Page 2 - Greenhouse Gases

UK plans to implement carbon tax on imported goods like steel from 2027

The British government announced plans Monday to charge a carbon levy on imported raw materials such as aluminum, iron, steel and cement from 2027, in an attempt to prevent firms being undercut by overseas producers. However, the plan has come under criticism from the body representing British steel as being too sluggish, as it will come into effect one year after similar proposals from the European Union (EU) are implemented. Announcing its plan, Britain's Treasury said the proposed new tax will level the playing field, helping greener domestic producers compete against higher carbon, but cheaper, foreign rivals. For years, fears have been expressed that efforts to cut greenhouse gases in the UK are not being matched overseas, meaning that emissions are just being displaced to other countries without ambitious net-zero targets, leading to little global benefit. This levy will make sure carbon-intensive products from overseas like steel and ceramics face a comparable carbon price

'Trade Day' at COP28: To deliberate on policy options for climate action

At COP26 held at Glasgow, Scotland, in 2021, most developed countries committed to achieving net-zero GHG emissions by 2050

India refrains from signing the COP28 Health and Climate Declaration

India on Sunday refrained from signing the COP28 Declaration on Climate and Health, with sources pointing out that curbing greenhouse gas use for cooling in the health sector, which is one of the points in the document, may not be practical or achievable within the country's healthcare infrastructure in the short term. The declaration calls for climate action to achieve benefits for health from deep, rapid, and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, including from just transitions, lower air pollution, active mobility, and shifts to sustainable healthy diets. On the occasion of the first Health Day at the 28th UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) on Sunday, the declaration expressed grave concern about the negative impacts of climate change on health. The declaration is signed by 124 countries till now with the US and India, which are among the top greenhouse gas emitters, absent from the list of signatories. The declaration, aimed at addressing the critical intersection

Record-breaking rise in greenhouse gases threatens climate goals: WMO

The concentration of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere once again hit a new record last year and there appears to be no halt to this escalating trend, according to a new report by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). The global averaged concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2), considered the most critical greenhouse gas, were a staggering 50 per cent above the pre-industrial era (1850-1900) in 2022 for the first time. These levels have continued to escalate in 2023, it said. The WMO's Greenhouse Gas Bulletin noted that although the growth rate in CO2 concentrations was slightly lower than the preceding year and the decade's average, this decline was likely due to short-term variations in the carbon cycle. The report highlighted that new emissions from industrial activities continued to rise. Methane concentrations also grew, and levels of nitrous oxide, the third main gas, saw the highest year-on-year increase on record from 2021 to 2022, according to the ...

Trading for a greener tomorrow

The way forward to meet the nationally determined contributions is a well-regulated domestic emission trading mechanism

Itziar Irakulis Loitxate: The climate sleuth tracking methane leaks for UN

The 27-year-old PhD student isn't a detective but she may be the closest thing the world has to climate police

How carbon emissions accounting helps in achieving net zero targets

The process of calculating the amount of greenhouse gas emitted directly by operations or indirectly by supply chain and subsidiaries is known as carbon accounting

India's steelmaking goals risk quadrupling emissions, says report

The world's second-biggest crude steel producer aims to achieve its steelmaking capacity goal of 300 million tonnes by 2030, and aims to be a net zero emitter of greenhouse gases by 2070

Green road freight cluster to help reduce gas emissions in India: WEF

The World Economic Forum on Wednesday announced the launch of India's first zero-emission road freight cluster initiative which will reduce the country's greenhouse gas emissions. The announcement was made during a side event hosted by NITI Ayog at the backdrop of ongoing G20 Energy Transitions Working Group meeting in Panaji. Jasmeet Khurana, Lead, Moving Emerging Markets, World Economic Forum told PTI in Panaji that Adani Ports and SEZ, Apollo Tyres Ltd, TCI Group (Transport Corporation of India Limited) and UltraTech Cement are the partners that will anchor this cluster development through their own early actions. He said that the World Economic Forum and partners have committed to deploying 550 electric trucks on the west coast of Gujarat and Maharashtra within the next 18-24 months. Khurana said that this initiative is under the e-FAST centre of NITI Aayog and is supported by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways as the cluster aligns with its 'Harit Sagar' Green Port

