Page 49 - Climate Change

Reaching ambitious climate targets will run into financial problems: EU

The European Union's auditing agency warned on Monday that there might not be sufficient financing available to meet the bloc's ambitious climate targets. The warning from the Court of Auditors comes as the 27-nation bloc is already struggling to live up to image as the global leader in working toward climate neutrality because of a political fight in the EU legislature to push through environmental protection measures. In a 63-page report, the court also noted that the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, did not include all greenhouse gas emissions in its tallies, which might lead to overly optimistic statistics. The report's authors also found some of the commission's accounting too opaque. Regarding its finding on financing, the court said that 30 per cent of the 2021-2027 budget was to be spent on climate action, or about 87 billion euros (USD 95 billion) a year. This amount is less than 10 per cent of the total investment needed to reach the 2030 targets, estimated at

'Large population does not automatically contribute more to emission'

There is a need to rectify the notion that countries with large populations contribute more to emissions, a senior UNFPA official said, underlining that developing nations face the worst impact despite being some of the lowest producers of greenhouse gases. According to United Nations estimates, India has become the most populous country in the world with over 142 crore people. However, the government is yet to conduct a census for an official figure. Speaking to PTI, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Director of Technical Division Dr Julitta Onabanjo said one of the things "we definitely are trying to also correct is this notion that because you have a large population, it's contributing to climate emissions". "What matters is the pattern of consumption. And we know that, for the most part, it's the developing countries that face the worst impact, yet, they have contributed the least to greenhouse gases," she said. "We would like to build more awareness on this issue." Onaba

Climate change has doubled chances of heatwave in Uttar Pradesh: Report

Climate change at least doubled the chances of heat wave in Uttar Pradesh which swept through the state recently, causing multiple hospitalisations, an analysis conducted using a metric called the Climate Shift Index (CSI) shows. Developed by Climate Central, an independent US-based group of scientists and communicators, CSI is a tool that quantifies the contribution of climate change to daily temperatures. Sixty-eight patients died at the district hospital in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia in five days till Monday amid a punishing heat wave in the region. Officials, however, said only two people died due to heat stroke. According to media reports, the neighbouring Deoria district also saw deaths amid extreme heat. Researchers at Climate Central conducted the analysis using CSI, which measures how often and how much temperatures have shifted from the historical average. A higher index indicates more dramatic change compared to the past. CSI levels above one indicate climate change. Levels

India only G20 country that fulfilled promises on climate change: PM Modi

India is the only G20 country that has fulfilled all the promises it made in Paris on climate change, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday, asserting that India will not only fulfil its responsibilities but will also help others including the US in this critical area. The Prime Minister was referring to obligations under the 2015 Paris Agreement. As far as India is concerned, the environment, and climate, are extremely important in our cultural traditions for us. The environment is an article of faith. This is not just something that we need to do for convenience. We believe this. We do not believe in the exploitation of nature., Modi said in response to a question by PTI at a joint news conference with President Joe Biden in the East Room of the White House. In order for all of creation to work, we can make nature -- we cannot have exploitation of nature and we have always believed this," he said. And on the basis of these values, India is not only doing things for itself

Global south's climate ambition debilitated by debt crisis: Report

A CSE report has found that countries most in need of financial assistance do not receive enough climate finance

Air conditioning in India can raise emissions by 120 mn tonnes by 2050

The increasing use of air conditioners in India could lead to a rise in emissions by as much as 120 million metric tonnes by 2050, according to a study. The research, published in the journal Scientific Reports, is the first to illustrate the impacts of climate change on the demand for air conditioners and electricity for cooling in Europe and India. Between now and 2050, with the current fuel mix, there is a risk of a mismatch between what is done for adaptation and mitigation, with increased emissions as a result, the researchers said. The rush to buy new air conditioners in the residential sector and the resulting increased use of electricity associated will characterise both relatively richer but more temperate European countries, and relatively poorer but warmer Indian states, they said. The study estimates that by 2050, under an over 2-3 degrees Celsius warming forecast, air-conditioning uptake could double in Europe and grow fourfold in India, reaching about 40 per cent of .

Beijing breaches 40 deg C for first time in 9 yrs as heatwaves return

Last week, national weather bureau issued an alert for heat stroke, almost a fortnight earlier than in previous yrs, as new record temperatures for the month of June assailed cities across north China

World leaders in Paris seek financial response to climate emergency

World leaders, heads of international organisations and activists are gathering in Paris for a two-day summit aimed at seeking better responses to tackle poverty and climate change issues by reshaping the global financial system. Developing nations point to an outdated system where the United States, Europe, China and other big economies that have caused most climate damage are leaving the poorest countries to deal with the consequences. The Paris talks also come as the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and a global debt crisis have led to a drop in life expectancy and an increase in poverty in most countries around the world, the United Nations Development Program reported. French President Emmanuel Macron, who organized the summit, said the fight against poverty, efforts to curb global warming and the protection of biodiversity "are closely intertwined. We therefore need to agree together on the best means to address these challenges in the poor and emerging countries." The .

