Page 27 - Climate Change

China plans to cut CO2 emission in key sectors by 1% of 2023 level

The plan said China would 'strictly' control coal consumption, 'reasonably' control petroleum consumption and promote use of biofuel and sustainable aviation fuel

Developed countries fulfilled $100 bn climate finance promise in 2022: OECD

Developed countries met their long-standing promise of mobilizing USD 100 billion a year to help developing countries mitigate and adapt to climate change in 2022, according to the latest data published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on Wednesday. This promise was made in Copenhagen in 2009 and was supposed to be met by 2020. Delays in achieving the USD 100 billion goal have eroded trust between developed and developing nations and have been a continual source of contention during annual climate negotiations. Developing nations argue they cannot be expected to reduce CO2 emissions faster if developed countries - historically responsible for climate change - do not provide enhanced financial support. According to the OECD, developed countries provided USD 115.9 billion in climate finance to developing countries in 2022. The data showed that public climate finance (bilateral and multilateral funds attributable to developed countries) accounted fo

Understanding heat waves: What are the causes, impact, and how to stay safe

A heat wave is an extended period of excessively hot weather that can have serious consequences for human health and the environment

Here's how disruptions in the Red Sea are driving up carbon emissions

For companies struggling to account for "and lower" the climate-warming emissions associated with their businesses, these rerouted journeys add to the challenge

India heat waves linked to climate change cause massive food waste

India wastes more food than almost any other country partly because of spotty refrigeration. Climate change is making the problem worse

Over 50% of world's mangroves at risk due to climate change: IUCN

More than half of the world's mangrove ecosystems are at risk of collapse, with nearly one in five facing severe risk, according to the findings of the first global mangrove assessment. Climate change threatens one-third (33 per cent) of the mangrove ecosystems, according to the study done using the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Ecosystems -- a global standard for measuring the health of ecosystems. Deforestation, development, pollution and dam construction pose a serious threat to mangroves, but the risk to these ecosystems is increasing due to sea-level rise and the increased frequency of severe storms due to climate change. "IUCN's Red List of Ecosystems is key to tracking progress towards the goal of halting and reversing biodiversity loss, in line with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The first global assessment of mangrove ecosystems gives key guidance that highlights the urgent need for coordinated conservation of ...

After high transportation costs, Pak mangoes suffer due to climate change

Already battered by the spike in input costs, Pakistan's mango production is set to significantly reduce for a third year running due to the impact of climate change and a scaled-down export target for 2024. Industry leaders, fruit farmers, exporters and weather scientists are all worried about the increasing impact of climate change that will not just reduce the mango yield but also decrease the foreign exchange and have claimed that the government has not done anything to mitigate the losses. The All Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters, Importers, Merchants Association has set a target of 1,00,000 metric tonnes of mango exports in the current season but says that they may not even be able to achieve that. This target translates to approximately USD 90 million of export income. Pakistan's mangoes are exported mainly to China, the USA, Turkey, Japan, Iran, Afghanistan, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Central Asian countries. Mangoes are the most exported fruit from Pakistan because of

Climate change may impact people with brain conditions: Lancet study

Climate change is likely to negatively affect the health of people suffering from brain conditions such as migraine and Alzheimer's, new research published in The Lancet Neurology journal has found. Extreme temperatures, both low and high, and greater changes over the course of the day -- driven by climate change -- were shown to have an impact on brain diseases, explained lead researcher Sanjay Sisodiya from the University of College London's Institute of Neurology, UK. "Night-time temperatures may be particularly important as higher temperatures through the night can disrupt sleep. Poor sleep is known to aggravate a number of brain conditions," he said. The study, reviewing 332 papers published from around the world between 1968 and 2023, looked at 19 different nervous system conditions, including stroke, migraine, Alzheimer's, meningitis, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis. The researchers found an increased number of admissions, disabilities or deaths resulting from a stroke due t

