Climate Action Tracker released a grim report, which reveals that current policies would lead to a disastrous 2.7°C of warming. This would cause a level of disruption that many scientists say will put human civilisation at risk, the Guardian reported. It adds that the expected level of global heating by the end of the century has not changed since 2021, with “minimal progress” made this year, according to the project. Warming in the most optimistic scenario rose slightly from 1.8°C last year to 1.9°C this year, the report found. Last month, a study found half of the 68,000 heat deaths in Europe in 2022 were the result of the 1.3°C of global heating the world has seen so far. At the higher temperatures that are projected for the end of the century, the risk of irreversible and catastrophic extremes is also set to soar. The report found fossil fuel subsidies have also hit all-time highs, and funding for such projects quadrupled between 2021 and 2022.
2024 set to be hottest year on record as temperatures breach 1.5°C threshold
This year is on track to be the hottest on record, according to the latest state of the climate report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the Press Association reported. According to the report, global average temperatures for January to September 2024 were 1.54°C above pre-industrial levels. However, it says WMO secretary-general Celeste Saulo emphasised that “this does not mean that we have failed to meet the Paris Agreement”.
People’s science festivals picking up in India, but more needs to be done: Study
Mongabay reported on the annual season of people’s science festivals about to begin in India, highlighted by a new study titled From Vigyan Jathas to Science Festivals: A New Avatar of Public Engagement with Science in India. From large-scale festivals such as the India International Science Festival to smaller ones focussed on a theme, such as the upcoming Mountains of Life by Azim Premji University, these events are essential bridges between the science community and the public, the report said.
“They [science festivals] provide a pause to reflect on where we are at with respect to science and technology,” says the author of the paper Sarah Iqbal adding that In India, the beginnings can be traced back to the 1960s when there was a rise of grassroots social movements, such as the People’s Science Movements (PSM), which aim at spreading scientific literacy, Iqbal notes in her paper. Led by science activists, predominantly current and retired scientists, PSMs work towards disseminating scientific knowledge through vigyan jathas (science processions). The report said Still active, they are led by science activists and take the form of vigyan jathas (science processions), mostly focussed on semi-urban and rural regions
Greenland’s glaciers and ice caps could decrease in area by 39% to 61% by 2100: Study
Amid “drastic mass loss” from Greenland’s peripheral glaciers and ice caps, new research explored how they could change in the future. Using the Open Global Glacier Model to simulate glacier dynamics and runoff changes, the researchers found that these glaciers and ice caps could decrease in area by 39% under a low-emissions pathway and 61% under very high emissions by 2100. The declines are larger for glacier volume – 48% under low emissions and 67% under very high emissions. The regions that have larger areas of glaciers and are farther from the ocean would likely see smaller losses, the study noted.
‘No action despite flood warning’: Protestors call for Valencia’s leader’s resignation over deadly floods response
Thousands of people took to the streets of Valencia in protest at the regional government’s handling of the recent flooding, which killed more than 200 people, reported the Guardian. The Valencian government has been criticised for not adequately preparing despite warnings five days before the floods that there could be an unprecedented rainstorm, the newspaper stated. It continues: “Residents are protesting over the way the incident was handled, with regional leader Carlos Mazón under immense pressure after his administration failed to issue alerts to citizens’ mobile phones until hours after the flooding started.”
Ahead of cooling La Nina current, experts predict milder winter
Scientists are uncertain if La Nina, the global weather phenomenon, will be weak or strong in the coming months. This will impact the severity of winters across India. If La Nina, which has a cooling effect on oceans, is weak then winter will be less severe in India. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issuing a La Nina watch in May said it expects La Nina to be “remarkably weak”, which means a milder winter for India. The Hindustan Times reported that earlier, several models projected La Nina to take hold by the second half of India’s monsoon, but these forecasts proved inaccurate. The newspaper reported on October 2 that leading global forecasters miscalculated La Nina’s development this year, despite US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issuing a La Nina watch in May.
The report cites experts stating that most circulation patterns mirror La Nina conditions, characterised by unusually cold ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific, contrasting with El Nino’s warmer temperatures. For La Nina to be officially declared, the Oceanic Nino Index must drop to at least -0.5°C or -0.3°C and maintain this level for several months.
Fourth mass bleaching of coral reefs: UN holds emergency session at Biodiversity summit
The UN, scientists and governments “made an urgent call”at the COP16 biodiversity summit for increased funding to protect coral reefs under threat of extinction. The Associated Press reported that research in 2024 shows that 77% of the world’s reefs are affected by bleaching, mainly due to warming ocean waters amid human-caused climate change. The newswire said its the largest and fourth mass global bleaching on record and is impacting both hemispheres. The findings prompted a UN special emergency session — typically called to address escalating conflicts or natural disasters — on corals to be convened on [the] sidelines of the UN biodiversity summit.
New Zealand, the UK, Germany and France made new pledges totaling around $30 million to the UN fund for coral reefs established in 2020. The AP report also stated that by 2030, the fund seeks to leverage up to $3 billion in public and private finance to support coral reef conservation efforts. Around $225 million has been raised to date.
Research: There’s potential to naturally regrow forest bigger than Mexico in deforested tropical regions
A global area of forest bigger than Mexico has the potential to be naturally regrown, a new study found. Naturally regenerating identified forest areas could sequester more than 23 billion tonnes of carbon over the course of three decades, the researchers estimated. Analyzing pantropical natural forests around the world over 2000-16, their model found that five countries — Brazil, Indonesia, China, Mexico and Colombia — account for just over half of the regrowth potential, which totals 215 million hectares. Forest restoration often focuses on tree planting, but these findings show the “need for targeting restoration initiatives that leverage natural regeneration potential”, according to the researchers.
Droughts in Western United States caused by manmade global warming: Study
Anthropogenic warming has ushered in an era of temperature-dominated droughts in the western United States, said a new study. The “dominant” driver of drought in the western US shifted from lack of precipitation to rising temperatures at the start of this century, according to a study. Analysing observations and climate model simulations, the researchers found that the change in drought drivers since around 2000 “has led to increased drought severity and coverage”. An “unprecedented” drought in the western US over 2020-22 “exemplifies” this change, the researchers noted. The study’s models forecast that these kinds of droughts – which currently take place around once every thousand years – could happen once every 60 years by the middle of this century. The researchers conclude that the change in drought drivers “cannot be explained by natural climate variability” and is “mainly” from human-caused warming.
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