Page 50 - Climate Change

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 ...

Climate change, tree plantation can't be left with govt alone: BJP's Chuba

"States like Sikkim have also created 'power policies to facilitate capital investments' to promote renewable energy"

Biden endorsed by 4 environmental groups for efforts against global warming

President Joe Biden told an audience of conservation and environmental groups Wednesday that their work has never been more important at a time when they are battling the greatest threat facing future generations. Speaking at the annual Capital Dinner of the League of Conservation Voters, Biden told the supportive audience there are "a lot of threats to our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren" but climate change "is the only truly existential threat". He said the audience members and his administration had done good work in combatting the threat but everyone needed to "finish the job". Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were endorsed by four environmental and conservation groups at the dinner: the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund, NextGen PAC, NRDC Action Fund and the Sierra Club. Speakers for the organisations praised the Biden-Harris team as the administration that has done the most to combat climate change. In earlier comments, former House Speaker Nanc

Climate measures will not fully close emissions gap by 2030: Germany

German officials said on Wednesday that an array of climate measures being introduced by the government will bring the country closer but not all the way toward meeting its national goals for cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Germany's Climate Ministry said measures already in place or soon to become law will reduce emissions by about 900 million metric tons of carbon dioxide for the period from 2022 to 2030. An emissions gap of about 200 million tons of CO2 will remain and needs to be closed through additional steps over the coming years, largely because of persistent high emissions in the transportation sector. Germany aims to reduce its emissions of planet-warming gases by 65 per cent from 1990 levels by 2030. The target for 2040 is an 88 per cent reduction on the path to net zero" emissions by 2045. A sharp increase in wind and solar power, energy efficiency improvements and subsidies for industry to reduce fossil fuel use are among the measures taken or planned by ...

Countries must be aware of high fiscal cost of climate change: CEA

Nageswaran also said it may not be possible to attain all three goals of becoming net zero, achieving economic competitiveness, and attaining fiscal sustainability

Climate change making travelling by planes more turbulent: Research

Climate change has made travelling by planes more turbulent today than it was four decades ago, according to a study. The researchers from the University of Reading in the UK found that clear-air turbulence, which is invisible and hazardous to aircraft, has increased in various regions around the world. The study, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, found that at a typical point over the North Atlantic one of the world's busiest flight routes the total annual duration of severe turbulence increased by 55 per cent from 17.7 hours in 1979 to 27.4 hours in 2020. Moderate turbulence increased by 37 per cent from 70.0 to 96.1 hours, and light turbulence increased by 17 per cent from 466.5 to 546.8 hours, the researchers said. The team noted that the increases are consistent with the effects of climate change. Warmer air from carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions is increasing windshear in the jet streams, strengthening clear-air turbulence in the North Atlantic and ...

El Nino has arrived, bringing promise of worldwide weather turmoil

Experts say it will likely make 2024 the world's hottest year

Climate activist Greta won't be school striking but vows to still protest

Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg said on Friday she will no longer be able to skip classes as a way to draw attention to climate change because she is graduating from high school. Thunberg, 20, started staging Friday protests outside the Swedish parliament building during school hours in 2018. Teenagers from around the world followed her lead, leading to an international student movement called Fridays for Future. Because she won't be a student anymore, Thunberg noted that her future Friday activities that technically won't be school striking. But in a tweet, she vowed to continue protesting, saying, The fight has only just begun. We are still moving in the wrong direction, where those in power are allowed to sacrifice, Thunberg wrote on Twitter. We're rapidly approaching potential nonlinear ecological and climatic tipping points beyond our control. As a teenager Thunberg was invited to speak to political and business leaders at UN conferences and the annual World ...

Central Railway key to making railways net zero carbon emitter by 2030

To accelerate the transition to green power, Indian Railways has chosen the Central Railways as the model agency responsible for signing an agreement to procure wind energy for the entire railways

New York sets record for air pollution, Governor says it's 'emergency'

In many places, the sky took on an eery orange glow prompting an NWS unit in New York State to tweet: This is not Mars

World's biggest cos made no progress on limiting global warming since 2018

The vast majority of worlds biggest companies have done almost nothing in past five years to cut their planet-heating pollution enough to avoid catastrophic climate change, according to a media report