Page 60 - Climate Change

UN chief Guterres calls for action to address root cause of rising seas

'Sea-level rise is not only a threat in itself. It is a threat-multiplier,' Guterres told a Security Council debate on 'Sea-level Rise: Implications for International Peace and Security'

Global sea level rose by 4.5 mm per year during 2013-22 period: WMO

Global mean sea level rose by 4.5 mm per year during the period 2013-22 and human influence was very likely the main driver of these increases since at least 1971, the World Meteorological Department (WMO) said on Tuesday. Sea level rise threatens several low-lying small islands. It is a major threat for countries such as India, China, Netherlands and Bangladesh, some of which comprise large coastal populations. Several big cities on all continents are threatened such as Mumbai, Shanghai, Dhaka, Bangkok, Jakarta, Maputo, Lagos, Cairo, London, Copenhagen, New York, Los Angeles, Buenos Aires and Santiago. It is a major economic, social and humanitarian challenge, the WMO said in a report. Global mean sea level increased by 0.20 m between 1901 and 2018. The average rate of sea level rise was 1.3 mm per year between 1901 and 1971, 1.9 mm per year between 1971 and 2006, and 3.7 mm per year between 2006 and 2018, it said. Sea-level has risen faster since 1900 than over any preceding cent

'Fight climate change, not each other,' says UAE COP28 leader to activists

The United Arab Emirates' pick to lead the upcoming COP28 climate talks in Dubai called on the world Tuesday to fight climate change, not each other, directly addressing the anger activists have felt over his selection. Sultan al-Jaber, the CEO of Abu Dhabi National Oil Co., also described the upcoming United Nations negotiations as an unprecedented opportunity to engage the energy industry in a technological revolution. His speech at the World Government Summit in Dubai sought to present his nominated presidency as a bridge between oil companies and climate activists long suspicious of the industry's influence on efforts to limit carbon emissions. Whether it will, however, remains in question. We need a major course correction, al-Jaber said. However, he added: The strategies we pursue must leave no one behind. The policies we adopt must be pro-growth and pro-climate at the same time. Al-Jaber, a 49-year-old longtime climate envoy, is a trusted confidant of UAE leader Sheikh Moha

OPEC chief tells climate negotiators to 'look at the big picture'

OPEC's top official said climate policies need to be more "balanced and fair."

March heat to shape up wheat output this year in North India: Experts

A significant drop in per hectare yields of wheat for second year this year due to unusually high temperatures could have an impact on Centre's annual wheat procurement plan

India, US strengthening ties on critical technologies: Ambassador Jones

Jones, who heads the US delegation at Aero India event said the two nations are working to address climate change; improve global health, prepare for new pandemics among other things

World Bank must act on climate change to check poverty, development

As warming intensifies and extreme weather worsens, the developing world will increasingly suffer the worst harms, making it more difficult for countries to meet their development goals

India's green bonds show policy focus on climate mitigation: Fitch Ratings

The sovereign green bonds issued by India reflects the growing policy focus to scale up domestic financing capacity on climate mitigation and adaptation, said credit rating agency Fitch Ratings.

First G20 meeting of environment, climate groups starts in Bengaluru

The first Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group (ECSWG) meeting, under India's G20 presidency, started in Bengaluru on Thursday with focus on restoration of mining and forest fire affected areas. The Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group, one of the 13 working groups under the Sherpa track, will meet four times between February and May. The first meeting underway in Bengaluru will continue till February 9, the second will be held in Gandhinagar (March 27-29), the third in Mumbai (May 21-23) and the fourth in Chennai (May 26-27). The ministerial meeting is expected to be held on July 28 in Chennai. Land degradation, biodiversity loss, marine pollution, resource overconsumption and lack of waste absorption are the key environmental concerns which will be addressed in the four ECSWG meetings in India's G20 presidency. Under the Biodiversity and Land Degradation Theme, India aims to enhance G20's contributions to achieve 50 per cent reduction in degraded .

Climate change protesters fined over Vinci's Last Supper protest in London

Five climate change protesters were fined Wednesday for glueing themselves to the frame of a copy of Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" in the Royal Academy of Arts. The five activists from the group Just Stop Oil glued their hands to the painting's border and one sprayed graffiti on the wall at the London museum in July, as part of a series of disruptive protests aimed at raising awareness about climate change. On Wednesday, following a two-day trial, District Judge William Nelson ordered all five to pay 486 pounds each for criminal damage. He said the protesters were "reckless" because they knew they would damage the painting's frame but also said that the "primary cause" of the protest "was to gain media attention and not to cause damage to a work of art." The 16th-century painting, which was unharmed, is attributed to one or more of Da Vinci's pupils and is believed to be the most accurate record of the original. Just Stop Oil said it wanted to put pressure on Britain's ...

