Page 21 - Climate Change

Climate crisis may push 40 mn more children into severe hunger: Report

The annual report of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation projects that climate change could result in an additional 28 million children suffering from wasting by 2050

COP29 leaders unveil new climate funding and energy storage goals

Over 120 countries pledged at last year's COP28 summit in Dubai, for example, to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030

'Mission Mausam' promises: Cloud chambers, AI, better weather forecasting

Mission Mausam aims to enhance India's weather forecasting through advanced technology, cloud chambers, and AI, promising improved predictions and better climate change mitigation

Climate change risks grow faster for wealthy, poorest remain at risk: Study

Economic risks for the wealthy due to climate change is growing at the fastest rates because of impacts to global supply chains and goods and services, even as the highest risks remain with the poorest around the world, according to a new study. Across countries, lower-income consumers are known to face higher economic risks in a changing climate because of a low capacity to adapt. However, researchers explained that inequality in consumption between varied income groups within a country is grounded in how easily one is able to substitute goods to adapt to the effects of climate change, including shocks to supply chains. The team from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Germany found that low-income consumers are more vulnerable to supply shocks as they spend a greater share of their budget on hard-to-substitute necessary goods. On the other hand, high-income consumers spent larger shares of their budget on easier-to-substitute goods so that they suffer smaller

Replacing rice crop could help recover groundwater lost since 2000: Study

Replacing about 40 per cent of the area sown with rice with other crops could help recover 60-100 cubic kilometres of groundwater lost since 2000 in north India, a study has found. Current cropping patterns -- dominated by rice, which relies heavily on groundwater for irrigation -- could result in a loss of about 13-43 cubic kilometres of groundwater if warming of the planet continues, a team of researchers, including those from the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Gujarat, said. The researchers proposed shifting from existing cropping habits by cutting down on cultivating rice as a potential solution for sustaining the fast-depleting resource in a warmer world that threatens food and water security. "Replacing 37 per cent area of rice with other crops can recover 61 to 108 cubic kilometres groundwater compared to 13 to 43 cubic kilometres with current cropping pattern under the 1.5-3 degrees Celsius global warming levels," the authors wrote in the study accepted for ...

'Spiked ozone levels stunting tropical forests' growth, Asia affected more'

Ozone pollution is stunting the growth of tropical forests, with the effect being stronger in Asia, where such forests are losing nearly 11 per cent of new growth, research has found. Air quality will continue to play an important, yet often overlooked, part in how forests absorb and store carbon, according to lead author Flossie Brown, a recent graduate of the University of Exeter. While ozone in the upper layers of the Earth's atmosphere protects people from harmful ultraviolet radiations from the Sun, ozone closer to the ground level is harmful to plant and human health. The gas is formed when pollutants from human activities combine in the presence of sunlight. The researchers explained that urbanisation, industrialisation and burning fossil fuels and fires have resulted in an increase in 'precursor' gases -- such as nitrogen oxides -- that form ozone. The team found that ozone at the ground level can stunt new growth in tropical forests by over five per cent, translating into

'Climate change triggers landslide, sent tremors across Earth for 9 days'

A landslide in Greenland, triggered by glacier melting due to climate change, caused an earthquake, vibrations from which reverberated throughout the planet for nine straight days and damaged infrastructure, according to a new study. In September 2023, a 1.2 kilometre-high mountain peak in an East Greenland fjord -- a narrow inlet of sea between two steep cliffs -- collapsed, causing a tsunami about 200 metres tall. Researchers said the giant wave rocked back and forth across the fjord for nine days, which sent seismic shocks reverberating throughout Earth's crust, baffling scientists around the world. While no one was hurt, the shocks destroyed infrastructure worth nearly USD 2,00,000 at an unoccupied research station on Ella Island in eastern Greenland, the international team, including researchers from the University College London, UK, said. According to them, the landslide was a result of the melting of glacier at the foot of the mountain, becoming thinner and unable to hold u

Should build manufacturing economy greener than China's: Tata Steel CEO

India should build a manufacturing economy which is greener than China's, with a holistic approach that involves both the government and the private sector, Tata Steel CEO T V Narendran said on Wednesday. While addressing a panel discussion at AIMA Convention here, Narendran stressed the need to make the transition to a green manufacturing economy at a fast pace, else India would lose market share. "Unlike China which built a large manufacturing economy and now is trying to make it green, India can build a large manufacturing economy which is greener than the one that China built over the last 20-30 years," he said while replying to a question on the energy transition from fossil fuel to a cleaner future driven by two sectors cement and steel. "So that's an opportunity for India. It is also a risk for India. If India does not make the transition fast enough, we will find that large economic blocks like the US, Europe and China have already made the transition and India gets locked o

Cabinet approves Rs 2,000 cr 'Mission Mausam' to boost weather forecasts

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved "Mission Mausam" on Wednesday to enhance India's ability to predict and respond to extreme weather events and the impacts of climate change. The mission, with a budget of Rs 2,000 crore over two years, will be primarily implemented by three key institutions under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) -- the India Meteorological Department, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology and the National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting. These will be supported by other MoES bodies, such as the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services, the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research and the National Institute of Ocean Technology. The mission will focus on improving observations and understanding to deliver highly-accurate and timely weather and climate information across temporal and spatial scales. This includes information on monsoon, air quality, extreme weather events, cyclones and weather

