The President said that urgent actions are required for the management of water resources and improved system of water conservation at the national and local levels….reports Asian Lite News
Pakistan President Arif Alvi said that sustained comprehensive efforts were required at the national level to tackle the looming threat of water scarcity and ensuing food insecurity in the country.
Climate change is the key factor affecting the reliability of water resources across the globe and raising concerns about the future of water availability and food security in countries including Pakistan, the President said while addressing a conference on water management.
“There is a serious threat of water scarcity in Pakistan by 2035 owing to the country’s increasing vulnerability to climate change,” Xinhua news agency quoted Alvi as saying.
Pakistan President says Gwadar, Jebel Ali ports complement international trade
He added that several areas of Pakistan have already started facing increased water scarcity with a critical need for climate adaptation in the water sector.
The President said that urgent actions are required for the management of water resources and improved system of water conservation at the national and local levels.
The Pakistan government has made solid progress in achieving key principles defined under the National Water Policy and called for an integrated approach among provinces for its complete implementation.
To address the issue of water management, Alvi emphasised on the practices to reduce water consumption including drip irrigation, water recycling and reallocating water for more valuable uses.
Ocean warming will definitely have an impact on marine biodiversity. That is all to do with upper ocean heat content, said Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, M Ravichandran…reports Nivedita Khandekar
India has outlined an ambitious plan to touch the depths of the Indian Ocean as part of its ‘Deep Ocean Mission’ with the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) as its nodal implementing agency.
Sea Surface Temperature (SST) is an integral part of ocean monitoring and plays an important role in forecasting models. As the changes in the SST conditions over the Pacific and the Indian Oceans are known to influence the Indian climate, India Meteorological Department (IMD) is carefully monitoring the evolution of sea surface conditions over these ocean basins.
Because of climate change, the sea level will rise leading to disturbances such as the cyclones. Atmospheric and ocean circulation is all connected. Ocean warming will definitely have an impact on marine biodiversity. That is all to do with upper ocean heat content, said Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, M Ravichandran.
climate change
“We are already at it and want to continue to monitor the oceans. Most of the heat is at the top, up to 2,000 metres as per the information currently available. But the actual heat is below 2,000 metres. Since we do not know what is happening there, would want to monitor,” he added.
“As on date, the mass (humidity) and the temperature are available. If you want a week’s forecast, we want to know SST. Then, if you want to forecast for a month ahead, you need to go to at least 100 metres below the surface, for where the heat is available. You want to go for next season, you will need to go below 1,000 metres. You want to go for a year, then you need to go still further below,” the top scientist explained, adding “But if we want to go for the climate, we need to go below 2,000 metres depth.”
“At 2,000 metres, the variation in temperature is minimal, very small. But that will give you clues to the future. This is why we have got to monitor the entire water column,” he said.
That will help achieve one of the six deliverables under the Deep Ocean Mission, i.e., the ‘Development of ocean climate change advisory services’.
Earlier this year, the Assessment Report 6 of the working group I of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC AR6 WGI) had warned how the intensity and frequency of the sea level extremes and the frequency of cyclones are set to increase by 2050 and then intensify further by 2100 as the global temperature rise continues.
The Pakistani government has launched a number of initiatives, including the 10 Billion Tree Tsunami programme, Clean Green Pakistan…reports Asian Lite News
Pakistani Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul said on Wednesday that concerted efforts are needed to counter the adverse impacts of climate change and impending disaster of environmental degradation.
Despite contributing to less than one per cent of global greenhouse gases emissions, Pakistan has been facing harmful impacts of climate change, Gul said while addressing a seminar on climate change at COMSATS University Islamabad, adding that the Pakistani government has been taking practical steps to conserve the environment and mitigate the climate crisis.
Pakistan is suffering from a variety of natural calamities including drought, urban flooding, heatwave and glacier melting due to climate change, causing food insecurity, loss of life and severe negative impact on the country’s national economy, she said.
The Pakistani government has launched a number of initiatives, including the 10 Billion Tree Tsunami programme, Clean Green Pakistan, the establishment of national parks and the restoration of wetlands and wildlife to protect the environment and counter climate change, officials said.
Gul also stressed the use of advanced technology in monitoring environmental shifts and predicting future changes to cope with emerging challenges of climate change.
