Page 4 - Climate Change

Climate-linked insurance scheme: Why govt is exploring it and what's ahead

The scheme could help someone in Uttarakhand or Punjab whose house was washed away in the floods. Let's unfold the climate-linked insurance scheme and understand how it can help people

How global climate efforts can survive and thrive under Trump's leadership

Trump's initiatives are likely to mean an additional 7 billion tonnes of emissions will be created compared to a scenario where the US met its Paris commitments

Best of BS Opinion: Starmer visit shows room for growth in India-UK trade

Today's Opinion pieces look at the potential for growth in India-UK trade, the hurdles to the Gaza peace plan, India's geopolitical opportunity, and Trump's hidden call for global change

Trump's rebranding of climate change is aimed more at global regime change

Trump's UN address targets global discontent, framing climate action as elite-driven, turning science into a political wedge for ideological gain

India inks critical mineral, climate change and defence deals with UK

Modi, Starmer seek to build on FTA signed in July 24

Just 5% of climate cooperation initiatives met goals since Paris pact: CEEW

Ten years after the landmark Paris Agreement, only 5 per cent of global cooperative climate initiatives have met their stated goals, while over one-fifth have stalled or become inactive, according to the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). Published in a report, the analysis found that while global climate conferences have spurred hundreds of voluntary, multi-actor initiatives involving governments, investors, and civil society, a majority lack measurable targets, budgetary support, and accountability structures needed to sustain progress. The report, 'Ten Years of Paris Agreement: A Stocktake of Cooperative Climate Initiatives,' was launched at an event which marked 10 years of the Paris Agreement, organised by the CEEW. Between 2015 and 2025, more than 475 cooperative initiatives were launched, engaging over 40,000 entities from local governments and multilateral organisations to private investors and businesses. But the CEEW analysis of 203 such initiatives found th

Govt considers introducing nationwide climate-linked insurance scheme

Should the discussions bear fruit, India - among the nations most prone to extreme weather events - could become one of the first major economies to roll out such a programme

Food security inequities worsen due to conflicts, climate change: Lancet

About half of the world's population may not be able to access healthy food, clean environment or earn a living wage, indicating inequities in human health that have been made worse by geopolitical conflicts and climate change, according to a new Lancet report. Further, the world's food system -- contributing to 30 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions -- is the main driver of challenges the planet faces by impacting climate, biodiversity, land use change, among others, it said. The crisis of inequity in access to conditions required for good human health and environmental harm due to global food systems threatens human health and the resilience of planet Earth, authors said in the '2025 EAT-Lancet Commission on Healthy, Sustainable, and Just Food Systems'. Launched in January 2019, the 'EAT-Lancet Commission' outlines recommendations for a 'planetary health diet' -- favouring fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes and small portions of meat and dairy -- and targets for achieving a ...

Trading carbon: An efficient market can enable India's green transition

Other than meeting India's climate objectives, the domestic carbon market has profound implications for the country's export competitiveness

China, largest carbon polluting nation, announces new goal to cut emissions

China, the world's largest carbon polluting nation, has announced a new climate fighting goal to cut emissions by 7 per cent to 10 per cent by 2035. It came as more than 100 world leaders lined up Wednesday to talk of increased urgency and the need for stronger efforts to curb the spewing of heat-trapping gases. With major international climate negotiations in Brazil 6 weeks away, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres convened a special leaders summit during the General Assembly to focus on climate change.

