Page 42 - Climate Change

Some plants may worsen air pollution on a warming planet, shows study

On a warming planet, plants like oaks and poplars will emit more of a compound that exacerbates poor air quality, contributing to problematic particulate matter and low-atmosphere ozone, a study shows. The same compound, called isoprene, can also improve the quality of clean air while making plants more resistant to stressors including insects and high temperatures. "Do we want plants to make more isoprene so they're more resilient, or do we want them making less so it's not making air pollution worse? What's the right balance?" said Tom Sharkey, a professor at Michigan State University in the US. "Those are really the fundamental questions driving this work. The more we understand, the more effectively we can answer them," Sharkey said. Isoprene from plants is the second-highest emitted hydrocarbon on Earth, only behind methane emissions from human activity. Yet most people have never heard of it, the researchers said. Isoprene interacts with nitrogen oxide compounds found in air

Developed nations pledge $9.3 bn to climate fund at gathering in Germany

Developed countries pledged USD 9.3 billion to help poor nations tackle climate change at a conference held in the German city of Bonn on Thursday, authorities said. However, nongovernmental groups criticized the outcome, saying the funds fall short of what is needed to tackle climate change. The pledges will help replenish the South Korea-based Green Climate Fund, established in 2010 as a financing vehicle for developing countries. It's the largest such fund aimed at providing money to help poorer nations in reducing their emissions, coping with impacts of climate change and boosting their transitions to clean energy. The pledged money at the conference in Bonn will be used to finance projects in developing and emerging nations between 2024 and 2027. The German government alone pledged 2 billion euros (USD 2.1 billion). Twenty-five countries came forward with fresh pledges while five said that they would announce theirs in the near future. The collected sum will likely turn out to

What pandemic preparedness would look like

Given strong odds that we will face another pandemic, the world is rightly engaged in discussions about how to do better next time. But the latest UN agreement on the issue offers mere platitudes

Climate change threatens amphibians, 136 of 426 species in India at risk

Climate change is deteriorating amphibian species around the world and the species continue to be the most threatened class of vertebrates, new research in Nature journal reports. In India, 136 of the 426 species evaluated in the study were found to be threatened, an international team of researchers, including those from Council of Scientific & Industrial Research-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CSIR-CCMB), Hyderabad, and other Indian institutes, said in their study. "Among the states with high amphibian diversity, Kerala has 178 species of which 84 are threatened, Tamil Nadu is next with 128 species of which 54 are threatened and Karnataka is in third place with 100 species of which 30 are threatened," said study author Gururaja K. V. and faculty at Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Bengaluru campus. Current and projected climate change effects are estimated to be responsible for 39 per cent of status .

Global infra faces losses worth $300 bn due to climate change: Report

The report said the annual investment required to fund the infrastructure deficit, achieve the sustainable development goals, and strengthen resilience by 2050 is about to $9.2 trillion

Global infra faces losses of $300 bn amid worsening climate impacts: CDRI

The global annual average loss (AAL) in the principal infrastructure sectors due to disasters and climate change currently stands between USD 301 and USD 330 billion, according to a biennial report from the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI). The inclusion of health and education infrastructure, and building stock, increases that range to USD 732 to USD 845 billion -- around one-seventh of the global GDP growth in the financial year 2021-2022 -- with nearly half of this contingent liability held by the low-and-middle-income countries, the report said. The low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs), therefore, face a multi-dimensional challenge -- a large infrastructure deficit that constrains social and economic development, precarious and poor-quality infrastructure due to deficiencies in infrastructure governance, disaster-related asset loss and damage and service disruption, and a stock of legacy infrastructure increasingly ill-suited to address the challenges ...

Greenwashing in India Inc: Environment scores create a sense of suspicion

Companies' disclosures should be verified by a single unit under Sebi to avoid disparity in methods

Banks, financial services behind 70% jump in greenwashing incidents in 2023

European financial institutions accounted for most of those instances, and much of the greenwashing involved claims about fossil fuels

India caught between Davids & Goliaths in global clean energy face-off

The US and Europe are offering 8 to 10 times more subsidies amounting to a massive $650 billion, around 18 per cent of India's gross domestic product

MPs raised concerns on climate change: Jairam Ramesh after House panel meet

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Environment, Forests and Climate Change met on Tuesday with MPs raising concerns and questions about various issues, including implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, according to its chairperson Jairam Ramesh. Ramesh said that the Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forests and Climate Change met to discuss the subject of Environment and Public Health in terms of morbidity and mortality. It met with both the Ministries of Environment, Forests and Climate Change as well as with the Ministry of Health together, which in itself was a "minor innovation" that hopefully will have major effects, Ramesh said. "Ministries made their presentations. MPs had many concerns and questions on pollution, contamination and climate change. One key concern remained implementation and enforcement of environmental laws," he said on X after the meeting. Future meetings on this very wide but crucial subject will be held in the n

Oil, industrial firms to commit to decarbonisation at COP28: UAE's Jaber

Jaber did not disclose further details of the measures that had been agreed or identify the executives, but said those who had signed up would be named upon completion of the commitment

COP28: BASIC countries demand equity at centre of Global Stocktake

The principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDRRC) must be at the centre of the Global Stocktake -- a periodic review of global efforts to achieve goals of the Paris Agreement -- and operationalised in its each and every component, BASIC countries have said. In their submission to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) outlining their expectations from the Global Stocktake (GST) in September, the BASIC group said it should acknowledge the existing implementation gaps, particularly those related to the pre-2020 period. The BASIC group comprises Brazil, South Africa, India, and China. The developed nations either acknowledge their historical responsibilities, take lead in climate action or admit their failure to do so, they said. The Global Stocktake is a two-year UN review process to evaluate collective global progress in meeting the Paris Agreement's goals. Initiated in Glasgow in 2021, the ...