Tanzanian authorities have warned that prolonged drought in parts of the country caused by climate change has resulted in water scarcity and deterioration of pasture for livestock…reports Asian Lite News
“Three major regions in the country are now facing water rationing and we are also getting reports of animals dying for lack of pasture and water,” said Seleman Jafo, the Minister of State in the Vice-President’s Office responsible for Union Affairs and the Environment.
Tanzanian authorities warns drought caused by climate change
Jafo made the grim revelations in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam at the end of a 10-kilometre bicycle ride organised by the European Union to support government efforts to protect the environment and mitigate against climate change, Xinhua news agency reported.
He said the government has started receiving reports from various regions that cattle and goats were dying for lack of pasture and water.
Jafo added that three major regions of Dar es Salaam, Dodoma and Morogoro were experiencing water rationing caused by water level decline in rivers and dams.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said rich countries to do more to support the developing world move away from fossil fuels, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk
The UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow has passed its scheduled finishing time, as talks on a deal to avert the worst impacts of climate change continue into Saturday, media reported.
Sticking points include subsidies for coal and other fossil fuels, and financial help to poorer nations, the BBC reported.
On Friday, envoys from small island nations threatened by rising sea levels said their land was fast disappearing, it was reported.
Meeting the goal requires global emissions to be cut by 45% by 2030 and to zero overall by 2050. One example of the impact of global temperature rise above 2C is the death of virtually all coral reefs, scientists say.
A back away from pervious call
A new draft of the final declaration being negotiated at the COP26 conference published on Friday appears to back away from a previous call to end all use of coal and phase out fossil fuels.
The text released by the COP26 president on Wednesday called upon countries to “accelerate the phasing out of coal and subsidies for fossil fuel,” but the wording has now been changed to specify that the call refers only to “unabated coal power” and “inefficient” subsidies.
“Calls upon Parties to accelerate the development, deployment and dissemination of technologies, and the adoption of policies, to transition towards low-emission energy systems, including by rapidly scaling up clean power generation and accelerating the phase-out of unabated coal power and of inefficient subsidies for fossil fuels,” reads the new the draft position proposed by COP26 President Alok Sharma.
In the case of coal-fired power plants, the term “unabated” refers to facilities that do not use carbon capture and storage technology to reduce carbon emission.
The COP26 is seen as the world’s last chance to reach meaningful commitments to fulfil the goals set out by the 2015 Paris Agreement on greenhouse emission reduction, carbon neutrality, global warming and climate finance.
Keeping fossil fuels in the ground
At the ongoing Glasgow talks, Costa Rica and Denmark have officially launched the world’s first diplomatic initiative focused on keeping fossil fuels in the ground.
Coal power plant. (Credit Pixabay.com)
Called the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA), the effort brings together countries and subnational jurisdictions that have committed to ending new licensing rounds for oil and gas exploration and production, or have taken steps towards that goal, and recognise that phasing out fossil fuel extraction is an urgent and crucial component of tackling the climate crisis.
At Thursday’s launch event, Costa Rica, Denmark, France, Greenland, Ireland, Quebec, Sweden and Wales joined this alliance as full members. California and New Zealand will also join the alliance as associate members. Italy has also expressed their support to the coalition by becoming a Friend of BOGA.
This announcement marks a major shift after decades of the UN climate process ignoring the crucial question of how the world will phase out the production of the fossil fuels that are driving the climate crisis.
It comes after the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the UN Environment Programme have made it clear that continuing the expansion of global fossil fuel production is incompatible with keeping warming under 1.5C, a key objective under the Paris Agreement.
The commitment made by these first movers is an essential first step towards a just transition away from fossil fuel production but is in itself insufficient to meet the challenge ahead. All countries, including BOGA members, must now commit to ending all new oil and gas projects, including in already licensed areas, and Global North producing countries must start reducing production immediately and at an accelerated pace as part of an equitable phase out of global fossil fuel production.
Responding to the launch of the BOGA, Romain Ioualalen, Global Policy Campaign Manager at Oil Change International said: “The launch of the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance is a turning point. For far too long, climate negotiations have ignored the basic reality that keeping 1.5C alive requires an equitable global plan to keep fossil fuels in the ground.
