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Is global warming accelerating?

The world warmed to yet another monthly heat record in January, despite an abnormally chilly United States, a cooling La Nina and predictions of a slightly less hot 2025, according to the European climate service Copernicus. The surprising January heat record coincides with a new study by a climate science heavyweight, former top NASA scientist James Hansen, and others arguing that global warming is accelerating. It’s a claim that’s dividing the research community.

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Japanese scientists find microplastics are present in clouds

Researchers in Japan have confirmed that microplastics are present in clouds, where they are likely affecting the climate in ways that are not yet fully understood.

In a study published in the journal “Environmental Chemistry Letters”, Japanese scientists climbed Mount Fuji and Mount Oyama in order to collect water from the mists that shroud the peaks, then applied advanced imaging techniques to the samples to determine their physical and chemical properties.

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Compost as a counter to global warming

Organic waste ending up in landfills is one of the major causes of methane generation which is the second highest contributor to global warming after carbon dioxide. India’s landfills contribute to about 20% of the methane generated in the country.

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What is blue carbon?

The world’s mangroves, sea grasses and salt marshes together comprise ‘blue carbon ecosystems.’ They are nature’s most effective carbon sinks.
Current studies suggest that mangroves and coastal wetlands annually sequester carbon at a rate 10 times greater than mature tropical forests. They also store three to five times more carbon per equivalent area than tropical forests.
A recent report titled Blue Carbon and its role in Carbon Sequestration revealed that mangroves alone have the capacity to store more than 1,000 tons of carbon per hectare.

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Polluting leather industry in India adopts sustainable practices to reduce environmental footprint

Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh has a long-established leather industry with two major leather clusters, Jajmau and Unnao, that contribute significantly to the local economy. The legacy leather sector, however, is a polluting industry causing problems such as water pollution which has led to increased regulatory scrutiny and operational restrictions.
Kanpur’s tanneries are adopting innovative sustainable practices, such as Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) systems and water recycling, to reduce their environmental footprint.

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Indian Government eyes recognising non-protected conservation areas to meet biodiversity goals

The National Biodiversity Authority, which regulates and conserves India’s biological resources, is looking to expand Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) – geographic areas that are not legally protected but that also host biodiversity – as a strategy to meet its newly updated biodiversity goals.
In October 2024, India officially committed to the “effective” conservation of 30% of the country’s terrestrial, inland water, coastal and marine areas by 2030, when it submitted its updated Biodiversity Plan and targets to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD).

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What is climate change? A really simple guide

Human activities are causing world temperatures to rise, posing serious threats to people and nature. Things are likely to worsen in the coming decades, but scientists argue urgent action can still limit the worst effects of climate change.
Climate change is the long-term shift in the Earth’s average temperatures and weather conditions. The world has been warming up quickly over the past 100 years or so. As a result, weather patterns are changing.

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‘Frightening statistic’: More than 1 in 3 tree species worldwide at risk of extinction

The loss of trees is also a major threat to thousands of other plants, animals and fungi.
Just over one in three of the world’s tree species are now at risk of extinction, according to the latest update of IUCN’s (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of Threatened Species.
For the first time, a majority of the world’s trees have been added to the list revealing that at least 16,425 of the 47,282 species assessed by the IUCN are at risk of extinction

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India’s Green Leap: Transitioning to Clean Energy for a Sustainable Future

“India is fully committed to building a cleaner, greener planet. We were the first among G20 nations to meet our Paris Agreement commitments on green energy, well ahead of schedule. While we continue to strengthen existing solutions, we are also focused on embracing new and innovative approaches” – PM Shri Narendra Modi

As the world faces the escalating impacts of climate change, the need for clean, sustainable energy solutions has never been more urgent. Transitioning to clean energy—derived from renewable sources such as solar, wind, and hydropower—has become a global imperative. This shift not only helps mitigate climate change but also creates economic opportunities, enhances energy security, and promotes social well-being.

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Net zero or real zero? Assessing the carbon dioxide removal in net zero pledges

As of May 2024, around 145 governments have announced – or are considering – net zero and carbon neutrality targets, covering close to 90% of global emissions. Among these are China’s 2060 carbon neutrality target, the EU’s 2050 net zero target, the US’s 2050 net zero target, and India’s 2070 net zero target.

During the early wave of net zero commitments, most were simply political declarations of intent, with details on what the net zero targets meant in practice largely missing. For instance, governments did not specify to what extent they planned to reduce emissions by the target year compared to “neutralising” them through carbon dioxide removals.

This blog outlines our recent findings on how governments have improved their current planning on carbon dioxide removal — sometimes known as ‘negative emissions’ — to meet their net zero targets, and why this matters.

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