Page 43 - Climate Change

UK leader Rishi Sunak signals plan to backtrack on some climate goals

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is preparing to water down some of Britain's climate commitments, saying the country must fight climate change without penalizing workers and consumers. Sunak issued a late-night statement Tuesday in response to a BBC report saying the prime minister is considering extending deadlines for bans on new gasoline and diesel cars currently due in 2030 - and on new natural-gas home heating. Sunak said that in a speech this week he will set out a proportionate approach to the environment. He did not set a date for the speech, which could come as early as Wednesday. For too many years, politicians in governments of all stripes have not been honest about costs and trade-offs, Sunak said in a statement. Instead they have taken the easy way out, saying we can have it all. Sunak did not confirm details of his announcements. He said he would keep a promise to reduce the UK's emissions of climate-warming greenhouse gases to net zero by 2050, but in a better, more ...

India's renewable energy boom not fast enough for 1.5-degree C goal: Report

India's renewable sector is booming but just not fast enough to become 1.5-degree Celsius compatible, and the country is heading in the opposite direction entirely when it comes to phasing out coal power, a new report by Climate Action Tracker claimed on Tuesday. The Union environment ministry, however, said the report completely ignores the concept of "fair share and cumulative historical responsibility of developed nations". It said the Indian government has been implementing a number of schemes and programmes, both in terms of mitigation and adaptation and the report totally ignores this aspect. The report by the independent research group that tracks government climate action and measures it against Paris Agreement goals comes on the eve of the United Nations' Climate Ambition Summit. It analyses whether the plans of 16 countries to decarbonise their power sector align with the goal of keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius. These 16 countries include Australia, Braz

Climate change made Libya's flooding even more devastating: Scientists

The devastating storm that dumped torrential rains along the Libyan coast this month was up to 50 times more likely to occur and 50% more intense because of human-caused climate change, according to an analysis released on Tuesday. Before crossing the Mediterranean, the storm raged for four days and caused extensive damage in central Greece and parts of Bulgaria and Turkey, a region where such extreme storms are up to 10 times more likely and up to 40% more intense because of climate change, scientists said. Heavy one-day rains from Mediterranean storm Daniel caused massive flooding across eastern Libya that overwhelmed two dams, sending a wall of water through the coastal city of Derna that destroyed entire neighborhoods and swept bridges, cars and people out to sea. The death toll has varied, with government officials and aid agencies giving tallies ranging from about 4,000 to 11,000 dead. The analysis was conducted by the World Weather Attribution group, which aims to quickly ...

HCLTech grants $5 mn under CSR initiative to combat climate in Americas

Scaling up its CSR initiative to address climate issues at the global level, HCLTech on Tuesday announced a grant of USD 5 million over five years for combating climate change and restoring ecosystems and biodiversity across the Americas. For the last eight years, the HCLTech Grant program has been supporting India-based NGOs, and now the same has been scaled for implementation in the Americas, the company said in a statement. Every year, three NGOs with innovative and sustainable projects will receive a grant of USD 1 million. One NGO will receive USD 5,00,000, while two others will receive USD 2,50,000 each. NGOs will be selected through a rigorous screening process, it added. "Through this programme, we aim to accelerate innovation in climate projects and build a sustainable planet. Our ambition is to identify organisations that are truly making an impact at the grassroots and help them scale their unique projects," said Nidhi Pundhir, Vice President, Global CSR, ...

First Abu Dhabi Bank announces strategic pathway partnership with COP28

FAB's COP28 partnership is an integral part of the UAE's vision to support a sustainable future, the bank's broader growth strategy and its sustainability priorities

From climate change to tech disruptions: AIYD to discuss global mega trends

Inspired by her 89-year-old grandmother's efforts to stay healthy, anthropologist Sayani Das said she turned her focus to geriatric health, particularly frailty syndrome. Almost eight years of research into the health and well-being of older adults, she said, helped her figure out effective strategies to prevent and manage frailty. Now, this founding member of Centre for Ageing Studies at the International Institute of Health Management Research (IIHMR) in New Delhi is hoping that as a delegate at the Australia India Youth Dialogue (AIYD) 2023 she would be able to crack the formula for scaling too. The 11th edition of the AIYD will take place from September 19 to 22 in Delhi and Bengaluru. "Geriatric health is not just a medical issue, its biggest challenge is the communication with the target audience, as well as caretakers and policy makers. So, I feel, this is a very good opportunity for me to collaborate with people from different fields like social workers, policy makers, law .

