GREENHOUSE GASES
Can the Labour Party bring back Britain’s green groove?
In the context of Britain's political landscape and its climate ambitions, Keir Starmer, poised to become the next prime minister, has positioned the Labour Party as advocates for transforming the nation into a "clean energy superpower." This aspiration marks a significant departure from Britain's historical role as a major contributor to climate pollution, stemming from its origins in the Industrial Revolution fueled by coal.
India's heatwave longest ever, worse to come
India is experiencing its longest heatwave, with temperatures soaring over 45 degrees Celsius since mid-May. The head of India's Meteorological Department warned that heatwaves would become more frequent and intense if preventive measures are not taken. The country, a major greenhouse gas emitter, aims for net zero emissions by 2070, but for now relies heavily on coal. Climate change is causing longer, more intense heatwaves, with Delhi recently matching its record high temperature.
El Nino ending; at least 60% chance of La Nina developing during July-Sept: WMO
The El-Nino event, causing record-breaking temperatures and extreme weather worldwide, is expected to transition to La-Nina conditions this year, per the World Meteorological Organization. The warmest April on record marked the 11th consecutive month of high temperatures globally. La-Nina may bring relief with increased rainfall during the monsoon season in India.
The European Union in five figures
European Union: The 27-nation bloc stretches from the chilly Arctic in the north to the warmer Mediterranean in the south, and from the Atlantic in the west to the Black Sea in the east.
Amid heatwave conditions, staying cool without creating heat remains essential
As Delhi sizzles at 45 degrees Celsius, many of us tend to overlook the ironic reality that the comfort provided by air conditioners contributes directly to global warming. With the increasing affordability of ACs and more countries, including India, meeting the rising demand for electricity, the use of air conditioners is escalating. According to a study, by 2050, the number of AC units is projected to reach 4.5 billion, a boon for appliance manufacturers but concerning for the Earth. The emissions of greenhouse gases resulting from AC usage are anticipated to lead to a 0.5-degree Celsius increase in global temperatures.
What is 'Net Zero', anyway? A short history of a monumental concept
The G7 leaders recently committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050, with the Albanese government in Australia introducing legislation to create a Net Zero Economy Authority to drive investment in clean energy. The concept of net zero, aiming to balance carbon emissions with carbon sinks, emerged from early climate negotiations in the 1990s. It gained traction in the late 2000s as a metric for assessing mitigation efforts and became a key goal of the 2015 Paris Agreement. However, challenges remain in ensuring fairness and equity between developed and developing nations, and in avoiding greenwashing by corporations.
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Australian researchers turn morning coffee waste into greener concrete
Concrete production involves mixing sand and gravel with cement and water. It is a major producer of greenhouse gases, responsible for around 7% of the world's emissions, according to the United Nations.
Warmest April ever fuelled weather extremes across globe: WMO
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed that April was the warmest on record globally, marking the eleventh consecutive month of record-high temperatures. This trend is attributed to a combination of naturally occurring El Nino events and the additional energy trapped in the atmosphere and ocean due to greenhouse gases from human activities. The average temperature in April was 1.58 degrees Celsius higher than the pre-industrial reference period, with sea surface temperatures reaching record highs for the past 13 months.
UN weather agency issues 'red alert' on climate change after record heat, ice-melt increases in 2023
The World Meteorological Organisation, in a "State of the Global Climate" report released Tuesday, ratcheted up concerns that a much-vaunted climate goal is increasingly in jeopardy: That the world can unite to limit planetary warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) from pre-industrial levels.
India's buildings sector to overshoot country's entire carbon budget: Report
The countries are striving to achieve net-zero emissions (a balance between greenhouse gases emitted and removed from the atmosphere) to limit the rise in global average temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius and prevent further worsening of climate impacts.
China’s growth ambitions will erase the world’s climate gains
Global greenhouse pollution hit a new record and increased 1.1% last year, the International Energy Agency reported last week. That was almost entirely a China story.
The world is quietly losing the land it needs to feed itself
Ironically, one of the biggest challenges in the fight against land degradation is universal: We need to eat. About 40% of the planet’s land – 5 billion hectares – is used for farming.
US emissions decline, but more needed for 2030 goal
Increased economic activity, including more energy production and greater use of cars, trucks and airplanes, can be associated with higher pollution, although there is not always a direct correlation. The US economy grew by a projected 2.4% in 2023, according to the Conference Board, a business research group.
New COP28 draft text does not mention phase out of fossil fuels
The relevant section of the text said that parties recognize "the need for deep, rapid and sustained reductions in GHG (greenhouse gases) emissions and calls upon Parties to take actions that could include, inter alia:
COP28 pledges meet only 30% of needed energy emission cuts: IEA
The International Energy Agency has stated that the COP28 climate summit's pledges will only reduce energy-related greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030. The agency assessed non-binding promises made by governments and the oil and gas industry, including tripling renewable energy and doubling energy efficiency by 2030, and cutting methane emissions. 130 countries have signed the pledges, but China, India, Saudi Arabia, and Russia have not.
