Sunny climate, stormy climate | Weekly digest #18
This week we talk about the G20 leaders declaration, how Delhi's air pollution can reduce ones life by ~12 years and why Dubai beaches are now open at night!
For the ones who are new here - Every week I bring to you 5 stories about the changing climate and its impact on us!
3 stormy ones - concerning stories that are a source of alarm
2 sunny ones - green shoots that tell you that all is not yet lost
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Sunny news
G20 Summit | What did the New Delhi Leader’s declaration have to say about Climate change?
Climate change is one of the most important topics in any global discussion today and it’s no surprise that it found several mentions in the New Delhi Leaders declaration that was announced by the G20 leaders on Saturday. Key points of mention:
Reiteration of the commitment to the Paris Agreement to limit global temp rise to 1.5 degrees. The declaration notes that current action is inadequate and urges countries that have not yet aligned to the Paris agreement goals to do so before the end of 2023.
Spoke about the necessity of reducing GHG emissions by 43% by 2030 vis-a-vis the 2019 levels if we have to limit temperature increase to 1.5 degrees
Reiterates the importance of and commitment of the group to:
Circular economy
Mainstreaming lifestyles for sustainable development
Just energy transition
Ending plastic pollution
Preserving the ocean based economy
Reducing disaster risk and building resilient infrastructure
Recognizes the need for increased global investment to meet our climate goals.
Need of USD 5.8-5.9 trillion in the pre-2030 period required for developing countries
Need of USD 4 trillion per year for clean energy technologies post 2030 to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
Reaffirms the 2010 commitment by the developed countries to jointly mobilize USD 100 billion climate finance per year by 2020, and annually through 2025, to address the needs of the developing countries.
It acknowledged the disproportionate impact of climate change, biodiversity loss, desertification and pollution on all women and girls and said accelerating climate action must have gender equality at its core
Sources to read further:
Old pear trees make for surprisingly rich reef habitats
Coral reefs Researchers used old pear trees to create artificial reefs and settled them in the Wadden Sea in the Netherlands to see what kinds of marine biodiversity aggregated on or around them.
They found that the tree reefs attracted a surprising amount of biodiversity over a short period of time including mobile species like fish and crabs.
“We were surprised at the speed that it happened,” Dickson, a researcher said “The amount of life we saw living on the trees after four months, we were expecting that after something like five years.”
The idea of using felled trees to make reefs could be replicated in other parts of the world, especially temperate regions. Tree reefs could also work in the tropics, but marine boring worms (family Teredinidae) would likely chew through the trees faster in these areas.
Sources to read further:
Stormy news
Delhi’s air pollution can reduce your life by 11.9 years!
Delhi’s perennial winter smog The University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute recently released a report that said that residents of Delhi are likely to lose 11.9 years of their lives if the current levels of air pollution in the city persist.
The report said that the national capital is the most polluted city in the world
On average for India, air pollution can reduce life expectancy by 5.3 years.
This is based on the level of fine particulate air pollution refers to PM2.5, or particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter.
These are especially dangerous as they are small enough to travel deep into the respiratory system, potentially impairing lung function.
We had seen how India’s Air quality is at dangerously poor levels in the Independence Day special edition: #5 in the post here
Sources to read further:
Why Dubai beaches are now open at night? The days are too hot!
‘A day at the beach’ was a pleasant activity people look forward to across the world. And so they did in Dubai. Till it became too hot to enjoy a ‘day’ at the beach.
With temperatures hitting 40 degree C, the day at the beach now ‘feels like you are in a microwave’.
The beaches have now been fitted with flashlights to ensure safe swimming from sunset to sunrise.
Night at the beach sounds great, but this should be a grim warning for beaches and beach lovers across the world. :(
Source to read further:
Hong Kong sees heaviest downpour in 140 years since records started
A bus drives through a flooded area in Hong Kong on September 8, 2023.; Source: Reuters Hong Kong joins the list of places across the world that saw rainfall records being broken this year
The deluge began late Thursday night, with the Hong Kong Observatory recording more than 158 millimeters (6.2 inches) in rain between 11 p.m. and midnight, the highest hourly rainfall since records began in 1884, the government said.
Some parts of city saw almost 500 mm (19.7 inches) of rainfall in 24 hours
The deluge caused widespread transport and business disruptions across the financial hub, with the stock market canceling morning trading, and all schools closed for the day. So far 2 people have been reported dead and 144 injured due to the downpour.
Heavy downpours were also seen in Shenzhen in mainland China
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