How can you spot greenwashing in advertisements, product packaging?

Broadly speaking, it's when companies questionably claim environmental bona fides to attract more business or draw less scrutiny

Minerals security partnership continues to expand with India, says US

US also affirmed that country would continue to expand the Minerals security partnership with 14 partners including India as clean energy and other technologies, are projected to grow significantly

UAW strike: Cracks between Biden's goals of tackling climate change, unions

Two of President Joe Biden's top goals fighting climate change and expanding the middle class by supporting unions are colliding in the key battleground state of Michigan as the United Auto Workers go on strike against the country's biggest car companies. The strike involves 13,000 workers so far, less than one-tenth of the union's total membership, but it's a sharp test of Biden's ability to hold together an expansive and discordant political coalition while running for reelection. Biden is trying to turbocharge the market for electric vehicles to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prevent China from solidifying its grip on a growing industry. His signature legislation, known as the Inflation Reduction Act, includes billions of dollars in incentives to get more clean cars on the roads. Some in the UAW fear the transition will cost jobs because electric vehicles require fewer people to assemble. Although there will be new opportunities in the production of high-capacity batteries

If Mother Nature were to come calling

Even as the world grapples with escalating climate crises, corporate priorities in India continue to favour optics over genuine environmental action in their brand building effort

Earth's warmest Aug saw 65 countries set record high temperatures: Report

Thirteen per cent of the Earth's surface, spanning 65 countries, experienced record high temperatures in August, while the rest of the world braved significantly higher temperatures compared to the 1951-1980 average, according to a new analysis conducted by an independent US-based non-profit organisation. Berkeley Earth, which focuses on environmental data science and analysis, said last month was the warmest August since records began to be kept in 1850, with "particularly warm conditions" prevailing in parts of India, Japan, North Atlantic, Eastern Equatorial Pacific, Northern South America, Central America, parts of Africa and the Middle East. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a US government agency, said on Thursday that 2023 witnessed Earth's hottest August in its 174-year climate record. The sizzling month also marked the northern hemisphere's warmest meteorological summer and the southern hemisphere's warmest meteorological winter on record, the NOAA

Extreme weather turns up the heat on long-term investment in agriculture

Rising global temperatures threaten to damage crops that rely on predictable weather, which will likely lead to higher food prices

Oil India to invest Rs 25,000 crore in clean energy for net zero by 2040

State-owned Oil India Ltd plans to invest Rs 25,000 crore in clean energy projects that will help it achieve a net zero carbon emission goal by 2040, its chairman Ranjit Rath said on Thursday. OIL's net zero plan includes a combination of cutting down the flaring of gas and commercialisation of stranded gas as well as setting up renewable electricity generation capacity, building green hydrogen plants and constructing biogas and ethanol plants. The company plans to lay an 80-kilometer pipeline to bring natural gas from fields in Arunachal Pradesh to Assam to help replace polluting liquid fuels in transport as well as industries, he told a news conference. It is also looking to convert some of the pipelines originally built to transport crude oil, to help flow gas, he said. "Our Rs 25,000 crore commitment is for for array of activities including green hydrogen, compressed biogas plants, renewable portfolio. geothermal energy, zero flaring initiative, CCUS projects, and 2G ethanol ..

