Friday, August 1News That Matters

Tag: global waming

Climate Change to Shrink Global GDP by Almost a Fifth by 2050, Study Warns

Climate Change to Shrink Global GDP by Almost a Fifth by 2050, Study Warns

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment
In a stark warning, researchers revealed on Wednesday that climate change caused by carbon dioxide emissions already present in the atmosphere will lead to a substantial contraction of global GDP by 2050, amounting to nearly US$38 trillion, or almost a fifth of the total. Published in the journal Nature, the study underscores the urgent need for aggressive carbon emission reduction efforts to mitigate the economic fallout. Even under the most aggressive emission reduction scenarios, the researchers caution that significant economic losses are inevitable. The study predicts that economic repercussions from climate change could escalate to tens of trillions of dollars annually by 2100 if global warming exceeds two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. With Earth's average surfac...
Antarctic Ice Shelf Reveals Daily Movement Triggered by Elastic Waves from Whillans Ice Stream

Antarctic Ice Shelf Reveals Daily Movement Triggered by Elastic Waves from Whillans Ice Stream

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment
In a fascinating revelation, researchers studying the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica have uncovered a phenomenon where elastic waves cause the entire sheet to lurch forward once or twice a day. This unexpected discovery sheds light on the dynamic nature of ice shelves and their response to changing environmental conditions. The Ross Ice Shelf, the largest in Antarctica and roughly the size of France, experiences these significant movements triggered by the Whillans Ice Stream, a fast-flowing belt of ice in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Geophysicist Doug Wiens from Washington University in St. Louis explains that the entire shelf suddenly moves about 6 to 8 centimeters (2.4 to 3.1 inches) due to a slip on the ice stream that flows into it. These slip events, akin to movements along faul...
Heavy Rains and Lightning Kill Dozens Across Pakistan, Triggering State of Emergency

Heavy Rains and Lightning Kill Dozens Across Pakistan, Triggering State of Emergency

Breaking News, Disasters
Lightning and heavy rains have claimed the lives of at least 49 people across Pakistan in the past three days, officials announced on Monday. The devastating weather conditions prompted authorities in the country’s southwest to declare a state of emergency. Reports indicate that several deaths occurred when lightning struck farmers who were out harvesting wheat. Additionally, heavy rains led to the collapse of dozens of houses in the northwest and eastern Punjab province. Arfan Kathia, a spokesman for the provincial disaster management authority, revealed that 21 people lost their lives in Punjab, where further rains are expected in the coming week. Khursheed Anwar, another spokesman for the disaster management authority, confirmed that 21 people died in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkh...
Water Crisis Looms as Rivers Run Dry and Reservoirs Dwindle Across India

Water Crisis Looms as Rivers Run Dry and Reservoirs Dwindle Across India

Breaking News, Climate Actions
An alarming water crisis is unfolding across India as rivers run dry and reservoirs reach critically low levels. According to data released by the Central Water Commission (CWC), at least 13 east-flowing rivers between Mahanadi and Pennar currently have no water. These rivers, including Rushikulya, Bahuda, and Vamsadhara, play a crucial role in supplying water for irrigation and domestic consumption in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Odisha. The storage in the basin has witnessed a continuous decline, with the current storage standing at zero. Last year, the storage was 32.28 per cent of the basin's capacity, highlighting the severity of the current situation. Furthermore, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have experienced large rainfall deficits since March 1, exacerbating the water scarcity...
Revealing the Hidden World: Satellite Technology Unveils Vast Expansion of Global Coral Reefs

Revealing the Hidden World: Satellite Technology Unveils Vast Expansion of Global Coral Reefs

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Disasters, Idea & Innovations
In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers utilizing advanced satellite imagery and cutting-edge machine learning algorithms have unveiled a stunning revelation: the world's coral reefs are nearly 25 percent larger than previously estimated. Through a collaborative effort involving satellite imagery, machine learning algorithms, and on-ground observations from a global network of experts, an additional 64,000 square kilometers (24,700 square miles) of coral reefs have been identified – an area equivalent to the size of Ireland. This newfound expanse brings the total area of the planet's shallow reefs – spanning depths of 0 to 20 meters – to a staggering 348,000 square kilometers, akin to the dimensions of Germany. Within this vast domain lies approximately 80,000 square kilometers of ha...
Unveiling the Chilling Reality: Climate Change’s Alarming Impact on Glacial Meltdown Threatens Global Climate Stability

Unveiling the Chilling Reality: Climate Change’s Alarming Impact on Glacial Meltdown Threatens Global Climate Stability

Breaking News, Climate Actions
As the world grapples with the escalating crisis of climate change, a sobering revelation emerges: glaciers are vanishing at an unprecedented pace, heralding potentially catastrophic consequences for our planet's climate system. Amidst this dire prognosis, a longstanding study resurfaces, warning of a looming collapse of the Gulf Stream – a vital ocean current crucial to maintaining climate equilibrium. The Gulf Stream, an oceanic juggernaut originating in the Gulf of Mexico, serves as a linchpin in regulating North Atlantic climate patterns, transporting warmth from the Equator to higher latitudes. However, as glaciers melt at an alarming rate, the delicate balance of this crucial current hangs in the balance, threatening to plunge regions into a climatic abyss. According to the stu...
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...
2°C Global Temperature Rise Could Make Indus Valley Uninhabitable for 2.2 Billion

2°C Global Temperature Rise Could Make Indus Valley Uninhabitable for 2.2 Billion

Breaking News, Environment, Learning & Developments
A new study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences warns that if global temperature rise by 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, about 2.2 billion people living in the Indus River Valley in northern India and eastern Pakistan may face prolonged periods of heat exceeding human tolerance. The research indicates that regions including northern India, eastern Pakistan, eastern China, and Sub-Saharan Africa will experience high-humidity heatwaves, which are even more dangerous due to reduced evaporative cooling capabilities. These areas are primarily home to lower-to-middle-income countries, where many individuals lack access to air conditioning or effective means to combat the health risks associated with extreme heat. Beyond specific thresholds of he...
UN Report says Global Emission Reductions Fall Short of Climate Goals by 2030 including worst impacts

UN Report says Global Emission Reductions Fall Short of Climate Goals by 2030 including worst impacts

Breaking News, Thoughts & Talks
A new report by the United Nations warns that global emissions are predicted to decrease by only 2 percent below 2019 levels by 2030, significantly below the required 43 percent reduction to avert the worst impacts of climate change. The report comes ahead of the 28th UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai, where countries are expected to push for stronger climate action to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. According to the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 43 percent by 2030 is crucial to limit temperature rise and avoid severe climate impacts such as droughts, heatwaves, and rainfall extremes. The report analyzed the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of 195 countries to the Paris Agreement, including 20 new or...