Page 18 - Climate Change

Climate may keep changing long after humanity hits net-zero emissions

Global greenhouse gas emissions hit record highs in 2023. At the same time, Earth experienced its hottest year

Asia needs to spend more to adapt to climate change, limit damage: Study

Countries in Asia will suffer worse damage from the climate crisis than other regions and are falling far behind in spending on improvements to limit the damage and adapt to changing weather patterns and natural disasters, the Asian Development Bank said in a report released Thursday. The report said financing needs in developing Asian countries to cope with climate change range from USD 102 billion to USD 431 billion a year. That far exceeds the USD 34 billion committed to those purposes in 2021-2022, the Manila, Philippines-based regional development bank said. Developing Asia accounted for nearly half of all global emissions in 2021, the latest year for comprehensive data, with China accounting for two-thirds of that and South Asia nearly 20 per cent, the report said. That's because even though emissions per person remain far lower than in Europe, Japan and North America, it is the world's most populous region, home to about 70 per cent of all human kind. Most countries in the ..

Japan's Mount Fuji snowless in late October, breaking 130-year record

Typically, Mount Fuji sees its first snowfall by early October, with the last record set for October 26 in 1955 and 2016

Climate change drives sleep loss as temperatures increase at night

Eighth annual Lancet Countdown on health and climate change report, authored by 122 global experts, found that high temperatures, drought and heavy rainfall are increasingly impacting people's health

Infants, adults in India exposed to more heatwave days in last decade: Rpt

In India, over the last decade, infants and adults aged 65 or above were exposed to about eight heatwave days each year on average, increases of 47 per cent for infants and 58 per cent for older adults, compared to 1990-1999, according to a new report of The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change. In 2023 alone, people in India were found to be exposed to a moderate or higher risk of heat stress for about 2,400 hours or 100 days, while performing light outdoor activities such as walking, the eighth annual report, reflecting the work of 122 experts from 57 academic institutions and UN agencies globally, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), found. Published ahead of the 29th UN Conference of the Parties, or 'COP29', the report revealed a country-wise assessment of how climate change is affecting people's health. It showed that 10 of the 15 indicators that help track health threats to people around the world due to global

COP-16: World's 1st global ecosystem atlas unveiled; how will it help biz

The new initiative aims to help governments, businesses, financial institutions, and local communities to make informed decisions, support sustainability and manage risks

World may warm up to 3.1 degrees celsius on lack of climate action: UN

Continuing with current policies means world will be on course for temperature rise of 3.1C before the end of the century, while implementing promised reforms would at best lead to an increase of 2.6C

Avaana raises $135 mn for climate fund to fuel climate-tech startups

Avaana Capital, India's climate-focused venture capital firm, has managed to infuse Avaana Climate and Sustainability Fund with USD 135 million, thanks to support from renowned institutional investors, including the Green Climate Fund (GCF), said a senior official from the company on Wednesday. In a press statement, Anjali Bansal, partner at Avaana Capital, said, "The support we've received from leading global and domestic institutional investors underscores the importance of innovation in driving climate action and delivering long-term impact. The Avaana Climate & Sustainability Fund will help build the next generation of climate-first companies to transform key sectors and make meaningful progress toward a sustainable future." According to her, the fund focuses on three core sectors that account for 90 per cent of India's carbon emissions: Energy and Resource Management, Mobility and Supply Chains, and Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems. Bansal said India is one of the ...

'Apolitical' Bill Gates donates $50 mn 'dark money' to NGO backing Kamala

Bill Gates has not publicly expressed his support for Kamala Harris, making this contribution a notable departure from his previously cautious approach to political donations

Differential exposure: How climate change hits the poor the hardest

Among Indian firms, the paper finds smaller non-agricultural firms are more exposed to flooding and heat than larger firms

What's on agenda at COP16 nature summit in Colombia: All you need to know

COP16 host country Colombia has put the inclusion of Indigenous and traditional communities at the center of its agenda in Cali

UN climate secy gives call to 'step up' climate finance ahead of COP29

At COP29 in Baku, all governments must agree on a new goal for international climate finance

