Tuesday, March 17News That Matters

Climate Actions

Crores of Premature Deaths Linked to Air Pollution in India Over Four Decades

Crores of Premature Deaths Linked to Air Pollution in India Over Four Decades

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment
A comprehensive study led by researchers from Singapore's Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has revealed that air pollution from fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has been linked to approximately 2.61 crore premature deaths in India between 1980 and 2020. This makes it one of the most extensive studies on air quality and climate, utilizing 40 years of data to assess the health impacts of PM2.5. According to the study, the average life expectancy in India has been significantly reduced due to conditions caused by PM2.5 pollution, such as strokes, heart and lung diseases, and cancer. The study also noted that weather patterns have exacerbated the impact of pollution, increasing the death toll by 14%. “Asia was estimated to have the largest number of PM2.5-attributable premature deat...
Haryana Chief Secretary Declares Solid Waste Emergency in Gurugram: Urgent Measures Launched Following Supreme Court Directive

Haryana Chief Secretary Declares Solid Waste Emergency in Gurugram: Urgent Measures Launched Following Supreme Court Directive

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment
Haryana Chief Secretary TVSN Prasad announced that there is a huge amount of solid waste in Gurugram due to the large amount of untreated sewage, which is adversely affecting the environment and public health. The move is in response to the Supreme Court's May 13 judgment and the National Green Tribunal's observations on the need for a cleaner environment. In its May 13 decision, the Supreme Court said that a large amount of unprocessed solid waste destroys the environment, which is the main factor affecting the unpolluted life of citizens guaranteed in Article 21 of the Constitution. The NGT, in its order dated September 23, 2022, observed that the situation is an environmental emergency, but the required seriousness has not yet been resolved. The chief secretary, in an order issued...
Huge Success for Ozone Layer: Scientists Hail Rapid Decline in Harmful Gases, Thanks to Montreal Protocol

Huge Success for Ozone Layer: Scientists Hail Rapid Decline in Harmful Gases, Thanks to Montreal Protocol

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment
Scientists said on Tuesday that international efforts to protect the ozone layer had been a "huge success" after they revealed that the harmful gas in the atmosphere is declining faster than previously thought. The Montreal Protocol, signed in 1987, aims to detect ozone-depleting substances found mainly in refrigerants, air conditioners, and aerosol sprays. New research has found that atmospheric levels of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), harmful gases that cause holes in the ozone layer, will rise in 2021—five years earlier than predicted. "This is a big achievement. We can see that things are going in the right direction," the lead author of the study, Luke Western, from the from the University of Bristol in England, told AFP. The most harmful CFCs were phased out in 2010 to...
Machine Learning Revolutionizes Climate Modeling: Faster, Cheaper, and More Accurate Predictions for Cities

Machine Learning Revolutionizes Climate Modeling: Faster, Cheaper, and More Accurate Predictions for Cities

Breaking News, Climate Actions
New Study Finds Breakthrough in Using AI for Detailed Climate Forecasting. Climate models are a key technology in predicting the impacts of climate change. By running simulations of the Earth's climate, scientists and policymakers can estimate conditions like sea level rise, flooding, and rising temperatures, and make decisions about how to appropriately respond. However, current climate models struggle to provide this information quickly or affordably enough to be useful on smaller scales, such as the size of a city. Now, authors of a new open-access paper published in the Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems have found a method to leverage machine learning to utilize the benefits of current climate models while reducing the computational costs needed to run them. "It turns...
NASA Confirms Disturbing Climate Milestone: 12 Consecutive Months of Record High Temperatures

NASA Confirms Disturbing Climate Milestone: 12 Consecutive Months of Record High Temperatures

Breaking News, Climate Actions
Understanding the current climate crisis isn't just about grasping complex variables it's about confronting stark facts. Here's one that should grab attention: every single month over the past year has set a new global temperature record for that month. NASA's latest data for May 2024 continues a worrying trend of record-breaking temperatures observed since June 2023. April, March, February, and January all saw unprecedented highs, following a similar pattern throughout 2023, from June to December. "This streak is unprecedented in our records and signals a deepening climate crisis," states NASA administrator Bill Nelson. "Communities worldwide, from Arizona to California to Nevada, are experiencing extreme heat at levels never before seen." Clear Alarming Trend The graph depict...
Newly Discovered Fossils Suggest Ancient Age of Monotremes in Australia