Underachieving on climate

More action needed from G20 on energy transition

Trillions needed to meet Paris climate goals: G20 under India's presidency

The G20, under India's presidency, on Saturday said that developing countries will need USD 5.9 trillion in the pre-2030 period to implement their national climate plans effectively, with the aim of holding global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, preferably 1.5 degrees Celsius. To achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, developing countries will require approximately USD 4 trillion annually for clean energy technologies by 2030, the bloc said. The G20 also urged developed countries to fulfil their commitment to double their collective adaptation finance provision by 2025, compared to 2019 levels. Comprising nations responsible for 85 per cent of the world's GDP and 80 per cent of emissions, the G20 emphasised the need for increased global investments to align with the goals of the Paris Agreement. They called for a substantial scaling up of investment and climate finance, transitioning from billions to trillions of dollars from all sources. The New Delhi Leaders' Declaration,

European Commission urges G20 to set ambitious climate targets for 2030

The European Commission on Saturday urged G20 countries to agree to global targets on tripling renewable energy capacity and doubling energy efficiency by 2030, seen as critical to limiting the global average temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Addressing the "One Earth" session at the G20 Leaders' Summit in New Delhi here, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasised the urgency of addressing climate change, saying: "Climate change is man-made. So, it means we can fix it." She underscored the disproportionate impact of climate change, noting that G20 countries are responsible for a staggering 80 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, while Africa, with less than 4 per cent of emissions, is among the most affected. The European Commission president reminded the G20 countries that "we are about to miss our objective of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees". "So, it is absolutely critical that we maintain our path of 1.5 degrees. Only what gets measu

G20 leaders call for sustainable growth, addressing climate challenge

As the world's top leaders assembled here for the G20 Summit, they called for an urgent need to tackle various challenges before the globe including on the climate front. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the G20 leaders came together for the first time 15 years ago to restore global growth after the financial crisis. "We (now) meet at a time of enormous challenges - the world is looking to the G20 once again to provide leadership. Together I believe we can address these challenges," he said. Brazilian President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva said during his country's G20 presidency, it will launch a Task Force for Global Mobilisation against Climate Change. "We want to reach COP 30, in 2025, with a climate agenda balanced between mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage and financing, ensuring the sustainability of the planet and the dignity of people," he said. He said Brazil hopes to count on everyone's engagement so that the beauty of the Earth is not just a "photograph seen from ..

World off track to curb global warming, but offers ways to fix: UN report

With the world far off track on its 2015 pledge to curb global warming, a new United Nations report central to upcoming climate negotiations details how quickly and deeply energy and financial systems must change to get back on a safer path. The window of opportunity to secure a livable and sustainable future for all is rapidly closing, Friday's report warned. The globe has to cut its emissions of heat-trapping gases by 43% by 2030, compared to 2019 levels, and 60% by 2035, the report said. To get there, the report said, the phase-out of unabated fossil fuels is required, using a phrase international climate negotiators have shied away from before. It also said phasing out the internal combustion engine would be a huge help. And the way money flows such as investments, subsidies, loans, grants and payments for people and places hurt by warming's extreme weather also has to change, the report recommended. It said countries need to stop USD 450 billion in annual subsidies for coal,

Global emissions not in line to achieve Paris Agreement goals: UN report

A UN report on Friday said that global emissions are not in line with the modelled global mitigation pathways consistent with the temperature goal of the Paris Agreement -- a legally binding international treaty on climate change. The Global Stocktake report of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), however, said there is a rapidly narrowing window to raise ambitions and implement existing commitments in order to limit warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. It said much more ambition in action and support is needed in implementing domestic mitigation measures and setting larger targets in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC). Global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions need to be reduced by 43 per cent by 2030 and further by 60 per cent by 2035 compared to 2019 levels and reach net zero CO2 emissions by 2050 globally, the report said, adding that creativity and innovation in policymaking across all sectors and systems, and international cooperation

High-income nations of G20 fall drastically short on climate action: Oxfam

Even if the high-income G20 countries, including the US, the UK, Australia and Germany, were to reduce their domestic emissions to zero by 2030, they would still fall significantly short of their fair-share benchmarks for emissions reduction, according to a new paper published by Oxfam International. The paper by the global non-governmental organisation evaluates the fairness and ambition of national greenhouse gas reduction targets, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), of the G20 countries, using three distinct approaches. These approaches were employed to gauge the strength of the conclusions drawn. If all approaches arrived at similar results, it would suggest that the conclusions were robust. The findings reveal that the G20, collectively as well as the most high-income countries of the bloc individually, are failing to meet the necessary levels of ambition required to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The gap between the collective NDCs o