As temp soars in India, officials dispute claims of 100 heat-related deaths

The people most at risk from heat waves are the poor, the old and very young, and those in isolated rural areas

Lack of funding resulting in painful rollbacks: UN Chief Antonio Guterres

Conflicts, climate change and financial turmoil are increasing the need for humanitarian aid, but a lack of funding is resulting in painful rollbacks, the UN chief told a meeting in Geneva

India's energy transition beyond dependence on renewables

Ramping up nuclear power is one option but requires incentives for the sector

Infosys, association of tennis professionals launch 'Carbon Tracker'

Infosys solution to enable ATP players to track and mitigate their carbon emissions from travel on the tour

Himalayan glaciers may lose 75% of their ice by 2100, shows new study

The Hindu Kush Himalayan region is seeing a shrinking permafrost that can trigger more landslides, the study said

Vanishing ice on the highest mountains threatens quarter of humanity

The planet is already 1.2C hotter than during pre-industrial times, melting Arctic and Antarctic ice at a record pace

Projections indicate Swiss approve climate bill amid melting glaciers

A majority of Swiss citizens on Sunday voted in favour of a bill aimed at introducing new climate measures to sharply curb the rich Alpine nation's greenhouse gas emissions, projections indicated. Projections by the GFS Bern Institute based on near-complete counting and released by public broadcaster SRF showed that 58.3% of voters were in favour of the bill. The margin of error was plus or minus 2 percentage points, SRF reported. Exact results are expected later in the day. The referendum was sparked by a campaign by scientists and environmentalists to save Switzerland's iconic glaciers, which are melting away at an alarming rate. Campaigners initially proposed even more ambitious measures but later backed a government plan that requires Switzerland to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. It also sets aside more than 3 billion Swiss francs ($3.357 billion) to help wean companies and homeowners off fossil fuels. The nationalist Swiss People's Party, which demanded the popular vot

World Bank approves financing for Kerala climate resilience project

This additional financing will further deepen Kerala's resilience in the critical areas of coastal erosion and water resource management

Road to COP28: Bonn climate talks end without resolving finance differences

The two-week mid-year UN climate talks held in Germany's Bonn ended on Thursday without a resolution to the dispute between developed and developing countries over finance. The developed nations emphasised the urgent need for mitigation measures, while the developing countries demanded adequate financial support to reduce emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. These mid-year talks set the stage for political discussions at the annual Conference of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change later in the year. Due to a stalemate on the issues of finance for mitigation, the governments could agree on the meeting's agenda only on the second-to-last day (Wednesday) of the conference. The developed countries wanted that the "Mitigation Work Programme", which calls for urgently scaling up emission reduction efforts in this crucial decade to fight climate change, be included in the agenda. The developing countries, however, strongly opposed this

Have taken significant strides in combating climate change: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said his government has made significant strides in combating climate change, achieving sustainable development goals and preserving India's rich biodiversity. The prime minister's remarks on Twitter came with the hashtag "9YearsOfSustainableGrowth". "In line with our traditions and ethos, we have focused on #9YearsOfSustainableGrowth. We have taken significant strides in combating climate change, achieving sustainable development goals and preserving India's rich biodiversity," Modi tweeted. His remarks came at a time the ruling BJP has been organising various programmes across the country as part of a mega public outreach to mark nine years of the Modi government. He also shared write-ups on his government's achievements in propelling LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment).

Scientists warn UK govt of a new 'deadly virus' due to climate change

The scientists noted that CCHF infections may not be picked up by doctors in the NHS, as previously they hadn't been expected, the scientists informed the Committee

Tata Steel, Germany's SMS group to explore low carbon steel-making tech

Tata Steel has partnered with Germany's SMS group to explore development of low carbon steel making process. As part of the MoU, both companies shall undertake further technical discussions and initiate actions for conducting Joint Industrial Demonstration of the EASyMelt technology developed by SMS group, Tata Steel said in a statement. "The demonstration will be executed at E Blast Furnace in Tata Steel's Jamshedpur plant with an objective to reduce CO2 emission by more than 50 per cent from blast furnace's baseline operation," it said. The EASyMelt (electric-assisted syngas smelter) technology is an iron-making solution that can be implemented in existing integrated steel plants to accelerate decarbonisation. T V Narendran, CEO & MD, Tata Steel, said "We actively look for solutions to facilitate the transition to green steel production, and thus contribute to a sustainable future. Further, India being the second largest steel producer in the world also places a huge ...