Page 47 - Climate Change

Melting of Ladakh glacier could form three glacial lakes, says study

Accelerated melting of the Himalayan Parkachik Glacier in Ladakh could give rise to three glacial lakes with an average depth ranging between 34 and 84 metres, scientists have found. These lakes could be a potential source of glacial lake outburst floods in the Himalayas, the scientists from the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun, said. Parkachik Glacier is one of the largest glacier in the Suru River valley, which is a part of the Southern Zanskar Ranges, western Himalaya. The Zanskar Range, part of the Himalayas, lies in the union territory of Ladakh. The glacier's yearly melting rate was 6 times faster between 1999 and 2021 (22 years) than that calculated from 1971 to 1999 (28 years), the scientists found using satellite data to determine its glacial retreat from 1971-2021. The findings are published in the journal Annals of Glaciology. The study attributed the accelerated glacial retreat to ongoing climate warming, which also causes surface morphological or geologic

G20 ministers reach agreement on most climate issues: Bhupendar Yadav

Environment Minister Bhupendar Yadav on Friday said the G20 climate ministers' meeting in Chennai on Friday wrapped up with success, with the countries agreeing on 64 out of 68 issues. However, the chair's summary of the meeting highlighted the lack of unity among nations on key issues crucial for limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius such as phasing down unabated fossil fuels, increasing renewable energy, and providing low-cost financing for developing countries. The meeting comes after the bloc, responsible for 85 per cent of the world's GDP and 80 per cent of the emissions, failed to reach a consensus on tripling renewable energy capacity to 11,000 gigawatts by 2030, phasing down the unabated use of fossil fuels and plans to finance the transition during the Energy Ministerial Meeting held in Goa last week. According to the chair's summary, which spells out the issues that lacked agreement, the bloc discussed accelerating the scaling up of renewable energy, tripling of .

We must join hands to tackle climate change: CII Eenrgy Conference

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Karnataka on Friday organised its annual flagship energy conference on the theme 'Integrated Renewable Energy System for Sustainable Future' to promote adoption and integration of renewable energy sources into the existing energy infrastructure. The conference focused on key facets of the sector including renewable energy integration, alternative energy technology aiming at net-zero, energy storage solution technologies and best practices on energy conservation measures from industries. Addressing the conference, Vijaykrishnan Venkatesan, Chairman, CII Karnataka State Council and Managing Director, Kennametal India Ltd, emphasised the significance of the sector, considering the intensifying focus on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), energy efficiency and ethical and responsible sourcing of energy. Highlighting the Karnataka State Vision document charted by CII and IIM Bangalore, he said that building a green ecosystem has emerged

July set to be hottest month as temperatures breach 2019 high: Scientists

July this year is set to be the hottest month on record with average temperatures exceeding that of July 2019 by a significant margin, according to a new analysis by scientists. The EU-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) noted that these temperatures have been related to heatwaves in large parts of North America, Asia and Europe, which along with wildfires in countries including Canada and Greece, have had major impacts on people's health, the environment and economies. Data shows that the previous hottest month on record was July 2019. According to the new analysis, the global mean surface air temperature averaged for the first 23 days of July 2023 was 16.95 degrees Celsius. This is well above the 16.63 degrees recorded for the full month of July 2019, which is currently the warmest July and warmest month on record. At this stage, the report said, it is virtually certain that the full monthly average temperature for July 2

Global warming: An overheating planet requires extreme solutions

Rising causes of death would include not just heat itself but exposure to ground-level ozone, malaria, dengue, and West Nile virus

Aid to India focuses on reducing carbon emissions: UK FCDO spokesperson

The Climate and Nature theme dominates the UK's bilateral aid focus for India, with 75 per cent of around GBP 38 million allocated for 2023-24 targeted at climate action projects, according to latest statistics. A UK-India development partnership summary' released by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) last week reveals that the remaining 24 per cent of the funds fall under the theme of "Bilateral Investment Partnerships (BIP)" and one per cent under "Global Health". Amid some criticism of a continued high aid allocation for a fast-growing economy such as India, the FCDO pointed out that it is on schedule to make back all the money under the development partnership model that is distinct from the traditional aid funding basis. UK aid helps India reduce its carbon emissions through commercial investments, this is not traditional development aid, an FCDO spokesperson said. We have already had GBP 100 million of our GBP 330 million spend to date returned, and ..