BJP went back on Sixth Schedule promise, will continue movement: Wangchuk

In March this year, Leh, known for its breathtaking landscapes and monasteries, made headlines as climate activist Sonam Wangchuk led a 21-day fast in sub-zero temperatures seeking autonomy for Ladakh. Thousands joined the Ramon Magsaysay Award winner whose life inspired actor Aamir Khan's character Rancho in Bollywood blockbuster "3 Idiots". After ending his fast on March 26, Wangchuk began a sit-in which was called off on May 10 in view of the Lok Sabha elections. Though the government did not accede to the protesters' demands for statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, Wangchuk says the movement is anything but over. "On one hand, land is going to corporations and on the other hand, China is capturing our land, thousands of square kilometres of land. People of the country need to understand our pain," Wangchuk told PTI. "The Sixth Schedule is required to protect the mountains, glaciers and ecology. Though it is required in the whole ...

Weather reports from satellites help India's farming innovation drive

The Indian government, which just relaxed foreign investment rules for the space sector, is leaning heavily into the use of satellite data to solve problems on the ground, with agriculture a key focus

Eversource Capital, India's top climate investor, seeks to raise $1 bn

Eversource's 32-member team is already on the look out for projects and companies that seek to combat climate change to invest in from the next fund

Climate change could lead to spread, worsening of mental conditions: Study

"In order to work properly, the brain has to be maintained within a relatively narrow temperature range," said Sanjay Sisodiya, a professor at the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology

India to formally convey to ATCM plans to built Antarctica research station

India will formally convey to the governing authority of Antarctica its plans to develop a new research station in the icy continent when the body meets for its annual meeting in Kochi later this month. The 46th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) and the 26th Meeting of the Committee for Environment Protection will be held in Kochi from May 20-30 where countries engaged in research in the southern polar region will share the outcome of their scientific pursuits and also their future plans. "This year, we are going to inform the ATCM that we are planning to go for a revamp of our research station Maitri. Revamp means, Maitri is very old, we have to re-construct," M Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, said in an interaction with PTI Editors here. India has two active research stations Maitri and Bharti - in Antarctica. The first research station, Dakshin Gangotri, set up in 1983, had to be abandoned after it sank in the snow. Among the scientific community

Investors may have a higher focus on deeptech, Gen AI, climate tech in 2024

The report focuses on investment activity across seed and pre-Series A stages, by analysing market information, along with a survey conducted with 22 leading institutional early-stage investors

Right to a future: What would it mean to have a law on climate change?

The apex court has made an 'observation' on the right to be free from the adverse effects of climate change. Can this pave the way to a cleaner future?

Italy pushes G7 to set date for coal phase-out ahead of energy meeting

An agreement on this would be one step in the direction indicated by the COP28 United Nations climate summit in Dubai last year to transition away from fossil fuels, of which coal is most polluting

Climate change could become main driver of biodiversity decline: Study

Climate change could become the main driver of biodiversity decline by the mid-century, a new research has found. Studying changes in land-use patterns and their impacts on biodiversity, an international team of researchers found that biodiversity around the world could have declined by 2-11 per cent. "By including all world regions in our model, we were able to fill many blind spots and address criticism of other approaches working with fragmented and potentially biased data," said Henrique Pereira, research group head at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), and the first author of the study published in the journal 'Science'. Examining how biodiversity and ecosystems might evolve in the future, the researchers found that the combined effects of land-use change and climate change lead to biodiversity loss across all global regions, regardless of emissions scenario. "We found that climate change poses an imminent threat to biodiversity and ecosystem ...

Tipping point: Climate disasters have cost India over $120 bn since 2000

About 2 per cent of the total deaths in 2022 were due to forces of nature, NCRB data shows. Over 8,000 people lost their lives due to such events that year compared to 6,800 in 2018

Not cloud seeding, climate change to blame for Dubai floods: Scientists

UAE got 254 mm of rainfall over 24 hours last week, more than it typically receives in an entire year

Asia world's most 'disaster hit' region with rising climate crisis: Report

WMO climate report reveals record high temperatures in Asian countries with flooding and heat waves are major issues in India