by admin | May 25, 2021 | World
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
By Arul Louis,
United Nations : The spate of hurricanes that have leveled island nations in the Caribbean and devastated parts of the United States are a reminder of the urgency of climate action, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday.
Scientists are clear that such extreme weather “will be the new normal of a warming world,” Guterres said while appealing for aid to the nations devastated by the recent hurricanes.
“A warmer climate turbocharges the intensity of hurricanes,” he said. “Instead of dissipating, they pick up fuel as they move across the ocean. The melting of glaciers and the thermal expansion of the seas means bigger storm surges.”
“Hurricane Irma, which devastated Barbuda, was a Category 5 hurricane for three consecutive days – this is the longest on satellite record,” he said giving examples of the severity of the changes in weather. “Irma’s winds reached 300 kilometers per hour for 37 hours — the longest on record at that intensity.”
“Hurricanes Harvey and Irma marked the first time that two Category 4 storms made landfall in the United States in the same year” and “they were followed by Hurricane Maria, which decimated Dominica and had severe impacts across Puerto Rico”.
Harvey and Irma devastated parts of Texas and Florida in the US.
Renewing his call for implementing the Paris climate change agreement, Guterres said: “The world has the tools, the technologies and the wealth to address climate change, but we must show more determination in moving towards a green, clean, sustainable energy future.”
He appealed for donations of $113.9 million for relief in the countries in the Caribbean affected by the hurricanes.
“I regret to report, the response has been poor,” he said.
India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj announced a contribution of $200,000 for relief in the region at a meeting of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) ministers here last month.
Guterres said: “I commend those countries that are showing solidarity with the Caribbean countries at this time of dire need, including those doing so through South-South cooperation.”
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has listed Dominica, Cuba, Turks and Caicos, Sint Maarten, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominican Republic and Haiti among the countries affected by the hurricanes and requiring aid.
(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | World
By Vishal Gulati,
New Delhi : Climate change is annually impacting the US economy by an average of $240 billion, equal to an estimated 40 per cent of its current economic growth, scientists warn, saying burning fossil fuels “comes at a giant price tag which the US economy cannot afford and cannot sustain”.
Despite this, the Trump administration has begun the process of withdrawing from the historic Paris Climate Agreement adopted by nearly 200 countries, including India. The US, which is 80 per cent dependent on fossil fuels for its energy needs, says the Paris accord goes against its domestic interests.
Citing frequent and extreme natural disasters, the scientists estimate three hurricanes and 76 wildfires in the US, largely caused by climate change owing to the burning of fossil fuels, could cause damage of nearly $300 billion, said the scientists’ analysis, “The Economic Case for Climate Action in the United States”, released on Wednesday by the Universal Ecological Fund.
Saying that the economic losses from Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria and 76 wildfires in nine western states will be the most costly weather-related events in US history, researchers say such events can stunt US growth.
Giving the larger picture, the economic losses from extreme weather events — droughts, wildfires, severe storms, hurricanes and flooding — have almost doubled, from $211.3 billion in the 1990s to $418.4 billion in the last decade.
The scientists say it is time to act against fossil fuels.
“Burning fossil fuels comes at a giant price tag which the US economy cannot afford and not sustain,” an official statement quoted co-author Sir Robert Watson as saying.
“The evidence is undeniable. These recent extreme weather events are a continuation of a three decades’ trend of increasing numbers, intensities and costs of severe storms, hurricanes, flooding, droughts and wildfires,” he said.
“Simply, the more fossil fuels we burn, the faster the climate continues to change and cost. Thus, transitioning to a low-carbon economy is essential for economic growth,” added Watson, a former Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the leading scientific body on climate change.
These massive costs fall mainly on individuals and families, not the government or the private sector.
“We can expect extreme weather events and economic losses and costs associated with them to continue increasing unless we make dramatic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions,” said James McCarthy, co-author and professor of oceanography with Harvard University.