“For the first time, countries are now joining together to act on the urgent need to phase out oil and gas production. The creation of this alliance puts to shame claims of climate leadership among countries like the UK, Norway, the United States, and Canada, all of which have yet to answer this simple question: Where is your plan to stop producing the fossil fuels that are driving the climate crisis?”
COP26 President Alok Sharma
Mohamed Adow, Founder and Director of Power Shift Africa, told IANS: “In order to begin healing from the climate catastrophe we have created we must first stop digging our way to destruction.
“Ending our extraction and use of oil and gas is a necessary step in ending our self-harming addiction to fossil fuels. In Africa, we are acutely aware of the suffering that fossil fuels can cause yet we have done almost nothing to cause this suffering. The sooner we can move beyond oil and gas, the sooner the planet can begin to heal.”
Experts at the IEA has made it clear there can be no new fossil fuel projects beyond those already underway this year if “we’re to meet the objective of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees”.
For this initiative to be effective, many more countries need to join and make firm commitments in their national policies to rule out all new fossil fuel projects and permits immediately.
The redcolour, in the ‘Lal Surkha’ variety of the guava, is no longer as impressive as it should have been”, he said…reports Asian Lite News.
The famous pink guavas of Prayagraj and Kaushambhi are now scarce to find. The unpredictable weather and heavy rainfall has led to a drastic reduction in the yield this year.
According to Vijay Kishore Singh, Horticulture, Experiment and Training Center (HETC) in-charge, Khusro Bagh, because of the heavy rainfall, guava trees of the famous ‘guava belt’ of the two districts have flowered quite early this year and though the fruit is available, its quality is poor.
The red colour, in the ‘Lal Surkha’ variety of the guava, is no longer as impressive as it should have been”, he said.
Since the past four years, the production of both the famous Allahabadi Guava – the ‘Surkha’ and ‘Safeda’ varieties — has failed leading to an increase in prices.
Singh explained, “The guava trees should ideally start bearing flowers by late October and by mid-December, the fruits start to ripen and owing to the intense fog and chilly winter, the fruit gets its red colour during mid-December to mid-January.”
He added that ideally, the farmers should check the flowering of the fruit during summers by using urea (in mid-May to June) and if the trees do not bear fruits in the rainy season, the winter crops would be healthy.
However, the farmers of the district are blaming the government machinery for failure of their crops yet again.
“None of the government officials visited our fields or trained us as to what methods we should apply to save our crop or get healthy harvest because of which the farmers of world-famous ‘Lal Surkha’ and Safeda have not been able to reap the benefits”, said Indrajeet Singh Patel, leader of Allahabadi Surkha Welfare Association.
Several cultivators of guava in the region are now planning alternative means of livelihood.
Krishani Dhanji, a political producer with Australia’s SBS News, shared the video footage on Twitter, saying, “A faux pas from the PM?”…reports Asian Lite News.
A video clip of Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison making a mistake during a COP26 speech has gone viral on social media, with Twitter users saying it was a “Freudian slip”.
Morrison, supposed to say “global momentum to tackle climate change”, mistakenly said “tackle China” during his address at the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, reports Xinhua news agency.
Krishani Dhanji, a political producer with Australia’s SBS News, shared the video footage on Twitter, saying, “A faux pas from the PM?”
A faux pas from the PM? Scott Morrison appears to say "global momentum to tackle 'China'" instead of 'climate change' before correcting himself, in his address to #COP26@SBSNewspic.twitter.com/LDz4iPracQ
The day was co-chaired by YOUNGO, the Official Children’s and Youth constituency of the UNFCCC which opened with a session called Unifying for Change: Global Youth voice at COP26, reports Asian Lite News
Young climate leaders came together in Glasgow on Friday with negotiators, officials and ministers from across the world, to make their voices heard and demand the action needed to prevent catastrophic climate change in their lifetimes.
Events across COP26 focused on harnessing the expertise of young people and putting their views directly to the negotiators and officials working to agree global action on climate change.
The day was co-chaired by YOUNGO, the Official Children’s and Youth constituency of the UNFCCC which opened with a session called Unifying for Change: Global Youth voice at COP26.