Climate change imminent, focus on areas like Green Hydrogen needed: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday stressed on the need to focus on new areas of energy transition like Green Hydrogen to deal with climate change saying it is not a matter of future rather it calls for an action now. Addressing through a video message the 2nd International Conference on Green Hydrogen India 2024, Modi said, "There is a growing realisation that climate change is not just a matter of the future. The impact of climate change is being felt here and now. The time for action is also here and now." He was of the view that energy transition and sustainability have become central to global policy discourse. He noted that Green Hydrogen is emerging as a promising addition to the world's energy landscape and it can help in decarbonizing industries that are difficult to electrify. Refineries, fertilizers, steel, heavy-duty transportation -- many such sectors will benefit, he pointed out. Green Hydrogen can also act as a storage solution for surplus renewable energy, h

India needs urgent, actionable plan to meet climate goals as time runs out

Climate change poses a major vulnerability that demands a comprehensive, quantifiable medium- and long-term plan, along with close monitoring to ensure timely corrective actions

Scaling RE beyond 1,500 GW to face significant challenges, says study

India needs to install around 7,000 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy capacity to achieve net-zero emissions by 2070 but deployment beyond 1,500 GW could face critical challenges, including climate risks, high land prices, land conflicts, and population density, according to a new study. The study by independent think tank Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) is the first of its kind to map India's renewable energy and green hydrogen potential by analysing the entire country's landmass and applying real-world constraints. India has a renewable energy (RE) potential of over 24,000 GW and around 7,000 GW of installed capacity is required to achieve net-zero emissions by 2070. The fast-developing South Asian nation currently has an installed RE capacity of 150 GW, and the study says that the constraints are relatively manageable up to 1,500 GW. Arunabha Ghosh, the CEO of CEEW, said, While our RE potential is vast, the road to net zero is fraught with challenges. From land

Union Bank of India becomes 1st major bank to become signatory of PCAF

Union Bank of India on Monday announced its decision to become a signatory to the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF). This step aligns with the growing global emphasis on climate risk management and the recent draft guidelines issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on climate risk disclosures. PCAF is a global partnership of financial institutions working to develop and implement a harmonized approach to assess and disclose greenhouse gas emissions associated with loans and investments, Union Bank said in a statement. By joining PCAF, Union Bank of India demonstrates its commitment to measuring and managing its financed emissions, a crucial aspect of climate risk management for banks, it said. "Financed emissions, often referred to as Scope 3 emissions, represent the indirect emissions that result from a Bank's lending and investment activities. These emissions can significantly outweigh a Bank's operational emissions and pose substantial risks to its portfolio

Govt plans to use LNG for third of truck fleet, in blow to diesel

India, one of the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, has set a 2070 net zero goal and wants to raise the share of natural gas in its energy mix to 15 per cent by 2030

Azure Power to prepay green bonds worth $310 mn maturing in December

Sustainable energy solutions provider Azure Power on Monday said it has issued a notice to prepay green bonds worth USD 310 million maturing in December 2024. The bonds (RG II) are backed by seven utility projects, originally commissioned between 2016 and 2019, a company statement said. The refinancing, valued at approximately Rs 24 billion, is structured as an INR Term Loan underwritten solely by REC Limited. The projects, with a total capacity of 615 MW, are spread across Punjab, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Rajasthan. The green bonds were issued in 2019 for USD 350 million and are listed in Singapore. Azure Power Global Limited, a leading sustainable energy solutions provider and renewable power producer in India, issued a notice to prepay green bonds maturing in December 2024. "This refinancing reaffirms Azure Power's strong market position and our capability to raise funding at attractive terms," Sunil Gupta, CEO at Azure Power, said in

Nabard to tap global agencies to set up carbon fund: Chairman Shaji K V

According to a recent study by the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), globally, assets worth nearly $800 billion are getting affected on an annual basis due to climate change

Majority of India need to calibrate infra to mitigate climate impact: ESRI

Over 85 per cent of Indian districts are prone to at least one major climate event like flood, drought, cyclone or heat wave, and they need to calibrate existing infrastructure to mitigate the losses and handle threats arising out of climatic changes, a report by GIS software firm ESRI India and IPE-Global said on Friday. IPE Global, along with GIS software company ESRI India, launched a tool to help local authorities take appropriate action in mitigating the impact of natural calamities, especially floods. "85 per cent of Indian districts are prone to at least one of the major extreme weather patterns, which are floods, flood, drought, cyclone and heat waves. Cities will have to look at ways to manage changes that are happening in climate. Their infrastructure has to go through a revamp so that urban flooding can be minimised," ESRI India Managing Director Agendra Kumar said during the report launch. More than 60 per cent of districts in Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha Gujarat, ...

ADB to devote half of its annual lending to climate finance by 2030

The new strategy comes nearly a year after ADB approved reforms to unlock $100 billion in new financing capacity over a decade, meeting a mandate from U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen

Research for climate-resilient milch cattle takes a vast step forward

In a bid to keep milk flowing amid severe heatwaves, NDRI develops genetically edited embryo of buffalo

India provided more climate finance than many rich nations in 2022: Report

India contributed USD 1.28 billion in climate finance through multilateral development banks (MDBs) in 2022, surpassing the contributions of many developed countries, according to a new analysis. The analysis, conducted by the UK-based think tank ODI and the Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance, comes amid a renewed push by some developed countries to broaden the donor base for climate finance to include developing countries like China and Saudi Arabia. The report reveals that only 12 developed countries provided their fair share of international climate finance in 2022. These countries are -- Norway, France, Luxembourg, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Japan, the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium and Finland. Researchers noted that the significant gap in climate finance is largely due to the United States failing to contribute its fair share. Australia, Spain, Canada and the United Kingdom also performed relatively poorly in this regard. The analysis has identified the top 30 ...