'Ended 7 wars, never got call from UN': Highlights from Trump's UNGA speech

From a broken escalator and teleprompter mishap to jabs at India, China, and the UN, here are the top takeaways from US President Donald Trump's speech at UNGA

Trump tells UN that climate change is 'greatest con job' globally

Scientists say climate change is real, mostly caused by humans, and getting worse. They point to rising temperatures, stronger storms, and melting ice as clear signs

CPCB must boost capacity to balance growth, green norms: Bhupender Yadav

Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Monday said the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) must focus on building capacity so that cities and industries can expand while ensuring compliance with environmental norms. Addressing an event to mark CPCB's 51st foundation day, Yadav said environmental protection "should not be treated like a panic button" but should become part of civic values and daily behaviour. He recalled that CPCB was set up in 1974 when environmental concerns were rising globally. "Today, we are in a period of major transformation. Our environmental regulation also needs to evolve. The challenge before CPCB is how to make its regulatory mechanisms relevant to society's needs, how to strengthen its capacity and how to ensure effective implementation," he said. Citing Delhi's growth, Yadav said the capital's population has increased from "about 30-40 lakhs (3-4 million) in the mid-1970s to nearly 4 crore (40 million) today, putting immense pressure on the ...

SDGs should take priority over climate targets, says CEA Nageswaran

India's Chief Economic Adviser Anantha Nageswaran has warned that India's climate goals must not undercut its economic aspirations

Climate-driven health risks could cost global economy $1.5 trn by 2050: WEF

Climate-related health risks can cost the global economy at least USD 1.5 trillion (over Rs 131 lakh crore) in lost productivity in the next 25 years due to rising illness and labour shortages across key sectors, a new study showed on Thursday. The World Economic Forum report, developed in collaboration with Boston Consulting Group, assessed climate-driven health impacts in four of the most affected economic sectors: food and agriculture; the built environment; health and healthcare; and insurance. The USD 1.5 trillion estimate reflects losses in only the first three sectors, under a mid-range scenario, suggesting the burden on the global economy could be far higher, it said. The study encourages companies to act now to protect workforce health, build operational resilience and safeguard productivity before the costs of climate adaptation become unmanageable. The findings highlighted that adapting to extreme heat, infectious diseases and other health risks accelerating due to clima

The Finance Commission is key to saving our cities from climate change

Its current horizontal devolution formula is insufficient to prepare cities to deal with floods and droughts caused by climate change

Govt plans ₹5,000 cr scheme to promote decarbonisation: Steel secy

The government is working on a Rs 5,000 crore scheme to promote adoption of clean steel-making technologies, thereby reducing carbon emissions, Steel Secretary Sandeep Poundrik said on Wednesday. The senior ministry official made the remarks while speaking to PTI on the sidelines of the 'FT Live Energy Transition Summit India' in the national capital. "The proposal is under consideration for a National Mission for Sustainable Steel. It is a Rs 5,000 crore scheme," he said. The scheme will cover all steel makers in the country, with 75-80 per cent of the fund earmarked for secondary players, Poundrik said. It aims to promote lower carbon emissions in steel production by encouraging the use of clean technologies and alternative materials, he added. His comments assume significance as India is a signatory to the Paris Agreement and aims to become a net-zero country. Poundrik said that in the next few months, the scheme is expected to become operational. Explaining the scheme, he fu

Droughts across India's rivers occurring in sync amid climate change: Study

Climate change could be driving a co-occurrence of droughts across multiple river basins in India, causing severe water shortage and affecting food and water security, a study from the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar has found. Researchers Vimal Mishra and Dipesh Singh Chuphal said droughts and a widespread drying of rivers are becoming more common, together driving an increase in sync between droughts across several rivers. The findings, published in the journal American Geophysical Union (AGU) Advances, have "profound implications associated with water scarcity" for the country, the team said. The authors modelled water flow at 45 gauge stations on major rivers across India, including Ganga and Brahmaputra, from 1200 to 2012. Historical data and observations on water flow were used for the analysis. "Drought synchronicity has increased across the Indian rivers in the present period (1850-2012) than in the (pre-industrial era) (1200-1849)," the authors wrote. They adde

India's renewable story needs better forecasting, stronger infrastructure

The devastating floods across northern India turned the spotlight on the fact that a surfeit of water is as disastrous as a scarcity of rain

Justice in climate cooperation: Restoring common but differentiated duties

The group of Non-Annex I countries can no longer be fully identified with the developing states, as 20 Non-Annex I countries are now included in the World Bank's list of high-income countries