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India could experience 30 fewer extremely hot days each year, while the world on average could avoid 57 such days if countries meet their emission-cutting pledges under the 2015 Paris Agreement and limit global warming to 2.6 degrees Celsius this century, according to a new study published on Thursday. The analysis by Climate Central and World Weather Attribution said the global accord, which completes 10 years this year, is steering the world toward a safer climate but warned that the current pace of action is not enough. Even at 2.6 degrees Celsius, scientists caution, future generations will face dangerous heat, severe health risks and growing inequality unless countries move faster to phase out fossil fuels. The study found that at 4 degrees Celsius of warming, the level scientists projected before the Paris Agreement, the world would face an average of 114 hot days per year. If countries meet their current pledges and limit warming to 2.6 degrees Celsius, that number could dro
The world's major cities are now experiencing a quarter more very hot days every year on average than they did three decades ago, according to a new analysis published on Tuesday. Researchers at the UK-based International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) examined temperature data from 43 key cities, including the 40 most populous capitals, dating back to 1994. They found that the number of days above 35 degrees Celsius (very hot days) in these cities rose by 26 per cent over the 31-year period, climbing from an average of 1,062 annually between 1994 and 2003 to 1,335 between 2015 and 2024. Delhi, one of the cities where the population has grown by at least half since 2013, is among those facing worsening heat stress. The analysis warns that residents of informal settlements in cities such as Delhi are particularly vulnerable to sustained high temperatures because of poor housing and infrastructure. The study shows 2024 recorded the highest number of very hot days,
India is expected to experience hotter-than-usual temperatures from April to June, with more heatwave days in central and eastern India and the northwestern plains, the IMD said on Monday. Most parts of the country will see higher-than-normal maximum temperatures, except for some areas in western and eastern India where the temperatures are expected to be normal. Minimum temperatures will also be above normal in most regions, India Meteorological Department (IMD) chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said in an online press conference. "From April to June, most parts of north and east India, central India, and the plains of northwest India are expected to experience two to four more heatwave days than normal," he said. Usually, India records four to seven heatwave days from April to June. An IMD official had earlier said northwest India might face double the number of heatwave days during the summer. The region normally experiences five to six heatwave days during the season. States likely
India is "most likely" undercounting heat-related deaths due to a lack of robust data, but the government is now improving surveillance to minimise the impact of extreme conditions on health, former WHO chief scientist and health ministry advisor Soumya Swaminathan has said. In an interview with PTI on the sidelines of TERI's World Sustainable Development Summit, she also stressed the urgent need for better tracking, preparedness and policy interventions as the country braces for another extreme summer. Asked if India was undercounting heat-related deaths, the former director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said, "Most likely. We do not really have a good record of every death in the country and so we have to make some estimations. We have to do some sort of calculations or modelling based on what is happening." But recently, there have been several scientific papers that have actually tracked what are called excess deaths, Swaminathan said. "When you look
Delhi Power Minister Ashish Sood on Sunday directed officials to implement the summer action plan in the national capital with immediate effect. During a meeting with senior power department officials at the Delhi Secretariat, the minister emphasised the urgent need to enforce the plan to ensure uninterrupted power supply ahead of summer, according to a statement. The power department and all stakeholders were instructed to take immediate and effective measures to maintain stable electricity supply. Sood highlighted that ensuring reliable power supply for all residents was a key priority for the government. He outlined a vision to develop a model colony with organised overhead power cables, eliminating hanging wires. Discussions were also held on removing unauthorised cables from electricity poles to reduce excessive load and prevent entanglement. The minister also directed the officials to ensure repairs were completed within a maximum five minutes to minimise disruptions in the
Summer 2024 sweltered to Earth's hottest on record, making it even more likely that this year will end up as the warmest humanity has measured, European climate service Copernicus reported Friday. And if this sounds familiar, that's because the records the globe shattered were set just last year as human-caused climate change, with a temporary boost from an El Nino, keeps dialling up temperatures and extreme weather, scientists said. The northern meteorological summer June, July and August averaged 16.8 degrees Celsius (62.24 degrees Fahrenheit), according to Copernicus. That's 0.03 degrees Celsius (0.05 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than the old record in 2023. Copernicus records go back to 1940, but American, British and Japanese records, which start in the mid-19th century, show the last decade has been the hottest since regular measurements were taken and likely in about 120,000 years, according to some scientists. The Augusts of both 2024 and 2023 tied for the hottest Augusts ..
An unusually cold weather system from the Gulf of Alaska interrupted summer along the West Coast on Saturday, bringing snow to Washington state's Mount Rainier and a national park in Northern California, causing authorities to close part of a highway that runs through the park. Parts of Highway 89 through Lassen Volcanic National Park in California were closed Saturday after an estimated three inches of snow fell overnight, according to the National Weather Service. Photos posted by the National Weather Service and local authorities showed a white-covered peak from Rainier and a dusting of snow at Minaret Vista, a lookout point southeast of Yosemite National Park in California's Sierra Nevada. Madera County Deputy Sheriff Larry Rich said it was definitely unexpected to see snow at Minaret Vista in August. It's not every day you get to spend your birthday surrounded by a winter wonderland in the middle of summer, he said in a statement. It made for a day I won't soon forget, and a ..