YOUNGO also presented the COY16 Global Youth Position statement, representing the views of over 40,000 young climate leaders from across the world. The statement presented their priorities directly to ministers, including action on climate finance, mobility and transportation, through to wildlife protection conservation.
COP26 President Alok Sharma said: “Wherever I have been in the world, I have been struck by the passion and the commitment of young people to climate action. The voices of young people must be heard and reflected in these negotiations here at COP. The actions and scrutiny of young people are key to us keeping 1.5 alive and creating a net-zero future.
“I am also aware of the fear and anxiety many of them feel about the future of the planet, including my own children. That is why we must act on the COY16 Global Youth Position Statement from COY16 and the manifesto from the Milan Youth4Climate Summit.”
YOUNGO Global Focal Points, Heeta Lakhani and Marie-Claire Graf, said: “YOUNGO has been working closely with the UK. Presidency and the UNFCCC Secretariat to co-design Youth and Public Empowerment Day. We successfully profiled global youth voices through the COY16 Global Youth Statement, and brought together four generations to share best practice examples of achieving climate justice collectively.”
The UK also announced its draft Sustainability and Climate Change strategy to equip and empower young people with the skills they need to drive the future of climate action.
This includes the introduction of a Primary Science Model Curriculum, to include an emphasis on nature and the recognition of species, supporting the youngest pupils to develop conservation skills.
Education ministers from around the world also pledged to do the same with nations such as South Korea, Albania, and Sierra Leone pledging to put climate change at the heart of their curriculum.
The UK and Italy, in partnership with UNESCO, Youth4Climate and Mock COP co-ordinated new global action to equip future generations with the knowledge and skills to create a net-zero world.
As Education Ministers and young people gathered together, over 23 countries put forward impressive national climate education pledges, ranging from decarbonising the school sector to developing school resources.
The event also unveiled a new statement titled ‘Learn for our planet: Act for the climate’ which committed countries to revisit progress made on their pledges in advance of COP27.
The UK also announced a new 85,000 pound research grant to support the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre to produce better information on the education needs of refugee children and enable a more effective international response.
Thunberg calls COP26 a ‘PR campaign’
Swedish activist, Greta Thunberg on Thursday (local time) called the COP26 climate summit a “greenwash campaign, a PR campaign”. Speaking on the sidelines of the summit meeting, Thunberg said the event was “sort of turning into a greenwash campaign, a PR campaign,” for business leaders and politicians, reported The New York Times (NYT).
She said that the summit has become a venue for world leaders and business executives to pretend they are taking action on climate change without following through and termed the United Nations climate conference in Scotland as a ‘failure’.
Greta Thunberg (Image: Twitter@GretaThunberg)
“Since we are so far from what actually we needed, I think what would be considered a success would be if people realize what a failure this COP is,” Thunberg said.
Thunberg and other activists also spoke about the critical role that young women have played in pressuring world leaders to take action on climate change, reported NYT.
At panel events on Thursday at The New York Times Climate Hub in Glasgow, Thunberg and other young female activists, including Vanessa Nakate and Malala Yousafzai, also spoke about the critical role that young women have played in rallying protesters and pressuring world leaders to take action.
“It is the young people, especially young women who are the voices of the climate movement, and that gives hope to so many people,” Yousafzai said. Nakate, a 24-year-old climate activist from Uganda and founder of the Africa-based Rise Up Movement, said at the panel discussion that the pledge by leaders of the 20 largest economies to “pursue efforts” to keep the average global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius did not go far enough.
She said that 1.5 degrees would “not be safe” for communities like hers. “Even right now, it’s already evident that the climate crisis is ravaging different parts of the African continent,” Nakate said.
Yousafzai, 24, said that women were disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis.
“Treating climate change and gender inequality and girls’ education as separate issues is not doing justice to the cause of creating a fairer and better and cleaner world for all of us,” Yousafzai said. “It is important that we take these issues seriously and see the link between all of these.”
The comments came on the fifth day of the summit meeting, a gathering that John Kerry, the United States climate envoy, had billed as the planet’s “last, best chance” to curb the fossil fuel emissions that are driving climate change, reported NYT. (with inputs from ANI)
The Systematic Observations Finance Facility (the SOFF) will plug this data gaps, a release from WMO said…reports Asian Lite News.
