Page 63 - Climate Change

The planet gets short-changed again

It's time we looked at planetary ecology as an inter-connected system demanding a comprehensive approach

India's subsidies for renewable energy, electric vehicles doubled in FY 22

A new study by International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), however, said it will be critical for govt carry on the momentum in coming years

Bill Gates upbeat on climate innovation even if 1.5 deg C goal out of reach

Given "the overall scale of our industrial economy, we're going to have to do mind-blowing work to stay below 2 degrees," he said

'DSI adoption at COP15 can financially help protect biodiversity in India'

Digital Sequence Information (DSI) which was adopted as part of the historic deal to protect biodiversity at the COP15 conference here will ensure the flow of funds to countries like India for the conservation of nature, experts say. Through the Nagoya Protocol, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity aims to distribute benefits arising from genetic resources between users who are corporate entities and providers who are indigenous communities and farmers conserving these resources in developing countries. But now, with DSI technology, companies can use nucleotide sequences of genetic resources using genetic engineering, without needing to physically access resources from their country of origin. At COP15, developing countries have maintained that benefits resulting from DSI should also be shared equitably. According to Justin Mohan, Secretary, National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), DSI is now a part of the Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) under Target 13 and Goal C

UN chief to convene 'no-nonsense' climate ambition summit in Sept next year

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Monday announced that he will convene a no-nonsense climate ambition summit in September next year where countries will have to come with credible and new action plans, with no room for back-sliders, blame-shifters or repackaging of announcements of previous years. Addressing journalists at his end of year press conference here, Guterres said climate change is an area where good news can be hard to find. We are still moving in the wrong direction. The global emissions gap is growing. The 1.5-degree goal is gasping for breath. National climate plans are falling woefully short, he said. Guterres said that going forward, he will keep pushing for a Climate Solidarity Pact, in which all big emitters make an extra effort to reduce emissions this decade in line with the 1.5-degree goal and ensure support for those who need it. There is no doubt that without it, the 1.5-degree goal will soon disappear. I have pulled no punches on the imperative for a

Asian bourses join billion-dollar race to launch new carbon exchanges

Trading and prices have slumped, while concerns mount about how much offsets actually contribute to fighting climate change

COP15 adopts biodiversity reversal plan to save 30% of land, water by 2030

Montreal deal also aims to provide critical financing to developing world; draft calls for raising $200 billion by 2030 for biodiversity, with a plan that could provide another $500 billion

S Korea's sea level rises nearly 10 cm over 33 yrs due to climate change

The sea level rose 15.4 cm over the past 62 years, or 2.49 mm per year

Climate change resulting in itchy eyes and runny nose, shows research

By 2050, airborne pollen loads will significantly increase as a result of climate change, according to a team led by Panos Georgopoulos

Bhupender Yadav makes plea to boost environmental funding at COP15

India's Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav has expressed hope that the COP15 will put in place the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework

2022 in review: Russia war to COP27, top events that shaped the world

The year 2022 is coming to an end and a lot has happened that shaped the world in the year. Let's have a look at some of these significant events

NASA launches first-ever mission SWOT to observe nearly all water on Earth

SWOT will cover the entire Earth's surface between 78 degrees south and 78 degrees north latitude at least once every 21 days

Area-based targets for biodiversity conservation not acceptable: India

Area-based targets for biodiversity conservation are a one-size-fits-all approach that is not acceptable, India has said at the UN biodiversity talks in Canada's Montreal. It has also said essential support to vulnerable sectors, such as agriculture, cannot be described as subsidies and targeted for elimination. The second part of the Convention on Biological Diversity's (CBD) Fifteenth Conference of the Parties (COP 15) started on December 7, with 196 parties coming together in the hope of finalising negotiations for a new Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) -- a new set of goals and targets that will guide global action on nature through 2030. One of the contentious components of the GBF to be negotiated is the "30x30" conservation target. It calls for 30 per cent of the earth's land and sea to be conserved through the establishment of protected areas and other area-based conservation measures. Delivering the national statement at COP15 on Friday, Union Environment Minister ...

Global cholera surge likely accelerated by climate change, warns WHO

Available data points to cases of infection in around 30 countries, whereas in the previous five years, fewer than 20 countries reported infections, on average

Top Headlines: Climate tariff walls, coffee diplomacy at G20 and more

Business Standard brings you the top headlines at this hour

Climate change: What would a more sustainable Fifa World Cup look like?

The Paris 2024 Olympics will be climate positive, organizers claim. The men's World Cup in 2026 to be held in Mexico, the U.S. and Canada will be the lowest-carbon FIFA World Cup of the modern era, if promises pan out. Qatar's World Cup is ending on Sunday, but climate pledges like its promise of a carbon-neutral event central to the gas-rich Gulf nation's hosting bid are staying with the world of mega sporting events. Real differences among host countries affect how polluting one event is versus another. A country's size, how many stadiums it builds, whether public transit reaches the venues, and how clean or dirty the electric grid is, all factor into the climate impact. But scientists, environmental advocates and other experts say that sporting events such as the World Cup and the Olympics have grown to such a scale that efforts to make them more sustainable need to go far beyond what was done in Qatar. We have to change the structure of these events, said Walker Ross, a .

UN may run out of food for Pakistan flood victims due to lack of funds

The UN World Food Programme will run out of funds to feed 2.7 million people by Jan. 15, Chris Kaye, the agency's representative in Pakistan said

Global coal consumption set to hit new high this yr despite ambitious goals

Coal usage looks likely to increase by 1.2% in 2022, surpassing 8 billion tons in a single year for the first time, according to an International Energy Agency report

COP15: Over 3 mn sign petition for protection of 50% of world biodiversity

As countries iron out a deal to protect nature at the COP15 biodiversity conference here, a petition backed by 3.2 million citizens worldwide has called for a more ambitious target of at least 50 per cent conservation and protection of lands and oceans by 2030. Most of the 196 countries meeting in Montreal, including India, have backed a 30 per cent figure for protecting lands and oceans. However, a final agreement is due to be completed on December 19. "We are already well beyond 30 per cent conservation of the planet, if only our governments recognise the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities over their territories, lands and waters, Oscar Soria, Campaign Director, Avaaz said in a press briefing here. They are de facto the ones conserving biodiversity. Now's the time to strive for a higher target, of half the Earth. Any other number will put vital forests in jeopardy, and are clearly not enough to kickstart the necessary revolution to rebuild our relationship with ...

Environmental group casts doubt on Amazon's claims of reducing plastic

A report by environmental group Oceana has found that plastic waste from Amazon packages went up by 18 per cent last year, but Amazon says it has reduced its use of single-use plastic across its network. According to the Oceana's estimates, released Thursday, Amazon's plastic waste jumped from 599 million pounds in 2020 to 709 million pounds last year an amount that can circle the planet more than 800 times in the form of air pillows, the group said. For years, the advocacy organisation has been pushing the company to release more data around its plastic footprint and commit to reducing any harmful environmental impacts that might stem from it. That idea was put up for a vote two times at Amazon's annual shareholders meetings during the past two years. The last vote, held in May, got support from 48 per cent of shareholders. But the e-commerce behemoth had resisted calls to release more data until Tuesday, when it disclosed in a blog post that it used 97,222 metric tons (over 214 .