Page 6 - Climate Change

Climate finance 'make-or-break issue', India needs $10 tn by 2070: Yadav

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Thursday said climate finance is the "make-or-break issue for climate action" and stressed that developed countries have a "moral responsibility to support the global south" in its transition to a low-carbon economy. Addressing an event organised by industry chamber FICCI, Yadav said India will require more than USD 10 trillion by 2070 to meet its net-zero target and called for global financial systems to unlock private capital while ensuring transparency, accountability and affordability. "Public money cannot and would not be sufficient to address the scale of the problem at hand. Fiscal space is tight. The role of public budgets and concessional finance is to de-risk, crowd in and set rules that unlock private capital," he said. He said climate finance is development finance. "Clean power, efficient cities, climate-smart agriculture and resilient infrastructure are not add-ons; they are the foundation of energy security, food security

It's raining crises: Cities need urgent plans for climate change impacts

At first glance, the easy culprit to pinpoint is growing indiscriminate urbanisation

US appeals court allows Donald Trump's EPA to nix climate grants

Trump's predecessor Joe Biden's signature 2022 Inflation Reduction Act had awarded the grants aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions

World running out of time to act on climate change, warns COP30 president

The world risks "running out of time" to act on climate change without cooperation, COP30 President Andre Correa do Lago warned on Monday and stressed on the need to bridge the political and financial divide between developed and developing nations. He also criticised US President Donald Trump's reluctance to engage in climate negotiations. "We understand that President Trump is not going to listen to me. And the problem is that he does not want to talk about the emissions of specific countries," Correa do Lago told reporters. Trump has withdrawn the United States from the Paris Agreement on climate change. This is the second time he has directed the US to exit the agreement. He had done so during his first administration and the US rejoined under the Biden administration. Correa do Lago acknowledged that climate negotiations have long been marked by a sharp divide between developed and developing nations. He said poorer countries consistently emphasise the need for wealthy nations

The Story of CO2: The story of human civilisation is a story of energy

Peter Brannen's sweeping book argues CO₂ is the hidden force behind evolution, civilisation, fossil fuels, and today's climate crisis - the story of everything

Europe battles record wildfires in 2025 as climate change fuels devastation

More than one million hectares have been destroyed by wildfires in the European Union so far this year, a surface area larger than the entirety of Corsica

Net-Zero Banking Alliance halts activities as global banks exit membership

The reality is NZBA "never truly challenged the fossil fuel-oriented business models of major banks," said Lucie Pinson, the founder of climate nonprofit Reclaim Finance

Climate change drives rise of 'coolcations' as tourists flee heatwaves

Heatwaves forced closures of sites like the Acropolis and Eiffel Tower, with Europe facing a growing tourism divide as climate change impacts north and south differently

'Mango: A Global History' explores the global appeal of 'bathroom fruit'

Often called a 'full-body experience' to eat, this book on the mango's history can be enjoyed just as much by those raised on fresh fruit as by those who first tasted it in preserved form

Powering farms: Scaling up PM-KUSUM is smart climate and energy strategy

With about ₹34,000 crore earmarked, the scheme envisages the setting up of 1.4 million standalone solar agricultural pumps and the solarisation of 3.5 million grid-connected agriculture pumps

Global climate failure: COP30 must push developed nations on mitigation

At COP 30 this November, the primary goal must be to increase pressure on developed countries to move faster and more credibly on climate mitigation

Foreign firms linked to up to 30% of China's carbon emissions, says study

Foreign companies drove a quarter of China's corporate emissions over two decades, with poorer inland provinces shouldering most of the environmental costs

Extreme heat has cut tropical bird populations by 38% in 70 years: Study

Birds in tropical regions are now experiencing dangerously hot days about ten times more often than they did in the past

Scientists challenge flagship study that saw 62% climate hit to GDP

A review of an April Nature paper finds data anomalies from Uzbekistan skewed results, overstating the potential economic impact among 83 countries analysed in the original study

July cooler than last 2 yrs, but extreme weather impacts seen: Scientists

The world experienced its third-warmest July on record this year, the European Union agency that tracks global warming said Thursday, with temperatures easing slightly for the month as compared with the record high two years ago. Despite the slightly lower global average temperature, scientists said extreme heat and deadly flooding persisted in July. Two years after the hottest July on record, the recent streak of global temperature records is over for now. But this doesn't mean climate change has stopped, said Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service. We continued to witness the effects of a warming world. The EU monitoring agency said new temperature records and more climate extremes are to be expected unless greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere are brought down. On July 25, Turkey recorded its highest-ever temperature of 50.5 degrees Celsius as it battled wildfires. While not as hot as July 2023 or July 2024, the hottest and second-hottest o

Govt may fine carmakers missing fuel efficiency targets under new rules

The government reportedly plans to fine carmakers that do not meet fuel efficiency rules; Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) will check compliance

Parliamentary panel pitches for ESG oversight body to combat greenwashing

The corporate affairs ministry should set up an ESG oversight body to actively combat greenwashing activities and also put in place penal provisions for fraudulent ESG claims, according to a Parliamentary panel. Generally, greenwashing refers to claims by companies about any product or service having a climate-friendly impact. ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) principles are part of the Companies Act, 2013. In its report tabled in Parliament on Monday, the Standing Committee on Finance mentioned the ministry's demurral against establishing a dedicated ESG oversight body, citing that the prevailing disclosure-based regime, underpinned by a company board's accountability and extant penal provisions, constitutes an adequate monitoring mechanism. Against this backdrop, the panel urged the ministry to "establish a dedicated ESG oversight body for actively combating greenwashing through specialised forensic expertise" as well as formulate sector-specific guidelines and extend .

Frequent disasters expose climate risks to infrastructure in South Asia

Floods that damaged hydropower dams in Nepal and destroyed the main bridge connecting the country to China show the vulnerability of infrastructure and need for smart rebuilding in a region bearing the brunt of a warming planet, experts say. The flooding of the Bhotekoshi River on July 8 also killed nine people and damaged an inland container depot that was being built to support increasing trade between the two countries. The 10 damaged hydropower facilities, including three under construction, have a combined capacity that could power 600,000 South Asian homes. Another smaller flood in the area on July 30 damaged roads and structures, but caused less overall destruction. Nepal's location in the Himalayan mountains makes it especially vulnerable to heavy rains, floods and landslides because the area is warming up faster than the rest of the world due to human-caused climate change. Climate experts say the increasing frequency of extreme weather has changed the playbook for assessin

A Billion Butterflies: This book drops truth bombs on climate change

How an old deal over a supercomputer explains the politics behind climate science today

Pak launches remote sensing satellite from China to tackle climate woes

Pakistan on Thursday launched a new remote sensing satellite from China aimed at enhancing its capacity to monitor and respond to climate change-related threats. The satellite was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in China with technical support from Pakistan's Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), which played a key role in the launch. The Satellite is expected to play a critical role in addressing pressing challenges including floods, landslides, glacier melt and deforestation, according to state-run Radio Pakistan. Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal hailed the development in a social media post: Today marks another proud moment for our nation as Pakistan successfully launches its fourth Earth Observation Satellite under the URAAN (flight) Pakistan Space Program from the XiChang Space Centre, China. Iqbal praised SUPARCO's contribution and said the achievement reflects the growing strength of PakistanChina space cooperation. This ...