Global Warming

Coal use climbs worldwide despite promises to slash it, says report

The burning of coal for electricity, cement, steel and other uses went up in 2022 despite global promises to phase down the fuel that's the biggest source of planet-warming gases in the atmosphere, a report Wednesday found. The coal fleet grew by 19.5 gigawatts last year, enough to light up around 15 million homes, with nearly all newly commissioned coal projects in China, according to a report by Global Energy Monitor, an organisation that tracks a variety of energy projects around the globe. That 1 per cent increase comes at a time when the world needs to retire its coal fleet four and a half times faster to meet climate goals, the report said. In 2021, countries around the world promised to phase down the use of coal to help achieve the goal to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit). The more new coal projects come online, the steeper the cuts and commitments need to be in the future, said Flora Champenois, the report's lead author and the project manager for GEM's

Untamed global warming risks soaring death toll in middle east: Report

If global warming can be limited to 2C above preindustrial levels, the researchers found that over 80% of those deaths could be avoided

Most of Himalayan glaciers analysed are retreating at varying rates: Govt

Majority of Himalayan glaciers analysed are melting or retreating at varying rates in different regions, the government has said. It has noted that melting glaciers due to any impact of climate change will not only severely affect the flow in Himalayan river system but will also give rise to natural disasters. The government's response was given to a parliamentary standing committee looking at Glacier Management in the Country - Monitoring of Glaciers/Lakes including Glacial Lake Outbursts leading to Flash-floods in the Himalayan Region. The parliamentary standing committee report was tabled in Lok Sabha on Wednesday. Explaining the problem of incessant melting and retreating of Himalayan glaciers and the estimated volume loss of glaciers between the year(s), the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation said the Geological Survey of India has conducted studies on their melting by assessment of mass balance studies on nine glaciers and also carried out

Berlin's climate proposal fails to get enough votes in favour to win

A Sunday referendum in Berlin that would have forced the city to ramp up its climate goals failed because there weren't enough votes in favour of the proposal, the German news agency dpa reported. After about 98 per cent of the votes had been counted, the supporters of the proposal were just ahead of the opponents of such a change in the law, according to an announcement by the city-state's election administration. However, that result only met one requirement for a successful proposal. The second requirement, a quorum of at least 25 per cent of all eligible voters, was not met, dpa reported. Shortly before the end of the count, there were around 423,000 votes in favour and around 405,000 votes against. The quorum for a successful referendum would have been around 608,000 votes in favour of the proposal. The referendum had called for Berlin to become climate neutral by 2030. The target meant that in less than eight years, the city would no longer be allowed to contribute further to

A monster from the past

The global turn to industrial policy defies history and logic

G20 must prioritise climate finance

Funding is also needed for the International Monetary Fund, the Asian Development Bank, even the private sector, to preserve biodiversity

Trade fuelled faster rise in India's production-based emissions

India's production-based estimates of CO2 emissions rose 63 per cent, from 1.6 billion tonnes in 2009 to 2.6 billion tonnes in 2019, reveals an analysis of numbers from tracker Our World in Data

Not just adaptation

India's climate mitigation needs fast-tracking

IPCC report endorses India's call for climate justice: Bhupender Yadav

The Report notes that finance flows from developed to developing countries fall short of the levels needed to meet climate goals across all sectors and regions

India faces the highest risk from climate change's impact, says IPCC

India is the centre of global climate investment but it needs to distribute finances equally to adaptation along with mitigation efforts in the clean energy space

IPCC's 'final' warning: Current goals not enough to limit global warming

To safeguard against the inevitable climate hazards, the IPCC has laid emphasis on 'climate resilient development'

Stop funding new oil & gas plans, expanding reserves: UN Chief Guterres

G20 leaders should aim for a new set of carbon reduction targets by November, says Guterres

UN chief urges faster shift to 'net zero' after report shows climate threat

New climate report details urgent need to cut emissions

Hot, cold, and deadly: The human cost of India's extreme temperatures

In January, northern India bore the brunt of cold waves, and now as the summer begins, temperatures are soaring

Coal vs gas, or coal and gas?

Coal is bad, and so is natural gas, when it comes to climate change. Then why is it that the Western world, which has to date built its economy on dirty coal, is now wedded to gas as its dream fuel?

The high road to net zero: How CCUS can speed up India's transition plan

Carbon capture utilisation technology can play a crucial role in reducing CO2 emissions, provided the government shapes a workable regulatory framework first

Govt sets up committee to monitor impact of rise in temp on wheat crop

The government on Monday said it has set up a committee to monitor the impact of rise in temperature on the wheat crop. The move comes amid a forecast by the National Crop Forecast Centre (NCFC) that maximum temperature in major wheat producing areas barring Madhya Pradesh was higher-than-average of the last seven years during the first week of February. Even the Met Department has projected above-normal temperature in Gujarat, Jammu, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, in next two days. Speaking to reporters, Agriculture Secretary Manoj Ahuja said, "We have set up a committee to monitor the situation arising due to increase in temperature on the wheat crop." The committee will issue advisories to farmers on adopting micro irrigation, he said. The committee, to be headed by the Agriculture Commissioner, will also have members from Karnal-based Wheat Research Institute and representatives from major wheat growing states, he added. The Secretary, however, said there won't be an impac

CO2 arbitrage will make heroes

To avoid capital destruction, simulate a business model under a correct shadow price of carbon

All at sea

The impact of warming oceans is a neglected threat

R K Singh calls on G20 partners to come together against global warming

Union Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy RK Singh on Sunday called upon the G20 member countries to come together in countering the challenges posed by global warming and climate change