Page 7 - Global Warming

Heat-related deaths likely to increase fivefold by mid-century: Lancet

In 2022, individuals were, on average, exposed to 86 days of health-threatening high temperatures, of which 60 per cent were at least twice as likely to occur because of human-caused climate change.

Earth records its hottest 12-month stretch due to climate change: Research

As per a report from Climate Central, the planet ran nearly 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit above average from November 2022 through October 2023

EU's major plan aimed at fighting climate change to go to final votes

European Union institutions and conservationists on Friday gave a conditional and guarded welcome to a major plan to better protect nature and fight climate change in the 27-nation bloc. The plan is a key part of the EU's vaunted European Green Deal that seeks to establish the world's most ambitious climate and biodiversity targets and make the bloc the global point of reference on all climate issues. Yet it has had an extremely rough ride through the EU's complicated approval process and only a watered down version will now proceed to final votes. Late Thursday's breakthrough agreement between parliament and EU member states should have normally been the end of the approval process. But given the controversy the plan had previously stirred, the final votes - normally a rubberstamp process - could still throw up some hurdles. The plan has lost some of its progressive edge during negotiations over the summer because of fierce opposition in the EU's legislature, particularly from the

Hot October makes 2023 'virtually certain' to be warmest year ever

Both November and December would need to be significantly colder than average in order for 2023 to avoid becoming the hottest year ever

West Asian countries to launch new climate initiatives at COP28 meeting

Although the contribution of Arab countries to carbon emissions is limited, the Arab region is one of the most affected by climate change, according to the Abu Dhabi-based Arab Monetary Fund

Low-income nations risk 30% seafood nutrient loss to climate change: Study

Low-income countries could lose up to 30 per cent of nutrients from seafood due to climate change, researchers say in a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change. These findings about the loss of nutrients, including calcium, iron, protein and omega-3 fatty acids, were valid in a high emissions and low mitigation scenario, the researchers from the University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada, said. The nutrient loss may be restricted to 10 per cent, however, should the world meet the Paris Agreement targets of limiting global warming to 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius, they said. "Low-income countries and the global south, where seafood is central to diets and has the potential to help address malnutrition, are the hardest hit by the effects of climate change," said first author William Cheung, professor and director of the UBC Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries (IOF). The researchers used predictive climate models on historical fisheries and seafood farming databases to ma

Earth will likely lock into breaching key warming threshold in 2029: Report

In a little more than five years sometime in early 2029 the world will likely be unable to stay below the internationally agreed temperature limit for global warming if it continues to burn fossil fuels at its current rate, a new study says. The study moves three years closer the date when the world will eventually hit a critical climate threshold, which is an increase of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) since the 1800s. Beyond that temperature increase, the risks of catastrophes increase, as the world will likely lose most of its coral reefs, a key ice sheet could kick into irreversible melt, and water shortages, heat waves and death from extreme weather dramatically increase, according to an earlier United Nations scientific report. Hitting that threshold will happen sooner than initially calculated because the world has made progress in cleaning up a different type of air pollution tiny smoky particles called aerosols. Aerosols slightly cool the planet and mask the

Nestle, Volvo among 130 firms urging COP28 agreement to ditch fossil fuels

"To decarbonise the global energy system, we need to ramp up clean energy as fast as we phase out the use and production of fossil fuels," they wrote

India sets up inter-ministerial group for climate negotiations strategy

India has set up an inter-ministerial group to develop a "well thought-out view" on important matters to be discussed during global climate negotiations, according to sources. Constituted in August, the inter-ministerial group on climate change comprises members from all the ministries and departments concerned, including the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Ministry of Power, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, and the Department of Economic Affairs, a source told PTI. The group will hold discussions mainly on five issues -- mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage, climate finance and Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. Five sub-groups, one for each topic, have been formed to hold detailed discussions. Each sub-group has five to six officials at the joint secretary level, the sources said. Mitigation means reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and adaptation refers to the process of adjusting to the effects of climate change. Loss and damage refer to the imp

In Brazil's Amazon, rivers fall to record low levels during drought

The Negro River, the Amazon's second largest tributary, on Monday reached its lowest level since official measurements began near Manaus 121 years ago. The record confirms that this part of the world's largest rainforest is suffering its worst drought, just a little over two years after its most significant flooding. In the morning, the water level in the city's port went as low as 13.5 metres (44.3 feet), down from 30.02 metres (98.5 feet) registered in June 2021 its highest level on record. The Negro River drains about 10% of the Amazon basin and is the world's sixth largest by water volume. Madeira River, another main tributary of the Amazon, has also recorded historically low levels, causing the halt of the Santo Antonio hydroelectric dam, Brazil's fourth largest. Throughout Brazil's Amazon, low river levels have left hundreds of riverine communities isolated and struggling to get access to drinkable water. The drought also has disrupted commercial navigation that supplies ...