“The Trump administration is determined to maximise the use of America’s fossil fuels — coal, oil and natural gas — as well as to cut energy industry regulations. This is taking us the opposite direction,” McCarthy said.
Alternatively, addressing this problem can fuel economic growth and create jobs.
“Clean and sustainable energy just requires smart decisions and smarter investments,” said Liliana Hisas, Universal Ecological Fund Executive Director and report co-author.
In the next decade, these economic losses and health costs are projected to reach at least $360 billion annually.
According to Watson, weather events are the result of natural factors. However, human-induced climate change has altered their intensity and frequency substantially and measurably.
Citing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Centers for Environmental Information, he said the number of extreme weather events with at least $1 billion in economic losses and damages have increased by almost 2.5 fold, totaling 92 in the last decade (2007-2016), compared to 38 in the 1990s and by more than fourfold, compared to 21 in the 1980s.
The report says in August last year 30 inches of rainfall fell in a few days, flooding southern Louisiana.
As a result, more than 50,000 homes, 100,000 vehicles and 20,000 businesses were damaged or destroyed.
The economic losses due to the floods in Louisiana were $10 billion. Some 75 per cent of those affected by the record Louisiana rainfall were uninsured.
Fossil fuels account for 80 per cent of the US energy.
Coal, oil and natural gas currently account for just over 80 per cent of the primary energy generated and used.
This percentage has decreased slightly over the last two decades. As a result, 82 per cent of America’s greenhouse gas emissions are solely from carbon dioxide from fossil fuel burning.
Currently, the report says, fossil fuel power plants generate 65 per cent of the electricity used in the US, contributing 39 per cent of the carbon dioxide emissions.
Natural gas and coal are the main sources of electricity generation, accounting for 34 and 30 per cent respectively.
(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, Corporate Governance, News
New Delhi:(IANS) India on Friday pledged to cut its emission levels by 33-35 percent over the next 15 years in what it has termed as a fair and balanced commitment to protect the environment, based also on its own agenda for economic development.
Ahead of the crucial, 21st meeting of the Conference of Parties under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change due in Paris from November 30 to December 11, India made a 38-page submission under what is called the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs).
The submissions, called from the 196 parties (or countries) under the framework, is to serve as the basis for negotiating an agreement that will lay the path for a low-carbon, climate-resilient future. Thus far, 120 countries, collectively accounting for 85.3 percent of global emissions, have made submissions.
“Through this submission, India intends to reduce the emissions intensity of its GDP by 33-35 percent by 2030 from 2005 level. This commitment is further echoed in India’s actions in climate change adaptation with setting up its own ‘National Adaptation Fund’,” said New Delhi’s 38-page document.
“India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contributions is fair and ambitious considering the fact that India is attempting to work towards low carbon emission pathway while endeavouring to meet all the developmental challenges the country faces today.”
The submission said the country’s current policy framework also includes a favourable environment for a rapid increase in renewable energy, move towards low carbon sustainable development and adapting to the impacts of climate change — the highest possible efforts as evident from its multiple initiatives.
“Accordingly, India’s development plans will continue to lay a balanced emphasis on economic development and environment,” it said, recounting the framework’s mandate based on the principles of equity, as also common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities of the member nations.
The paper submitted by India, coinciding with Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary, is based on the 1992 Kyoto convention and says that both in terms of cumulative global emissions and per capita emission, it has caused much less damage to environment but its actions to mitigate climate change were fair and ambitious.
“Much before the climate change debate began, Mahatma Gandhi, regarded as the father of our nation had said that we should act as ‘trustees’ and use natural resources wisely as it is our moral responsibility to ensure that we bequeath to the future generations a healthy planet,” the document said.
The issue of climate change, ahead of the Paris conference, has been high on the Indian government’s agenda. During his visit to the US last month, this was the key point of discussions which Prime Minister Narendra Modi had when he met with the leaderships of several countries, notably the US, the UK, France, Japan and Germany.