Newly Discovered Fossils Suggest Ancient Age of Monotremes in Australia

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment
Bones encased in rock rotted away, and water-borne silica seeped into the crevices, solidifying into opal and preserving precious details for 100 million years. The resulting fossils now provide evidence that there may have been an Age of Monotremes before other mammals came to dominate. "It's like discovering a whole new civilization," says Australian Museum paleontologist Tim Flannery. "Today, Australia is known as a land of marsupials, but discovering these new fossils is the first indication that Australia was previously home to a diversity of monotremes." Currently, only five species of these rare mammals exist: one platypus and four echidna species, shared between Australia and Papua New Guinea. Due to their reptilian-like egg-laying feature, it has long been thought that these...
Understanding on How Climate Change Impacting Human Health

Understanding on How Climate Change Impacting Human Health

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Idea & Innovations
Climate change is not just about melting ice caps and rising sea levels; it poses a significant threat to human health worldwide. From extreme weather events to changes in air and water quality, the effects of climate change ripple through various aspects of our lives, impacting physical, mental, and community health. Here’s a comprehensive look at how climate change affects human health and what can be done to mitigate these risks. Temperature-Related Impacts As global temperatures rise, so do the risks associated with extreme heat. Heatwaves become more frequent and intense, leading to heat-related illnesses such as heat stroke, dehydration, and cardiovascular/respiratory problems. Vulnerable populations, including the elderly, children, pregnant women, outdoor workers, and those w...
New Delhi to Establish heatstroke rooms with fire precautions at health care facilities amid to National heat crisis

New Delhi to Establish heatstroke rooms with fire precautions at health care facilities amid to National heat crisis

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Disasters
As heat waves grip many parts of the country, the Center has directed states and Union Territories to review and ensure the establishment of dedicated heatstroke rooms in all healthcare facilities, along with critical fire and electrical safety measures. The temperature goes rise up from 46 degree Celsius above to 51 degree Celsius in various districts in Delhi state. The red alert were already given to the general public and municipalities. Dr. Atul Goel of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) held a virtual meeting with state and UT officials to review preparedness for heat conditions and review fire safety protocols at health facilities across the country. The Center has issued recommendations to state health departments to strengthen health systems against heat-relat...
Human Activities Driving Record Levels of Global Warming, Study Finds

Human Activities Driving Record Levels of Global Warming, Study Finds

Breaking News, Climate Actions
Human activities are accelerating global warming at unprecedented rates, leading to a temperature rise of 1.19 degrees Celsius between 2014 and 2023, according to new research by over 50 leading international scientists. This marks an increase from the 1.14 degrees Celsius observed between 2013 and 2022, as revealed by the second annual Indicators of Global Climate Change report, spearheaded by the University of Leeds, UK. The study highlights that global warming induced by human actions is progressing at 0.26 degrees Celsius per decade, the fastest rate since record-keeping began. "Our analysis shows that the level of global warming caused by human action has continued to increase over the past year, even though climate action has slowed the rise in greenhouse gas emissions," stated Pr...
El Nino Weather Pattern Cause High Global temperatures and Extreme Hearwave in 2024

El Nino Weather Pattern Cause High Global temperatures and Extreme Hearwave in 2024

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Disasters
Record warmth has been easing as El Niño shows signs of ending. The return of the cold weather phenomenon La Nina this year should help bring down temperatures after several months of record global heat, the United Nations Weather Agency said on Monday. The impact is likely to be felt in the coming months as the El Nino weather pattern that causes global temperatures and extreme weather from mid-2023 "shows signs of ending,"  the UN's World Meteorological Organization said in its latest update. The WMO warns, however, that global temperatures will rise in the long term due to human-caused climate change, which continues to worsen extreme climates and increase seasonal rainfall and weather. La Nina is associated with cooling sea surface temperatures, changes in wind, rainfall, and ...