Climate change affects the most marginalised, need to learn from past: CJI

The effect of climate change can be seen everywhere and it is affecting the most marginalised sections of society, including fisherfolk and farmers, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said here on Saturday. Speaking at the release function of Goa Governor PS Sreedharan Pillai's book 'Traditional Trees of Bharat', the CJI also said the State as well as citizens will have to work together to protect, conserve and improve environment. "I was told it rained even yesterday in Goa. As children, we were told rain would fade away on Nariyal Poornima, when fisherfolk offer coconuts to the sea. But now, it rains in October and even in December. Climate change is not necessarily our doing," he said, adding it was inherited from previous societies who pursued industrial revolution leading to greenhouse gas emissions. "Climate change is not affecting just the affluent, it is affecting the most marginalised sections of society, like fishing communities and farmers. Our response to climate ...

Google to power AI data centres via nuclear power amid climate change woes

Google anticipates using 500 megawatts of nuclear power to run its operations, as global concerns over climate change intensify amid rising electricity consumption from AI and crypto technologies

IMF urges Pakistan to invest Rs 1.2 trillion a year for climate resilience

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has urged Pakistan to invest one per cent of its GDP annually equivalent to over Rs 1.24 trillion based on current estimates in climate resilience and adaptation reforms to prepare for recurring extreme weather events, particularly floods, a media report said on Thursday. In a special policy advisory, the IMF noted that ongoing reforms under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) including fiscal, labour market, trade, and state-owned enterprise (SOE) reforms could boost Pakistan's growth by 2 per cent over five years while significantly reducing inequality, Dawn newspaper reported. The Fund also highlighted that proactive investment in climate-adaptive infrastructure could reduce the negative growth impact of a natural disaster shock by one-third while ensuring a quicker and more complete recovery. The lender noted that about 1 per cent of GDP investment in adaptation infrastructure would increase Pakistan's climate resilience and buffer climate

Human induced climate change behind recent flooding disasters in Nepal

World Weather Attribution, an international collaboration, has underscored the urgent need for Nepal to limit development in low-lying, riverside areas of the cities and scale up early warning and prompt action to avoid repeat of flooding disasters. Climate change was responsible for the extreme three day downpours in Nepal about 10 percent more intense, concluded the organization in its recently published report. The flood and landslide triggered by heavy rain in Nepal in late September caused heavy loss to the country as it claimed at least 244 lives. The rainfall became 10 percent more intense by human-induced climate change, pointed out the report. Bursts of rainfall will become even more heavier, risking more destructive floods until the world replaces fossil fuels with renewable sources of energy, warned the organization. Reducing development in flood-prone areas of cities will help protect people in Nepal from future floods, according to the report. The explosive monsoon ...

India presses ahead with coal as China cuts permits ahead of COP29

Until two years back, it was the reverse: India was pushing renewables and freezing new coal projects while China was pressing the pedal on coal

Climate change could reduce Amazon's methane absorption by 70%: Study

Extreme temperatures and humidity driven by climate change could reduce the Amazon rainforest's capacity to absorb the greenhouse gas methane by 70 per cent, a study has found. Researchers said that under a warmer climate, the extreme rainfall and droughts projected for South America's Amazon could impact its net greenhouse gas emissions. Often referred to as the 'lungs of the planet', the tropical rainforest lies majorly in Brazil, with parts in Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, among others, and is known to be a crucial 'greenhouse gas sink' that absorbs these gases from the air. However, 20 per cent of the Amazon region, which remains flooded for nearly half a year, releases methane, countering its ability to absorb other greenhouse gases, the researchers at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil said. Their study is published in the journal Environmental Microbiome. Previous studies have shown that the flooded areas of Amazon contribute up to almost 30 per cent of methane emissions from ..

Water security: India must boost wastewater reuse to tackle insecurity

Given the climate risks, India needs to prepare to deal with them because water stress is only likely to worsen

How climate change contributes to dangers, influences paths of hurricanes

Scientists have linked high ocean temperatures to the rapid intensification of hurricanes- Milton's wind speed increased 95 miles per hour in a single day