FM Nirmala Sitharaman meets US envoy John Kerry, discusses climate goals

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday met US Special Climate Envoy John Kerry and discussed joint efforts and commitments by both the countries to achieve climate, economic and strategic technology cooperation goals. Kerry, who arrived here on a five-day visit, met Sitharaman at her office in Parliament House. "Both sides also discussed creation of an innovative investment platform for deployment of greenfield Renewable Energy projects in India," the finance ministry said in a tweet. Earlier, Kerry held discussions with Union Minister for Heavy Industries Mahendra Nath Pandey and discussed diversifying supply chains and empowering India as a manufacturing hub for electric trucks, buses, and heavy duty vehi?cles. Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Kerry said he had very good and constructive meetings. "There are many things where India and the United States can work together in order to advance the climate agenda," he said, adding that the two countries were worki

Ocean currents regulating climate could collapse mid-century: Study

Collapse of ocean currents, that redistribute temperatures and precipitation between the tropics and the North Atlantic, is predicted to happen around mid-century if current greenhouse gas emissions persist, new research has found. Shutting down these currents could have serious consequences for the Earth's climate, such as a colder future for Europe, increased warming in the tropics and increased storminess in the North Atlantic region, the research published in Nature Communications journal said. The currents, called the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), is estimated with high certainty to collapse in this century and most likely to occur in 2057, the analysis from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, found using advanced statistical tools on ocean temperature data from the last 150 years. "Our result underscores the importance of reducing global greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible," said Peter Ditlevsen, co-corresponding author of the study. The AMOC

RBI plans guidance to test climate vulnerability of banks' credit portfolio

The Reserve Bank of India plans to soon come out with guidance for banks on stress testing for climate vulnerability of their credit portfolio, according to Deputy Governor M Rajeshwar Rao. He also said the consequences, intensity, severity, and frequency of climate events are hard to measure and difficult to predict, and the impact of these events on banks and financial institutions is even more difficult to quantify. "Therefore, the first step in managing the risks to which banks and other regulated entities are exposed from climate events, is to measure the amount of exposure at risk. This is only possible if the firms adequately and transparently disclose the carbon intensity of their operations," he said at a panel discussion on 'Climate Implications for Central Banking'. On Tuesday, RBI released the remarks of Rao at the panel discussion organised by the IMF and Center for Social and Economic Forum on July 19 in New Delhi. The deputy governor said the data related to exposure

Ministers from 35 countries to meet for G20 Climate Working Group

Chennai will play host to the fourth Environment & Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG) and Environment and Climate Ministers' meeting, which commences here on July 26, in which nearly 35 ministers from different countries will participate. Speaking about the three-day event being held under India's G20 Presidency, Richa Sharma, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, here said on Tuesday that Union Environment Bhupender Yadav who holds the portfolio will address the ministerial meeting. About 300 delegates from the G20 member countries, invitees and representatives of several international organisations will be taking part in meeting. The previous meetings were held in Bengaluru, Gandhinagar, and Mumbai. "We have brought in new thematic priorities for discussions, such as land degradation due to forest fires or owing to abandoned mines. Different working groups will conclude their work and finally meet in Delhi," Sharma told ...

Central banks need to incorporate climate-related risks: RBI dy guv

Central banks need to incorporate climate-related risks into their supervisory frameworks in order to contribute to the development of frameworks and standards for green finance, said RBI Deputy Governor M Rajeshwar Rao. Participating in a panel discussion on 'Climate Implications for Central Banking', he stressed that financing the new green ventures alone will not be enough and there is a need for credible transition plans for existing emitting firms without compromising their output or growth. "For this to materialise, central banks can incorporate climate-related risks into their supervisory frameworks and can contribute to the development of frameworks and standards for green finance. These frameworks can help promote transparency, standardization, and integrity in the green finance market," he said. On Tuesday RBI released the remarks of Rao at the panel discussion organised by the IMF and Center for Social and Economic Forum on July 19 in New Delhi. The deputy governor furth

July heat waves 'virtually impossible' without climate change: Scientists

The return of the El Nino cycle, which warms the equatorial Pacific Ocean, plays a role in the recent heat. But the report is evidence that it can't be attributed to El Nino alone

