Thursday, December 19News That Matters

Climate Actions

Germany Achieves Lowest CO2 Emissions Since 1950s to sustaining decline requires the major Policy Shifts

Germany Achieves Lowest CO2 Emissions Since 1950s to sustaining decline requires the major Policy Shifts

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Idea & Innovations
Germany witnessed a significant drop in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2023, reaching levels not seen since the 1950s, attributed to reduced coal-fired power usage and decreased output by energy-intensive industries. However, a recent study by the Berlin-based Agora Energiewende think tank highlights that this decline is unsustainable without crucial changes in climate policies. Germany has set ambitious climate goals, aiming to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 65% by 2030 compared to 1990, with a broader target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. According to the study, CO2 emissions in Germany for the year 2023 reached 673 million tonnes, the lowest since the 1950s, representing a 46% decrease from 1990 levels. This surpassed the government's 2023 climate goal of 722 m...
Climate Mitigation through Nature-Based Solutions (NBS)

Climate Mitigation through Nature-Based Solutions (NBS)

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Thoughts & Talks
Climate change has profound and far-reaching effects on the environment, impacting ecosystems, biodiversity, and natural processes. One of the most pronounced consequences is the rise in global temperatures, leading to more frequent and severe heatwaves. This warming contributes to the melting of glaciers and polar ice caps, causing rising sea levels and threatening coastal ecosystems and low-lying communities. Changes in temperature and precipitation patterns also disrupt ecosystems and alter the distribution of plant and animal species, often leading to shifts in migration patterns and the emergence of new ecological challenges. Moreover, climate change intensifies extreme weather events, including hurricanes, droughts, floods, and wildfires. These events have devastating effects on both...
Arctic Glaciers Raises the Environmental Concerns due to traces of Common Sunscreen Ingredients Found

Arctic Glaciers Raises the Environmental Concerns due to traces of Common Sunscreen Ingredients Found

Climate Actions, Environment
In a paper published by the researchers, they noted that, for some of these chemicals, it marks the first time their presence has been reported in the snow in Svalbard. The chemicals include UV filters used in sunscreens, such as benzophenone-3 (BP3), and fragrances found in soaps and shampoos. The findings highlight the increasing challenge of understanding the distribution and behavior of these contaminants in remote regions, where primary sources of pollution remain largely unknown. The far-reaching consequences of human activity on the environment are once again underscored as a study reveals traces of 13 common ingredients found in sunscreens and personal care products in the snowpack of five Arctic glaciers in the Svalbard archipelago. The study, conducted by polar scientist Maria...
Ice Cores data from Nevado Huascaran Provide Insights into Amazon Basin’s Climate History

Ice Cores data from Nevado Huascaran Provide Insights into Amazon Basin’s Climate History

Breaking News, Climate Actions
Scientists from Ohio State University (OSU) have studied ice cores from Nevado Huascaran, the world’s highest tropical mountain located in the Peruvian Andes, to gain unprecedented insights into the climate history of the Amazon Basin over the past six decades. Unlike polar regions, samples from tropical areas like Nevado Huascaran can provide valuable information about phenomena such as El Niño and the movement of monsoon winds. The research involved collecting ice core samples from the summit and the mountain col, the lowest point between two ridges. Key Points: •Nevado Huascaran, standing at nearly 7,000 meters above sea level, is the world’s highest tropical mountain. •Ice core samples were collected from the summit and the mountain col to analyze the impact of climate change ...
World’s Largest Iceberg A23a Begins Drifting After 40 Years Grounded

World’s Largest Iceberg A23a Begins Drifting After 40 Years Grounded

Climate Actions, Disasters
In a significant development, the world’s largest iceberg, A23a, has finally broken free from its grounded position, initiating its drift in the Weddell Sea. Originating from West Antarctica’s Fichner-Ronne ice shelf, A23a measures a staggering 4000 sq km (1,500 square miles) with a thickness of about 400 meters (1,300 feet), making it the largest iceberg globally. After being grounded for an extended period since 1986, recent observations by the Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite confirm its movement, estimated at approximately 4.8 km (3 miles) per day, propelled by winds and currents. Iceberg A23a Animation The colossal iceberg’s journey was tracked through an animation provided by the European Space Agency (ESA), showcasing its shifts on November 2, November 14, and November 26, 2023...
Global Tipping Points Report Warns of Irreversible Threats from Climate Change

Global Tipping Points Report Warns of Irreversible Threats from Climate Change

Climate Actions, Idea & Innovations
The Global Tipping Points Report, compiled by an international team of 200 scientists and coordinated by the University of Exeter, reveals that the world is at risk of triggering at least five tipping points with potentially devastating consequences. Tipping points are critical thresholds beyond which changes in the climate system become self-perpetuating and lead to irreversible impacts. The report, set to be published during the UN Climate Conference (COP28) in Dubai, identifies the Greenland and West Antarctic Ice Sheets, warm-water coral reefs, North Atlantic subpolar gyre circulation, and permafrost regions as already at risk. The report emphasizes the inadequacy of current global governance to address the scale of the challenge and calls for coordinated action to trigger positive tip...
Australia’s Submerged Ancient Landscapes Revealed: Northwest Shelf’s Hidden History

Australia’s Submerged Ancient Landscapes Revealed: Northwest Shelf’s Hidden History

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Learning & Developments
Recent research published in Quaternary Science Reviews unveils the hidden history of Australia’s Northwest Shelf, which was once an expansive, habitable landscape connecting the Kimberley and western Arnhem Land. This submerged continental shelf, stretching nearly 390,000 square kilometers, formed a unique cultural zone during a significant part of Australia’s human history, around 18,000 years ago. As the last ice age concluded, rising sea levels submerged this vast area, creating a complex landscape that remained undiscovered until now. The study used high-resolution maps and projections of past sea levels to reveal an archipelago, lakes, rivers, and a large inland sea that existed on the Northwest Shelf. This region, previously thought to be environmentally unproductive, turns ou...
NASA Warns of Impending Flood Risks: Strong El Niño Could Trigger Repeated Inundation Along Western Coasts

NASA Warns of Impending Flood Risks: Strong El Niño Could Trigger Repeated Inundation Along Western Coasts

Breaking News, Climate Actions
A NASA analysis has sounded the alarm about the potential threat of increased flooding in cities along the western coasts of the Americas this winter due to a powerful El Niño. The warming of surface temperatures in the Central to East Pacific Ocean could lead to a series of significant floods, with up to five “10-year flood events” expected to impact cities like Seattle and San Diego. This article explores the implications of the NASA analysis, highlighting the risks posed by a potent El Niño and the broader concerns related to climate change and rising sea levels. El Niño’s Influence & Flood Risk Assessment El Niño, a natural phenomenon occurring every two to seven years, involves a shift in sea surface temperatures that alters equatorial trade winds. This change weakens or reverse...