India has also outlined in its document the impact of climate change on its economy and nation as a whole.
It said the country will need $206 billion between 2015 and 2030 to implement actions in agriculture, forestry, fisheries infrastructure, water resources and ecosystems to achieve the targets, not counting the additional investments needed to strengthen resilience and disaster management.
Quoting an Asian Development Bank study, it said the approximate adaptation cost for India in energy sector alone would roughly about $7.7 billion in 2030s, while the economic damage and losses to the country from climate change to be around 1.8 percent of its GDP annually by 2050.
“Mitigation requirements are even more enormous. Estimates by Niti Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India) indicate that the mitigation activities for moderate low carbon development would cost around $834 billion till 2030 at 2011 prices,” it said.
The paper said the efforts thus on combating climate change has been self-financed.
“However, our efforts to avoid emissions during our development process are also tied to the availability and level of international financing and technology transfer, since India still faces complex developmental challenges,” it said.
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Islamic leaders lunch climate change declaration in Istanbul. Photo: Islamic Relief Worldwide
New Delhi:( Press Release) This year, 2015, is a watershed year for the climate movement. In December 2015, world governments will meet in Paris where they are expected to forge a new, international climate agreement that is robust, ambitious and commensurate with the scientific imperatives outlined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
To advocate perspectives of Muslim nations and their people on climate change, since 2013 onward when the global negotiations started, Islamic Relief is taking lead to bring voices of Muslim community through continuous engagement with the Government of Muslim majority countries. To give further impetus to this process Islamic Relief took lead in inviting Muslim Scholars from 20 countries on August 17-18, 2015 in Istanbul to discuss various facets of climate, its impact and role of Muslim community. The consultation concluded with a declaration as “Islamic Declaration on Climate Change”, calling on the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims to join hands together to eliminate dangerous greenhouse gas emissions and commit to renewable energy sources.
The declaration, which is based on Islamic teachings, was drafted by a group of top academics and finalised at the International Islamic Climate Change Symposium held during August 17-18, in Istanbul, Turkey. The symposium’s goal was to reach “broad unity and ownership from the Islamic community around the Declaration”.
Islamic faith communities increasingly recognise that the climate crisis is also a moral crisis. The adverse impacts of climate change that we have witnessed so far, present a clear case for people of faith to examine the underlying moral causes of this phenomenon. It prompts faith communities to take action to halt the desecration of nature that leads to destruction of creation, human and otherwise. Furthermore this is an opportunity for faith communities to provide a vision, inspire others and lead the way in building a fairer, safer, cleaner world built on renewable energy – leading the way on a journey to an economic system that meets development goals and is also spiritually fulfilling. The Islamic faith community represents a significant section of the global population and certainly, can be influential in the discourse on climate change.
The declaration calls on Muslim countries — especially those that are “well-off” and “oil-producing” — to lead the charge in phasing out greenhouse gas emissions “no later than the middle of the century.” Many researchers say these gasses can trap the sun’s rays and raise global temperatures. This has been widely blamed for dangerous shifts in climate and weather patterns, including intense storms, droughts and heat waves.
The declaration also calls on wealthy Muslim countries to provide financial and technical support to less-affluent states so they too can work to eliminate pollution, reduce consumption of finite resources, work to stabilize the Earth’s temperature, abandon “unethical profit from the environment” and help create a global green economy.
The declaration, which invites “people of all nations and their leaders” to join forces to fight climate change, has already garnered support from the grand muftis — interpreters of Islamic law — of Lebanon and Uganda, as well as other prominent Islamic scholars.
Muslim leaders plan to present their document at an upcoming conference in Paris, where international negotiators are set to hash out a global plan to combat climate change.
The authors of the Islamic declaration ended the document with a quote by the Prophet Muhammad PBUH: “The world is sweet and verdant, and verily Allah has made you stewards in it, and He sees how you acquit yourselves.”
For details please write to us: support@islamic-relief.org.in
