Indian cities may run out of groundwater by 2020, warns NITI Aayog; EU countries to miss 2020 targets; Antarctic melting at record-breaking rate

Study: 21 Indian cities will run out of groundwater by 2020

21 Indian cities, including Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, will run out of groundwater by 2020, 40% Indians will have no access to drinking water by 2030, if “immediate action” is not taken, a new report from the NITI Aayog said. Over 40% surface water is used every year, 200,000 people die annually due to inadequate access to safe water, demand will exceed supply by 2050, report said.

Most EU countries to miss 2020 emission reduction targets

Not a single EU country is sufficiently reducing carbon emissions, most will miss the 2020 targets, says the latest report by Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe. Belgium, Denmark, Germany and the UK, “so far have remained silent or vague on the need to accelerate the zero-carbon transition in the EU”.

EU Climate ambition: Can cut emissions by ‘over 45%’

The EU can exceed its 2030 target and submit a more ambitious plan to cut greenhouse gases by “over 45%” under Paris accord, EU Climate and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete said at a gathering of ministers from the EU, Canada and China, ahead of next round of global talks to lower emissions. This year’s negotiations, called COP24, will be held in EU member state Poland.

Climate change to hit India’s renewable energy?

Climate change is changing wind pattern in the Northern Hemisphere that is impacting India’s renewable power generation. The research used 10 global climate models to investigate large-scale changes in wind power generation across the globe. Experts say, since extreme weather events cost India $10 billion annually, India should more aggressively decarbonize its economy.

Antarctic melting at record-breaking rate

Antarctic ice sheet is melting at a record-breaking speed, the resulting sea rise will have catastrophic global consequences, according to two new studies. The melting has accelerated threefold in the last five years, faster than at any previously recorded time. Sea level may rise over 25 cm by next decade, and over a metre by 2070.

Moody’s Warning On Climate Change To Cities

Take climate action, or get downgraded and pay higher interest rates on bonds, that’s the warning from credit rating agency Moody’s to the US states and cities as residents and businesses face sea levels, wildfires and extreme heat waves. “If you have a place that simply throws up its hands in the face of changes to climate trends, then we have to evaluate…how that abdication of response actually translates to changes in its credit profile,” Moody’s vice president said.

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