Aerosols heating up Himalayan climate, accelerates glacier's retreat: Study

Aerosols are heating up the Himalayan climate and contributing significantly to the accelerated retreat of the glaciers and changes in the precipitation patterns over the Hindu Kush-Himalaya-Tibetan Plateau (HKHTP) region, researchers said. Aerosols alone account for more than half of the total warming of the region's lower atmosphere, with the remainder coming from greenhouse gases, the researchers from the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, and Helmholtz Centre Potsdam and the University of Leipzig, Germany found in a joint study. According to the study, aerosols will likely remain a key factor driving climate change over the region. The researchers observed the concentrations of aerosols and the the amount of heat absorbed (radiative forcing) across several locations in the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP), the Himalayan foothills and the Tibetan Plateau. These are "relatively poorly studied regions with several sensitive ecosystems of global importance, as well as highly vulnera

India to push developed nations to become 'carbon negative' before 2050

India, which is resisting calls to commit to a deadline for phasing out its own use of coal and other fossil fuels, is set to make its proposal at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai later this year

Antarctica's ice shelves reduced by 40% in volume over 25 years: Study

As many as 71 of the 162 ice shelves surrounding Antarctica have reduced in volume over 25 years from 1997 to 2021, with a net release of 7.5 trillion metric tonnes of meltwater into the oceans, according to a study. The research, published in the journal Science Advances, found that almost all the ice shelves on the western side of Antarctica experienced ice loss. On the other hand, most of the ice shelves on the eastern side stayed the same or increased in volume. Over the 25 years, the scientists calculated almost 67 trillion metric tonnes of ice were exported to the ocean, which were offset by 59 trillion metric tonnes of ice being added to the ice shelves, giving a net loss of 7.5 trillion metric tonnes. "There is a mixed picture of ice-shelf deterioration, and this is to do with the ocean temperature and ocean currents around Antarctica," said Benjamin Davison, a research fellow at the University of Leeds, UK, who led the study. "The western half is exposed to warm water, whi

Tragedy in Sikkim

The catastrophe underlines big dam weaknesses

Some plants may worsen air pollution on a warming planet, shows study

On a warming planet, plants like oaks and poplars will emit more of a compound that exacerbates poor air quality, contributing to problematic particulate matter and low-atmosphere ozone, a study shows. The same compound, called isoprene, can also improve the quality of clean air while making plants more resistant to stressors including insects and high temperatures. "Do we want plants to make more isoprene so they're more resilient, or do we want them making less so it's not making air pollution worse? What's the right balance?" said Tom Sharkey, a professor at Michigan State University in the US. "Those are really the fundamental questions driving this work. The more we understand, the more effectively we can answer them," Sharkey said. Isoprene from plants is the second-highest emitted hydrocarbon on Earth, only behind methane emissions from human activity. Yet most people have never heard of it, the researchers said. Isoprene interacts with nitrogen oxide compounds found in air

COP28: BASIC countries demand equity at centre of Global Stocktake

The principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDRRC) must be at the centre of the Global Stocktake -- a periodic review of global efforts to achieve goals of the Paris Agreement -- and operationalised in its each and every component, BASIC countries have said. In their submission to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) outlining their expectations from the Global Stocktake (GST) in September, the BASIC group said it should acknowledge the existing implementation gaps, particularly those related to the pre-2020 period. The BASIC group comprises Brazil, South Africa, India, and China. The developed nations either acknowledge their historical responsibilities, take lead in climate action or admit their failure to do so, they said. The Global Stocktake is a two-year UN review process to evaluate collective global progress in meeting the Paris Agreement's goals. Initiated in Glasgow in 2021, the ...

Global warming a problem but can't sacrifice growth, says CEA Nageswaran

Says global economy was going through a period of uncertainty

Glaciers in Switzerland lose 10% of their ice volume in two years

Swiss glaciers have lost as much ice over this two-year period as was lost over the three decades between 1960 and 1990

Itziar Irakulis Loitxate: The climate sleuth tracking methane leaks for UN

The 27-year-old PhD student isn't a detective but she may be the closest thing the world has to climate police

IAEA conference: India spells out plans to use N-power to achieve Net Zero

India on Wednesday spelt out plans to generate 22 GW power through nuclear energy to achieve Net Zero emissions for addressing the challenges posed by climate change. At the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Ajit Kumar Mohanty shared India's ambitious plans to step up nuclear power generation during a meeting with IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. Mohanty is in Vienna to attend the annual IAEA General Conference. Grossi posted on X, "Greetings to Mohanty on India's ambitious plans to reach 22 GW through nuclear energy for Net Zero." Addressing the conference, Mohanty said Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) has been setting records in extended continuous power plant operations and maintaining excellent safety records. Some of its units have operated continuously for more than 365 days (a year) on 42 occasions and more than 700 days on five occasions. One remarkable achievement is that unit-3 at Kakrapar