Climate Plan

Hydrogen project investments are accelerating but uncertainty remains: IEA

Demand targets, however, are only just over a quarter of the production projects, and progress made so far in the hydrogen sector is not sufficient to meet climate goals, the IEA added

Here's why Nationally Determined Contributions are crucial in climate talks

Altogether, these reports help countries coordinate their climate policies action with one another

Changing rainfall pattern linked to landslides in U'khand: Expert

A change in the pattern and intensity of rainfall like the lack of long periods of widespread rainfall in Uttarakhand has emerged as an important reason for the increase in landslide incidents in the hill state this monsoon. Dr Sunil Nautiyal, Director of Almora-based GB Pant National Himalayan Environment Institute, said that due to the change in the pattern of rainfall linked to climate change factors and the decreasing capacity of the fragile Himalayan region to withstand it, more landslides have occurred this monsoon. "This year widespread rain has occurred only between September 13 and 15, otherwise it remained at local levels throughout the monsoon," he said. Meteorological Department sources in Uttarakhand said that this year an average of 102 mm of rain was recorded in three days between September 13 and 15 and it had occurred widely. Nautiyal said, "Apart from this, there has been a change in the pattern of rainfall in the Himalayan region. Now it starts raining suddenly

80% Indians support criminalisation of environmental damage by govt: Survey

Nearly four out of five Indians support criminalising actions by government officials or leaders of large businesses that cause serious damage to nature and the climate, according to a new global survey. The Global Commons Survey 2024, conducted by Ipsos UK and commissioned by Earth4All and the Global Commons Alliance (GCA), also revealed that nearly three out of five (61 per cent) Indians believe that the government is doing enough to tackle climate change and environmental damage. Ninety per cent of them are worried about the state of nature today. Seventy-three per cent of the respondents feel that the Earth is approaching critical environmental "tipping points", where climate or natural systems, such as rainforests or glaciers, may change suddenly or be more difficult to stabilise in the future. Fifty-seven per cent believe that new technologies can resolve environmental issues without requiring significant changes in individual lifestyles, while 54 per cent think that many cla

Ethanol push turns India into corn importer, shaking up global mkt

India usually exports 2 million to 4 million metric tons of corn, but in 2024, exports are expected to drop to 450,000 tons

Choco companies rely on developing cocoa substitutes other than cocoa beans

Climate change is stressing rainforests where the highly sensitive cocoa bean grows, but chocolate lovers need not despair, say companies that are researching other ways to grow cocoa or develop cocoa substitutes. Scientists and entrepreneurs are working on ways to make more cocoa that stretch well beyond the tropics, from Northern California to Israel. California Cultured, a plant cell culture company, is growing cocoa from cell cultures at a facility in West Sacramento, California, with plans to start selling its products next year. It puts cocoa bean cells in a vat with sugar water so they reproduce quickly and reach maturity in a week rather than the six to eight months a traditional harvest takes, said Alan Perlstein, the company's chief executive. The process also no longer requires as much water or arduous labour. We see just the demand of chocolate monstrously outstripping what is going to be available, Perlstein said. There's really no other way that we see that the world .

Global South must raise voice for ambitious new climate finance goal: India

India on Saturday said the Global South should collectively raise its voice for an ambitious new climate finance goal at the UN climate change conference in Azerbaijan's Baku. Addressing a session of the third Voice of Global South Summit, Union environment ministry secretary Leela Nandan said COP29 must deliver concrete commitments to halt global warming and ensure climate justice. "We must collectively raise our voices in Baku for a transparent, grant-based, concessional and ambitious new collective quantified goal," she said. Financial support to help middle-income and poor countries fight climate change will be at the centre of the UN climate conference in Baku, where world leaders will reach the deadline to agree on the New Collective Quantified Goal -- the new amount developed nations must mobilise every year from 2025 to support climate action in developing countries. Achieving a consensus will not be easy, given the disappointing progress made on the issue at the mid-year U

SpaceX to launch methane satellite to hold super polluters accountable

Developed by Planet Labs PBC with technology from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Tanager-1 will be able to help pinpoint methane and carbon dioxide emissions from individual facilities

Wildfires growing under climate change, smoke threatens farmworkers: Study

As wildfires scorched swaths of land in the wine country of Sonoma County in 2020, sending ash flying and choking the air with smoke, Maria Salinas harvested grapes. Her saliva turned black from inhaling the toxins, until one day she had so much trouble breathing she was rushed to the emergency room. When she felt better, she went right back to work as the fires raged on. What forces us to work is necessity, Salinas said. We always expose ourselves to danger out of necessity, whether by fire or disaster, when the weather changes, when it's hot or cold. As climate change increases the frequency and intensity of wildfires around the world, a new study shows that farmworkers are paying a heavy price by being exposed to high levels of air pollution. And in Sonoma County, the focus of the work, researchers found that a program aimed at determining when it was safe to work during wildfires did not adequately protect farmworkers. They recommended a series of steps to safeguard the worker

COP29 only chance to bridge climate action, finance gap: Commonwealth chief

The COP29 climate talks in Azerbaijan's Baku is the world's only chance to bridge the gaps in climate action and finance which is crucial to "rebuild trust" among countries and protect lives and livelihoods, Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland has said. In an interview with PTI via Zoom, Scotland said it is important to have the fossil-fuel producers as allies in the fight against climate change. Azerbaijan, the host of this year's UN climate talks, is a small petrostate on the Caspian Sea. Nearly all of its exports are oil and gas. "We are nearing the cliff, the critical 1.5 degrees Celsius limit. In fact, some of our scientists say that we are there now. Our home, our planet, is literally on fire. Instead of action, we see the gaps in emissions, finance, and justice widening. It is our duty to bridge those gaps, and COP is our only chance. It comes at a moment of immeasurable urgency," Scotland said. She said rich countries promised to provide USD 100 billion (one ..