India's food security under threat as climate change disrupts weather

India last week suspended exports of non-basmati varieties of rice after heavy monsoon rainfall damaged newly planted crops due to be harvested in winter

US Special Envoy on climate change Kerry to travel to New Delhi, Chennai

US President's Special Envoy for Climate John Kerry will travel to New Delhi and Chennai from July 25 to 29, an official statement said on Monday. The purpose of the presidential envoy's visit is to advance shared objectives on climate and clean energy, including mutual efforts to build a platform for investments in renewable energy and storage solutions, support the deployment of zero-emission buses, and diversify clean energy supply chains, the State Department said. In New Delhi, Kerry will meet senior government officials. In Chennai, he will attend the G20 Environment and Climate Sustainability Ministers Meeting, the statement said.

Environmental conservation key concern for 21st century: President Murmu

Threats of environmental degradation, depletion in forest cover, global warming and climate change are at the centre stage in the global discourse and partnerships making environmental conservation a key concern for the 21st century, President Droupadi Murmu said on Monday. Addressing the probationers of Indian Forest Service (2022 batch) and officers and officer trainees of Indian Defence Estates Service (2018 and 2022 batch) at Rashtrapati Bhavan, she said their journey as civil servants has begun at a time when India is acquiring a leadership role at global level. "India attracts global attention for its cultural prosperity as well as its technological advancements. India has shown to the world that technology and traditions can go hand in hand," she said. Addressing the probationers of Indian Forest Service (IFS), the President said India's climate and topography is closely connected to its forest distribution. "Forests and the wildlife that they support are invaluable resource

Scientists say record heat numbers paint the story of a warming world

The summer of 2023 is behaving like a broken record about broken records. Nearly every major climate-tracking organisation proclaimed June the hottest June ever. Then July 4 became the globe's hottest day, albeit unofficially, according to the University of Maine's Climate Reanalyzer. It was quickly overtaken by July 5 and July 6. Next came the hottest week, a tad more official, stamped into the books by the World Meteorological Organization and the Japanese Meteorological Agency. With a summer of extreme weather records dominating the news, meteorologists and scientists say records like these give a glimpse of the big picture: a warming planet caused by climate change. It's a picture that comes in the vibrant reds and purples representing heat on daily weather maps online, in newspapers and on television. Beyond the maps and the numbers are real harms that kill. More than 100 people have died in heat waves in the United States and India so far this summer. Records are crucial for

Greenland's ice has completely melted before, raising sea levels: Study

Greenland's ice sheet vanished completely and its land was covered with vegetation at sometime within the last half a million years, raising sea levels by at least 1.5 metres globally, an international team of scientists has found. Previously believed to have been a "fortress of ice" with mostly unmelted ice, Greenland's ice sheet history is undergoing a major and worrisome rethinking in light of these findings, the scientists from the University of Vermont (UVM), US, and other institutes said. Published in the journal Science, the study also provided "strong and precise evidence that Greenland is more sensitive to climate change than previously understood - and at grave risk of irreversibly melting off." As recently as two years back, an accidental rediscovery of a Greenland ice core, initially dug from a depth of about 1,400 metres, was analysed to be a direct evidence of sediment just beneath the ice sheet being deposited by flowing water in an ice-free environment during a ...

Delhi may suffer losses of Rs 2.75 trn by 2050 due to climate change

Delhi is projected to suffer losses of Rs 2.75 trillion by 2050 due to the impacts of climate change, with changes in precipitation and temperature patterns posing significant threats to the lives of the most vulnerable populations. The warning comes from the city government's draft action plan on climate change. The plan, which is pending approval, highlights "heat waves/higher temperature and heavy precipitation events over fewer number of days" as major challenges that the city will confront in the upcoming years. India introduced its National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) in 2008, following which state governments were instructed to create their own action plans. The State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC) must be aligned with the strategies laid out in the NAPCC. In January 2018, the central government directed the states to revise and strengthen their SAPCCs, taking into account the evolving national and international climate action, science and policy ...

Our civilisation was built for a climate that's vanishing quickly

You can learn a lot about the climates we live in by the buildings we construct

Cities, climate change and urban flooding

Addressing the mounting dangers that cities face today also requires citizen-led action plans to assist the mitigation efforts at the municipal and govt level