A new United Nations Coalition Fund would be launched at the upcoming COP26 to significantly improve the collection of essential weather and climate data and boost the international response to climate change.
World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) are to announce at the COP26 this new Fund. Starting October 31, world leaders are meeting at the COP26, the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) to be held at Glasgow, UK.
There are data gaps that undermine the understanding of past and current climate, as well as the capacity to predict and project future climate scenarios. This, in turn, weakens international efforts to prepare for and respond to extreme weather events such as floods, hurricanes and drought.
The Systematic Observations Finance Facility (the SOFF) will plug this data gaps, a release from WMO said.
To respond to the explosive growth in the demand for weather and climate data to support essential services needed by all sectors of society, last week 193 member countries and territories of the World Meteorological Congress approved an integrated package including a Unified Data Policy, the Global Basic Observing Network (GBON), and the SOFF, to dramatically strengthen the world’s weather and climate services.
“If you don’t have observations, then you are not able to provide good forecasts,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas.
He said there are major data gaps in our observing systems in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific islands and some parts of Latin America. Those countries are not able to provide high quality early warning services because they don’t have enough input data for the forecast models.
“Over the next ten years, the SOFF will build capacity in 75 Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries to enable them to generate and exchange essential weather and climate data, in compliance with internationally agreed standards of GBON,” the release said.
The SOFF will have a life-saving impact in the most vulnerable countries to climate change, where decades of progress can be wiped out by a single extreme event. However, the benefits of SOFF will be felt everywhere; countries across the globe will have access to improved weather forecasts and climate services at a critical time when the impact of climate change is intensifying everywhere.
According to Achim Steiner, Administrator of UNDP, “Extreme weather and climate events are now increasing in frequency, intensity and severity as a result of climate change. Vulnerable communities are amongst the hardest hit. To help address this, they need access to the very best of technology to adapt to the effects of climate change and reduce risk.”
Weather and climate observations enabled by the SOFF are essential if the world community is to realize fully the 162 billion US dollars annually in socio-economic benefits of weather and climate prediction.
Recognising the value of the SOFF, countries are already giving indications of financial contribution. These will be unveiled at the event in Glasgow on November 3.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (Xinhua/Xu Jinquan/IANS)
Guterres repeated his call to donors and multilateral development banks to allocate at least 50 percent of their climate support towards adaptation and resilience…reports Asian Lite News
“We can either save our world or condemn humanity to a hellish future,” is how the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned the Ministers at the PreCOP26 held at Milan in Italy.
With the UN’s annual climate change talks less than a month away, Ministers from about 50-60 countries have gathered at Milan to develop a better understanding of how to resolve some of the remaining crunch issues ahead of the crucial climate conference in Glasgow in the UK.
Antonio Guterres
Guterres touched upon all aspects of the climate negotiations in his small address at the opening of the PreCOP26 late on Thursday India time, a United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) statement said. It is the UNFCCC that holds the Conference of Parties (COP) each year.
Applauding those nations, especially vulnerable developing countries, that have come forward with more ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) — actions at country-level that would total to combined actions helping to restrict global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial era — despite the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, Guterres said, “But we can only meet the 1.5-degree goal if all G20 countries, which are responsible for 80 per cent of global emissions, pledge more decisive action in new or updated NDCs.”
“The principle of common but differentiated responsibilities in the light of national circumstances is a pillar of the Paris Agreement,” he said, a point he has reiterated time and again in recent months.
Stating that he cannot “emphasize enough that time is running out,” the Secretary General said, “That is why, I am asking all nations to enhance NDCs and domestic policies as often as necessary and without delay until we are collectively on the right track.”
Coming down heavily on the missing finance for adaptation and mitigation, he said, six years since the Paris Agreement, 2015, “we are nowhere close.”
“Adaptation remains the neglected half of the climate equation, accounting for only 25 per cent of climate finance in support of developing countries. Even worse, adaptation represents only 0.1 per cent of private funding.”
He then repeated his call to donors and multilateral development banks to allocate at least 50 per cent of their climate support towards adaptation and resilience.
Guterres ended with reminding the world how “young people, in particular, continue to lead the growing calls for more ambition. They will hold us accountable” and asserted: “Climate justice demands that we bequeath them a liveable planet.”
