global South disappointed over GST draft at COP28; calls for revisions

Developing countries have deplored the latest draft of the global stocktake, the most important document of the ongoing climate conference (COP28) here, calling for major changes, including in the section offering options to slash planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, negotiators from the Global South said on Tuesday. The latest global stocktake (GST) draft, which will be the centrepiece of the final deal document, does not mention the "phase-out of fossil fuels". However, it includes stronger language on coal usage, which is problematic for heavily coal-dependent countries like India and China. Approximately 40 per cent of global CO2 emissions stem from coal, with oil and gas contributing to the remaining percentage. India, relying on coal for about 70 per cent of its power generation, aims to add 17 gigawatts of coal-based power generation capacity in the next 16 months. India has voiced strong concerns about the specific targeting of coal. Together with other developing ...

Climate talks enter last day with no agreement in sight on fossil fuels

Hopes for finishing a critical climate summit on time were fading early on Tuesday as countries were still far apart on key issues, including an agreement on what to do about the fossil fuels that are causing dangerous global warming. The United Nations-led summit known as COP28 was scheduled to end around midday after nearly two weeks of speeches, demonstrations and negotiations. But the climate talks often run long, and Monday's release of a draft agreement angered countries that insist on a commitment for rapid phase-out of coal, oil and gas. Instead, the draft called for countries to reduce consumption and production of fossil fuels, in a just, orderly and equitable manner. Tina Stege, climate envoy for the Marshall Islands, ridiculed the document as a meaningless wish list that questions the science" and said it doesn't address the Paris agreement goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) to stave off the worst effects of climate change. Earth is on its w

Climate activists' biggest COP28 protest yet in UN Blue Zone despite ban

Hundreds gathered inside the COP's Blue Zone - officially United Nations territory for the two week of negotiations - alternating between the war in Gaza and climate change to lodge their protest

Observers see Opec 'panicking' as COP28 focuses on fossil fuel phase-out

The oil industry is starting to sweat as United Nations climate talks heat up and threaten to plug fossil fuel-belching wells for good, veteran negotiation observers say. A reported letter from OPEC's leader pleading with the oil cartel's member countries to block any language in an agreement at climate talks that would phase out or phase down fossil fuels hit negotiations like a thunderclap. Host and fellow petrostate United Arab Emirates is trying to tamp down its reverberations in a process where one or two key nations can block everything. Environmental activists, still smarting from 30 years of soft power from oil interests keeping such discussions from seeing the light of day, smirked at signs that the mighty cartel was circling the wagons. I think they're panicking, said E3G analyst Alden Meyer. Maybe the Saudis can't do on their own what they've been doing for 30 years and block the process. Former Ireland President Mary Robinson said, They're scared. I think they're ...

Equity, justice must be basis of climate action, says India at COP28

India firmly believes that equity and climate justice must be the basis of climate action and this can be ensured only when the developed countries take the lead in combating climate change, Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav said here at the COP28 on Saturday. Delivering the country's national statement here at the high-level segment at the annual climate conference, Yadav also highlighted India's contribution, noting that New Delhi reduced its GDP emission intensity by 33 per cent between 2005 and 2019, achieving the target 11 years in advance. Yadav also said that India looks forward to the Global Stocktake (GST) outcome for providing meaningful and relevant inputs for deciding enhanced climate action. GST is a two-year review of collective global efforts to achieve the Paris agreement goals, especially the target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Calling the ongoing climate negotiations as a COP28 of action', the Minister said it was evident on the first day

What is carbon capture and why does it keep coming up at COP28 summit?

The future of fossil fuels is at the centre of the United Nations climate summit in Dubai, where many activists, experts and nations are calling for an agreement to phase out the oil, gas and coal responsible for warming the planet. On the other side: energy companies and oil-rich nations with plans to keep drilling well into the future. In the background of those discussions are carbon capture and carbon removal, technologies most, if not all, producers are counting on to meet their pledges to get to net-zero emissions. Sceptics worry the technology is being oversold to allow the industry to maintain the status quo. The industry needs to commit to genuinely helping the world meet its energy needs and climate goals which means letting go of the illusion that implausibly large amounts of carbon capture are the solution, International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol said before the start of talks. WHAT EXACTLY IS CARBON CAPTURE? Lots of industrial facilities like ...