Shipping industry's net zero target could be set to flexible deadline

The shipping industry's carbon neutral deadline could be reset to a flexible 'mid-century' deadline considering the national circumstances, a relaxation from the strict 2050 goal that was actively deliberated among the member states of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). The crucial 80th session of the Maritime Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the IMO is likely to reach a consensus, mostly considering the demand from the developing nations, to reset the carbon neutral goal to mid-century, with interim goals of reduction of GHG emissions 20 per cent by 2030 and 70 per cent by 2040. "These targets seem to be achievable with a mid-century deadline, considering the national circumstances," Ajithkumar Sukumaran, Additional DG, Shipping, and an Indian delegate at the MEPC 80, told PTI. Most of the developing nations have been lobbying for the mid-century target -- could be 2051, 2052 or 2053, insisting on not strictly fixing 2050 as the year for achieving net zero. T

Monday was the hottest day ever as global temperatures rise, shows data

The average worldwide temperature was 17C (63F), just above the previous record of 16.9C reached in August 2016, according to data from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction

US, India to build payment security system to put 10,000 e-buses on roads

Move will boost India's focused efforts in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving public health, and diversifying global supply chain

Greenhouse gas emissions at 'all-time high', global warming at rapid rate

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have been found to be "at an all-time high", with human activity resulting in the equivalent of 54 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere on average every year over the last decade. A group of 50 leading scientists have said in an analysis that human-caused global warming has continued to increase at an "unprecedented rate" since the last major assessment of the climate system published two years ago. One of the researchers said the analysis was a "timely wake-up call" and it comes as climate experts meet in Bonn, Germany, to prepare the ground for the major COP28 climate conference in the UAE in December, which will take stock of progress towards keeping global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2050. The researchers wrote in the analysis that human-induced warming, largely caused by fossil fuel burning, reached an average of 1.14 degrees Celsius for the most recent decade (2013 to 2022) above pre-industrial levels, up from 1.0

Reusing treated wastewater in irrigation could've reduced emissions: Study

Reusing treated wastewater in irrigation in India could have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 1.3 million tonnes in 2021, according to the latest study by a think tank. Greenhouse gases causing greenhouse effect are one of the main drivers of climate change. As greenhouse gas emissions blanket the Earth, they trap the sun's heat. This leads to global warming and climate change. The study by 'Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW)' looks at mainstreaming the reuse of treated wastewater in the country. It assesses the economic and market potential for the reuse of treated wastewater (domestic sewage) for irrigation at the national scale and makes recommendations to strengthen the existing governance on reuse. According to the analysis using the Central Water Commission (CWC) estimates, 11 out of 15 major river basins in India will experience water stress by 2025, with annual per capita renewable water availability below 1,700 cubic metres. "Hence, it is essential to expl

Italy's greenhouse gas emissions rising despite lower energy use: Report

Italy's greenhouse gas emissions are rising despite lower energy consumption, reflecting a move toward high-emissions energy sources

India's Greenhouse-in-a-Box startup Kheyti wins 2022 Earthshot Prize

A Greenhouse-in-a-Box sustainable solution for small farmers devised by Telangana startup Kheyti has won the 1 million pounds Earthshot Prize, founded by Britain's Prince William and dubbed the Eco Oscars'. Kheyti, one of the five winners at a gala green carpet awards ceremony in Boston on Friday night, won the prize in the Protect and Restore Nature category from hundreds of entries worldwide. The pioneering solution for local smallholder farmers is designed to reduce costs, increase yields and protect livelihoods in a region on the frontlines of climate change. I believe that the Earthshot solutions you have seen this evening prove we can overcome our planet's greatest challenges, and by supporting and scaling them we can change our future, said William, the Prince of Wales. Alongside tonight's winners and finalists, and those to be discovered over the years to come, it's my hope the Earthshot legacy will continue to grow, helping our communities and our planet to thrive, he ...

Nuclear power: All that you need to know about small modular reactors

Small modular reactors are advanced reactors that have a power generation capacity of up to 300 megawatts (MW) per unit

COP27: To decarbonise by 2050, India needs investments of at least $7 trn

And India's progress towards net zero by 2070 will depend on how successful it is in facilitating an orderly transition to a clean economy

BASIC Nations criticise developed world for backtracking on climate finance

They say fossil fuel use in Global North has risen, call it "double standards towards climate equity"; note that climate finance from developed nations continues to fall short of $100 bn a year goal

Submitted long-term low emissions growth strategy: India at COP27

Reiterates its climate goals in its National Statement