The Hindu | Zeroing in on methane diplomacy, at COP29

The Baku meet is an opportunity for India to fast-track its efforts in reducing methane emissions

By Rakshith Shetty

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Deccan Herald | The carbon costs of the Israel-Gaza war

As the war in Gaza continues to unfold, most of the attention is rightly focused on the immense human suffering and loss of life. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is dire, with thousands dead, millions displaced, and infrastructure decimated. However, one aspect of this war that is often overlooked is the environmental impact, specifically the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the military operations.

By Rakshith Shetty

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Mint | The carbon emissions of war put humanity’s right to exist at risk

The regional head of a well-regarded global philanthropic foundation recently told me that his board had decided to exclusively focus on funding causes concerned with combating climate change. Knowing that it had previously supported work on nuclear disarmament and international security, I asked why those problems were no longer of interest to the foundation. His reply left me bemused. Climate change, he told me, is a long-term existential threat to humanity. Read the full article here.

New Indian Express | Feeling hot, hot, hot? How India's cities can keep the mercury at bay

In January this year, data from two leading global organisations told us what we already sort of knew — that 2023 was the hottest year on record, and 2024 could potentially be worse. America’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Europe’s Copernicus Climate Service simultaneously published data that should alarm the most hardline of global warming sceptics. Two months later, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) published its independent study that confirmed the NASA and Copernicus conclusions. Read the full article here.

Mint | A strong social capital is a prerequisite for cohesive climate action

I am likely to get into trouble with many of my friends for saying this, but I think the world is making extraordinary progress towards addressing climate change. It might not be fast enough to achieve emissions and temperature targets that follow from the IPCC’s studies, but in the past 15 years, we have seen first a scientific consensus and then a global political consensus on the problem definition, followed by convergence on approaches and firm international agreements on targets and timelines. Climate activists remain unsatisfied, but for students of international relations, this kind of progress is unprecedented, not least at a time when the world lacks a stable order, technological change is causing social upheavals everywhere and hundreds of millions of people around the world have entered the middle class. Regardless of how its outcomes are judged, the mere fact that CoP-28 is happening at all is remarkable. Read the full article here.

Forewarned & Forearmed: Through G20 Presidency, India is at Right Position to Prevent Climate Disaster

The impacts of climate change are no longer just visible in the developing world. In 2022 itself, the effects were seen across the globe from heatwaves in India, to high temperatures in the UK to forest fires across several European nations. Most of these impacts are induced by anthropogenic activities. G20 which is a group of 19 countries and the European Union is responsible for most of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. The countries make up about 2/3rd of the world population and 80% of Global GDP. The constituents of this group hold considerable sway over the world’s action towards climate change.