The Hot List: 10 Nifty500 companies that are top emittors of greenhouse gases
Direct emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) disclosed by Nifty 500 companies stood at 1.03 billion tonnes of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) in FY23, according to data sourced from Prime Database. This was 5% higher than the previous year and close to the 1.2 billion tonnes emitted by Japan in 2022. Direct emissions of greenhouse gases are also called Scope 1 emissions. Here’s the list of top direct emittors of greenhouse gasses which contributes 70% of the Nifty 500 total. Take a look: (Source: ET Bureau)
The Heat List: Nifty 500 companies emit 1 billion tonnes CO2e in FY23
Increase in Nifty 500 firms’ emissions is in line with the 5% annual increase in India’s overall emissions to 3.9 billion tonnes of CO2e in calendar year 2022, constituting 7.3% of the world’s total emissions of 53.8 billion tonnes. “The increase in emissions is likely because of high fossil fuel consumption,” said Pradeep Panigrahi, head, corporate sustainability, Larsen & Toubro.
At UN Climate talks, oil companies pledge to combat methane; Environmentalists call it "smokescreen"
The announcement by Sultan al-Jaber, president of the climate summit known as COP28 and head of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Co., comes as he and others have insisted his background would allow him to bring oil companies to the negotiating table. Al-Jaber has maintained that having the industry's buy-in is crucial to drastically slashing the world's greenhouse emissions by nearly half in seven years.
How did humans get to the brink of crashing climate? A long push for progress and energy to fuel it
Global leaders are gearing up for crucial United Nations climate talks to tackle escalating greenhouse gas emissions amid rising temperatures, floods, and wildfires. History reveals human activities, from deforestation to fossil fuel exploitation, reshaping the world towards a catastrophic tipping point. European colonization and the subsequent centuries solidified a mindset of exploiting nature for progress.
Earth to warm 2.5-2.9C even with current climate pledges: UN
Based just on existing policies and emissions-cutting efforts, the world would heat 3C, the United Nations said Monday. The 2015 Paris Agreement saw countries agree to cap global warming at "well below" 2C above preindustrial times -- with a safer limit of 1.5C if possible.
'No end in sight' to rising greenhouse gases, says UN weather agency
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported that greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere reached a record high in 2022, with global average concentrations of carbon dioxide 50% above the pre-industrial era. The WMO warned that there is "no end in sight" to this trend, emphasizing the urgent need to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels.
Electric planes, once a fantasy, start to take to the skies
For most of aviation history, electric aircraft have been little more than a fantasy. But technological advancements, particularly in batteries, and billions of dollars of investment have helped make short-distance electric air travel feasible -- and, its backers hope, commercially viable.
Muscle, wood, coal, oil: what earlier energy transitions tell us about renewables
The burning of fossil fuels accounted for 82% of the world's energy in 2022, down from 87% in 2000. Despite the growth of renewables, increased energy demand has offset the progress. The United Nations released a global stocktake to assess the world's progress in transitioning away from polluting fuels, revealing that there is still a long way to go. Energy transitions have historically taken 50-75 years, but with accelerating climate change, time is running out.
India should phase out biodegradable waste disposal in landfills to check methane emissions: CSE report
A report by the Centre for Science and Environment recommends that India conducts a nationwide study to accurately estimate methane emissions from waste dumpsites and organic waste processing facilities. The report emphasizes the need to phase out biodegradable waste disposal in landfills and promote reduced-emission products from organic waste processing.
View: Apple may be serious about its recycling programme but it's way off the mark in becoming carbon neutral
At last week's launch, it was the titanium frame for Apple's top-end phones, which replaced steel. Titanium is 100% recyclable. But, then, so is steel. Yet, titanium, a common-enough ore, is not easy to extract. It is both expensive to produce and uses up to six times more heat than steel to melt. The ore has to be washed heavily with toxic chlorine to make it usable.
Amazon says its carbon emissions fell for first time in 2022
The company has been the largest corporate buyer of renewable energy in the past few years and it is using power purchase agreement for the development of new wind and solar farms globally.
How chocolate could counter climate change
The biochar industry could potentially capture 2.6 billion of the 40 billion tonnes of CO2 currently produced by humanity each year, although scaling up use remains a challenge. Producers aim to sell carbon certificates to companies to reduce their carbon emissions.
EU moves towards limiting carbon emissions from shipping
The deal aims to put maritime transport on the path towards meeting the EU's climate goals in 2030 and 2050.
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