15 million people live under threat of glacial floods, finds study

As glaciers melt and pour massive amounts of water into nearby lakes, 15 million people across the globe live under the threat of a sudden and deadly outburst flood, a new study finds. More than half of those living in the shadow of the disaster called glacial lake outburst floods are in just four countries: India, Pakistan, Peru and China, according to a study in Tuesday's Nature Communications. A second study, awaiting publication in a peer-reviewed journal, catalogs more than 150 glacial flood outbursts in history and recent times. It's a threat Americans and Europeans rarely think about, but 1 million people live within just 6 miles (10 kilometers) of potentially unstable glacial-fed lakes, the study calculated. One of the more devastating floods was in Peru in 1941 and it killed between 1,800 and 6,000 people. A 2020 glacial lake outburst flood in British Columbia, Canada, caused a tsunami of water about 330 feet (100 meters) high, but no one was hurt. A 2017 glacial outburst

Greener trade, investment crucial to face Asia Pacific climate change: ADB

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Tuesday said greener trade and investment are crucial for tackling climate change in Asia Pacific, and incorporating a separate chapter on efforts to mitigate environmental concerns in regional trade agreements can help ensure their effectiveness in achieving climate goals. The Asian Economic Integration Report (AEIR) 2023, released by ADB said Asia is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change risks, yet it emits the largest volume of carbon dioxide. Annual temperatures have risen faster in the last 30 years than in any other region, and are now 0.86C above the 19812010 average. Asia is also increasingly facing more extreme precipitation incidences such as storms, floods, and landslides, having borne the brunt of almost 40 per cent of disasters worldwide in the past 2 decades. Ironically, it is responsible for about a half of global annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, the AEIR said. Asia and the Pacific's remarkable growth has lift

World Bank keen on Rs 2,500-cr green resilient programme for Himachal: CM

Most departments will switch over to EVs by next year in the first phase, says CM Sukhu

Hillary Clinton announces $50 mn fund for women to tackle climate change

Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton on Monday announced a Global Climate Resilience Fund of 50 million dollars for women to fight climate change in association with the Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) founded by late activist Ela Bhatt. The fund will empower women and communities to fight climate change and help provide new livelihood resources and education, she said. Clinton visited salt pan workers in the Little Rann of Kutch near Kuda village in Gujarat's Surendranagar district and learnt from them the process of salt production and hardships faced by them. "Today, Clinton Global Initiative with American Indian foundation, SEWA and other organisations, I announce 50 million dollar Global Climate Resilience Fund for women," she said addressing the salt pan workers. "I have had the privilege of working with Elaben (Bhatt) and SEWA for nearly 30 years. But we are thinking about next 50 years," she said. "Whether you're in construction, waste recycling, plastic,

Hillary Clinton announces $50 million Global Climate Resilience Fund

Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton on Monday announced a Global Climate Resilience Fund of 50 million dollars for women to fight climate change. The fund will empower women and communities to fight climate change and help provide new livelihood resources and education, she said addressing salt pan workers near Kuda village in Gujarat's Surendranagar district. "Today, Clinton Global Initiative with the American Indian foundation, SEWA (Self Empoyed Women's Association founded by late activist Ela Bhatt) and other organisations, I announce 50 million dollar Global Climate Resilience Fund for women," Clinton said. "I have had the privilege of working with EIaben and SEWA for nearly 30 years. But we are thinking about next 50 years," she said. On Sunday, Clinton attended a programme in Ahmedabad to mark 50 years of SEWA as a trade union and paid homage to its founder and renowned social activist Ela Bhatt. During the event, she had said heat caused by climate change poses

Green growth push

New initiatives have long-term potential

Joshimath: A well-engineered calamity

We have completely lost the ability to plan keeping in mind the ecological uniqueness of the region

Climate change poses challenge to women in informal sector: Hillary Clinton

Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton on Sunday said heat caused by climate change poses an additional challenge to women workers in informal sectors and a global 'Climate Resilience Fund' will help tackle this challenge. Clinton also announced the first-of-its-kind climate resilience fund on the first day of her two-day visit to Gujarat. Addressing members of Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) in Ahmedabad, Clinton said, "a group of concerned people has come together to help start the climate resilience fund which will be the first-of-its-kind in the world." "You've overcome so many obstacles, broken through so many barriers. But now you face an additional challenge--the challenge that climate change presents--of heat," Clinton said at the event to mark 50 years of SEWA as a trade union. "Whether you're in construction, or you are in waste recycling, or you are in plastic, or you are a street vendor, or you are a farmer, whatever you are, your challenge to make an inc

13 dead in Chile amid struggle to contain over 150 raging wildfires

At least 13 people were reported dead as of Friday night as a result of the more than 150 wildfires burning across Chile that have destroyed homes and thousands of acres of forest while the South American country is in the midst of a scorching heat wave. Four of the deaths involved two separate vehicles in the Biobo region, around 560 kilometers (348 miles) south of the capital of Santiago. In one case they were burned because they were hit by the fire, Interior Minister Carolina Toh said. In the other case, she said, the victims died in a crash, probably trying to escape the fire. The fifth victim was a firefighter who was run over by a fire truck while combatting a blaze in the area. Later in the afternoon, a helicopter that was helping combat the flames crashed in the Araucana region, killing the pilot, a Bolivian national, and a mechanic, who was Chilean. At nightfall, the national agency responsible for emergencies raised the death toll to 13 without giving details on the lat

Prospects of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees vey low: Report

Limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius is currently not plausible, according to a new report. Climate policy, protests, and the Ukraine crisis - The participating researchers systematically assessed to what extent social changes are already underway, while also analyzing certain physical processes frequently discussed as tipping points. The researchers concluded that social change is essential to meeting the temperature goals set in Paris. But what has been achieved to date is insufficient, they said. Accordingly, climate adaptation will also have to be approached from a new angle, said the report. The central report was released by Universitt Hamburg's Cluster of Excellence "Climate, Climatic Change, and Society" (CLICCS). The interdisciplinary team of researchers addressed ten important drivers of social change, the report said. "Actually, when it comes to climate protection, some things have now been set in motion. But if you look at the development of social processes