India not historically responsible for climate crisis: Commonwealth chief

India is not historically responsible for the climate crisis but it should not emulate polluting practices of the West from the 19th century during its development, Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland has said. In an interview with PTI, Scotland said India has the opportunity to lead a just and equitable energy transition by sharing expertise and technology within the 56-nation club called Commonwealth, which represents 2.7 billion people. She also said that India can exemplify a new, clean and safe development model that can serve as a beacon of hope for the Global South. "India is a developing country, which was not historically responsible for creating this (climate) crisis. So, India is in a similar position to many of the Global South countries. And that is absolutely true," the Commonwealth secretary general said. Despite not causing the crisis, she said, India is suffering from severe climate consequences, including extreme heat, floods and intense monsoons, and

Chief economic advisor Nageswaran calls out rich nations' climate hypocrisy

India's Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran has criticised developed countries for their "double standards" on climate action, highlighting the G7's commitment to ending the use of unabated coal power plants only in the first half of the 2030s, despite their high carbon emissions. In the annual economic survey, Nageswaran said it is morally wrong to ask developing countries to abandon their aspirations for better living standards to allow developed countries to maintain their lifestyles in cleaner environments and cooler climates. He argued that economic growth would empower developing countries to better address climate change. Nageswaran said the UN convention on climate change and its Paris Agreement mandate that developed countries provide resources and take the lead in mobilising finance to tackle the global problem. "However, much of the climate action by developing countries has been done through domestic resources, and the emphasis of the developed countries has mai

Eco survey advocates traditional climate plan and 3Rs for net-zero target

Mission LiFE seeks to promote sustainable lifestyles through mindful utilisation of resources, minimisation of waste, and adoption of green choices

Climate change threatens to undo educational gains of recent decade: UNESCO

Climate related stressors like heat, wildfires, floods, droughts, diseases and rising sea levels affect education outcomes and threaten to undo educational gains of recent decade, according to the Global Education Monitoring Report (GEM). The global report compiled by UNESCO, Monitoring and Evaluating Climate Communication and Education (MECCE) project and University of Saskatchewan in Canada has pointed out that most low and middle-income countries are experiencing climate-related school closures every year, increasing chances of learning loss and dropout. "Climate change related impacts are already disrupting education systems and outcomes. Direct effects include the destruction of education infrastructure as well as injuries and loss of life among students, parents and school staff. Climate change has a negative impact on education indirectly through its displacement of people and the effects on people's livelihoods and health," the report said. "Over the past 20 years, schools .

Agri firm Samunnati gets Rs 133 cr debt funding from Swiss firm Blue Earth

Agriculture value chain enabler Samunnati on Friday said it has raised Rs 133 crore (USD 16 million) in credit financing from Swiss impact investment firm Blue Earth Capital. This is Blue Earth Capital's first debt investment and will help Samunnati expand initiatives aimed at improving the lives of small farmers across the country through projects focused on climate adaptation, resilience and mitigation practices. The funding from Blue Earth is the single largest debt tranche raised by Samunnati during the first quarter of the fiscal year. "We're grateful for the support from Blue Earth Capital... This boost will strengthen our efforts to improve the lives of smallholders through climate and sustainability projects," Samunnati founder and chief executive Anil Kumar SG said in a statement. In the current fiscal year, Samunnati has already secured USD 5 million (Rs 41 crore) in debt funding through external commercial borrowing from Enabling Qapital. In the previous fiscal year, it

Shell shareholders reject investor climate resolution filed by activists

The company, however, introduced a new 'ambition' to cut overall emissions from oil products such as gasoline and jet fuel sold to customers by 15-20% by 2030 compared with 2021

BJP went back on Sixth Schedule promise, will continue movement: Wangchuk

In March this year, Leh, known for its breathtaking landscapes and monasteries, made headlines as climate activist Sonam Wangchuk led a 21-day fast in sub-zero temperatures seeking autonomy for Ladakh. Thousands joined the Ramon Magsaysay Award winner whose life inspired actor Aamir Khan's character Rancho in Bollywood blockbuster "3 Idiots". After ending his fast on March 26, Wangchuk began a sit-in which was called off on May 10 in view of the Lok Sabha elections. Though the government did not accede to the protesters' demands for statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, Wangchuk says the movement is anything but over. "On one hand, land is going to corporations and on the other hand, China is capturing our land, thousands of square kilometres of land. People of the country need to understand our pain," Wangchuk told PTI. "The Sixth Schedule is required to protect the mountains, glaciers and ecology. Though it is required in the whole ...

None of G7 economies on track to meet 2030 mitigation targets, shows report

None of the G7 members are on track to meet their existing emission reduction targets for 2030, according to a new analysis released on Tuesday. The analysis by Climate Analytics, a global climate science and policy institute, comes ahead of the G7 climate, energy, and environment ministers' meeting in Venaria Reale, Italy, during April 28-30. The G7 collectively aims to achieve a 40-42 per cent emission reduction by 2030 but existing policies suggest that it will likely achieve only 19-33 per cent by the end of this decade, the analysis showed. This is at best around half of what is needed and would lead to greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 exceeding a 1.5 degrees Celsius compatible level by around four gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. Such a shortfall in ambition does not provide the leadership signal needed from the world's richest countries, making up around 38 per cent of the global economy and responsible for 21 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions in 2021, the .

March marks yet another record in global heat, says EU climate agency

Each of the last 10 months ranked as the world's hottest on record, compared with the corresponding month in previous years, the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said in a monthly bulletin

Climate activists seek major human rights ruling against European states

Depending on the ruling, countries may need to update their plans for reining in climate-warming emissions in the near term