'Developed nations' L&D funding proposals threaten progress at COP28'

Experts from the Global South have expressed concern that developed countries' attempts to narrow the eligibility criteria for receiving loss and damage funding and expand the contributor base may slow down negotiations on the critical issue at COP28. They also stressed that developing countries must present a united front during COP28 -- the annual United Nations climate talks -- in Dubai in December to achieve a substantial decision on the matter. The creation of a Loss and Damage Fund (LDF) marked a significant milestone at COP27 in Egypt's Sharm El Sheikh last year and represented the culmination of years of advocacy by climate-vulnerable developing nations. The fund's primary objective is to offer financial support to countries that are highly vulnerable to severe impacts of climate change. Ministerial consultations held in New York last week on the funding arrangements for loss and damage highlighted stark disagreements between developed and developing nations regarding who ..

Glaciers in Switzerland lose 10% of their ice volume in two years

Swiss glaciers have lost as much ice over this two-year period as was lost over the three decades between 1960 and 1990

Itziar Irakulis Loitxate: The climate sleuth tracking methane leaks for UN

The 27-year-old PhD student isn't a detective but she may be the closest thing the world has to climate police

India slams nations' climate inaction; calls for focus on pre-2020 gaps

India has said that the first-ever Global Stocktake outcome should prioritise addressing pre-2020 gaps, capture equity as an overarching concern and acknowledge the serious lack of ambition among developed nations in combating climate change. Global Stocktake is a two-year UN review to evaluate collective global progress towards achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. This process will conclude at the end of COP28 in Dubai. In a submission to the UNFCCC outlining its expectations from the Global Stocktake, India emphasised that the outcome should encourage developed nations to reduce their emissions in alignment with their historical responsibilities and provide support to developing countries in terms of finance, technology development and transfer, and capacity building. The Global Stocktake outcome must promote global climate action within the context of poverty eradication, sustainable development, economic diversification efforts, and closing gaps in social and economic ...

Exposure to air pollution linked to increased stroke risk within 5 days

Short-term exposure to air pollution may be linked to an increased risk of stroke, according to a study. The meta analysis, published recently in the the journal Neurology, defined short-term exposure as occurring within five days of the stroke. A stroke can cause lasting brain damage, long-term disability, or even death. Signs of a stroke can range from mild weakness to paralysis or numbness on one side of the face or body. "Previous research has established a connection between long-term exposure to air pollution and an increased risk of stroke," said study author Ahmad Toubasi, from the University of Jordan in Amman. "However, the correlation between short-term exposure to air pollution and stroke had been less clear. For our study, instead of looking at weeks or months of exposure, we looked at just five days and found a link between short-term exposure to air pollution and an increased risk of stroke," Toubasi said. The analysis involved a review of 110 studies that included

IAEA conference: India spells out plans to use N-power to achieve Net Zero

India on Wednesday spelt out plans to generate 22 GW power through nuclear energy to achieve Net Zero emissions for addressing the challenges posed by climate change. At the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Ajit Kumar Mohanty shared India's ambitious plans to step up nuclear power generation during a meeting with IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. Mohanty is in Vienna to attend the annual IAEA General Conference. Grossi posted on X, "Greetings to Mohanty on India's ambitious plans to reach 22 GW through nuclear energy for Net Zero." Addressing the conference, Mohanty said Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) has been setting records in extended continuous power plant operations and maintaining excellent safety records. Some of its units have operated continuously for more than 365 days (a year) on 42 occasions and more than 700 days on five occasions. One remarkable achievement is that unit-3 at Kakrapar

Climate change pushes Southeast Asia to finally start sharing power

The urgency for Southeast Asian nations to switch to clean energy to combat climate change is reinvigorating a 20-year-old plan for the region to share power. Malaysia and Indonesia inked a deal in Bali, Indonesia last month to study 18 potential locations where cross-border transmission lines can be set up. Those links could eventually generate power roughly equivalent to what 33 nuclear power plants would produce in a year. They are economically and technically feasible, and now are supported by regional governments, said Beni Suryadi a power expert at the ASEAN Centre for Energy in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN is a political and economic gathering of 10 countries across a vast region, from tiny Brunei and Singapore to military-controlled Myanmar and fast-rising economic power Vietnam. Experts describe imports by Singapore of hydroelectric-generated power from Laos via transmissions through Thailand and Malaysia as a pathfinder project,

Brazil's Amazon rainforest drought may affect over 500,000 people

The Amazon rainforest in Brazil is facing a severe drought that may affect around 500,000 people by the end of the year, authorities said on Tuesday. Many are already struggling to access essential supplies such as food and water, because the principal means of transportation in the region is waterways, and river levels are historically low. Droughts also impact fishing, a means of subsistence for many riverside communities. Amazonas state declared an environmental emergency two weeks ago in response to the prolonged drought and launched a response plan valued at USD 20 million. Authorities will also distribute food and water supplies as well as personal hygiene kits, the state's civil defence agency said in a statement. Gov. Wilson Lima was in Brazil's capital, Brasilia, on Tuesday to meet with representatives of the federal government. Lima spoke with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to discuss the drought. The different levels of government will coordinate measures in suppor