Humans have released carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, and the result is an accumulation of heat in the Earth’s climate system, commonly referred to as “global warming”. “How fast is the Earth’s warming?” is a key question for decision makers, scientists and general public.
Previously, the global mean surface temperature has been widely used as a key metric of global warming. However, a new study published in AGU’s Eos proposed a better way of measuring global warming: monitoring ocean heat content change and sea level rise. The authors come from a variety of international communities including China (Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences), U.S.A. (NCAR, NOAA, and University of St. Thomas) and France (Mercator Ocean).
To determine how fast the Earth is accumulating heat, scientists focus on the Earth’s energy imbalance (EEI): the difference between incoming solar radiation and outgoing longwave (thermal) radiation. Increases in the EEI are directly attributable to human activities that increase carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Extra heat trapped by increasing greenhouse gases mainly ends up in the oceans (more than 90% is stored there). Hence, to measure global warming, we have to measure ocean warming!
On the other hand, the amplitude of the global warming signal compared with natural variability (noise) defines how well a metric tracks global warming. This study shows that the temporal evolution of ocean heat content has relatively high signal-to-noise ratio; therefore, it requires 3.9 years to separate the global warming trend from natural variability. Similarly, for sea level rise, 4.6 years are sufficient to detect the climate change signal. By contrast, owing to weather, El Niño – Southern Oscillation and other natural variability embedded in the global mean surface temperature record, scientists need at least 27 years of data to detect a robust trend. An excellent example is the 1998-2013 period, when energy was redistributed within the Earth’s system and the rise of global mean surface temperature slowed – sometimes call a “hiatus”.
This study suggests that changes in ocean heat content, the dominant component of Earth’s energy imbalance, should be a fundamental metric along with sea level rise. Based on the recent improvements of ocean monitoring technologies, especially after 2005 through autonomous floats called Argo, and advanced methodologies to reconstruct the historical ocean temperature record, scientists have been able to quantify ocean heat content changes back to 1960, even though there is a much sparser historical instrument record prior to 2005. Sea level rise is best known since 1993 when altimeters were first launched on satellites to enable sea level change observations to millimeter accuracy.
According to the most up-to-date estimates, the top-10 warmest years of the ocean (indicated by OHC change at upper 2000m) are all in the most recent decade after 2006, with 2015-2016 the warmest period among the past 77 years. The heat storage in the ocean amounts to an increase of 30.4×1022 Joules (J) since 1960, equal to a heating rate of 0.33 Watts per square meter (W m-2) averaged over the entire Earth’s surface– and 0.61 W m-2 after 1992. For comparison, the increase in ocean heat content observed since 1992 in the upper 2000 meters is about 2000 times the total net generation of electricity by U.S. utility companies in 2015.
It is evident that scientists and modelers who seek global warming signals should track how much heat the ocean has stored at any given time, i.e. ocean heat content, as well as sea level rise. Locally, in the deep tropics, ocean heat content directly relates to hurricane activity. Ocean heat content is a vital sign of our planet and informs societal decisions about adaptation to and mitigation of climate change.
Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr. Harsh Vardhan has said that Tiger-bearing forests play a mitigative role in combating Climate Change, besides the value of ecosystem services, provided by Tiger reserves. Addressing the Global Tiger Day celebrations at Vigyan Bhawan today, the Minister emphasized that the Tiger is a symbol of healthy environment and there can be no let-up in conservation efforts, as threats to Tigers remain ever persistent.
Addressing a large gathering comprising tiger conservationists, NGOs and students, Dr. Harsh Vardhan pointed out that the target of doubling the number of Tigers by 2022 in St Petersburg Declaration is a moderate target, but even to achieve this moderate target, nations have to be repeatedly reminded to conserve the Tiger. He added that Tiger conservation should be carried out every moment of the day and not celebrated merely as a one-day event.
The Environment Minister strongly impressed three points upon the children present on the occasion – to undertake one small good deed everyday and inspire others to undertake one such good, environment-friendly deed for the protection of environment and Tiger conservation, to live and work for fellow human beings and to put their heart and soul in undertaking such deeds with honesty and sincerity. “If each individual undertakes one good, environment-friendly deed every day, we would have performed 125 crore good, environment-friendly deeds”, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said. He added that the day this happens, India will regain its place as the world leader.
The Minister suggested that there can be no better and positive messengers to spread any message in the society than children. Dr. Harsh Vardhan strongly emphasised the need to instill discipline in children particularly by teachers, which he said, should not be ignored at any cost.
A Protocol for conducting security and audit of Tiger Reserves was released by the Minister on the occasion. A Compact Disk (CD) on glimpses of Tiger conservation through Parliament questions was also released.
The Minister also presented the Conservation Assured Tiger Standards CA/TS) accreditation award to the Lansdowne Forest Division of Uttarakhand, which met the managerial standards for effective conservation of Tigers. CA|TS has been developed by WWF, working with protected area agencies in tiger range countries. A voluntary scheme for any organisation involved in tiger conservation, it is based on 17 elements, with some minimum standards and criteria for proper management of Tiger reserves.
Actor Mr. Randeep Hooda, a Tiger enthusiast, termed the Tiger as the symbol of Indian heritage. He urged people to themselves become the agents of change in this regard.
A radio jingle on Tiger conservation was also released on the occasion by the Environment Minister.
Due to the ongoing conservation efforts under Project Tiger, India has the maximum number of Tigers, along with its source areas amongst the 13 Tiger Range countries in the world. India is well on the path to contribute to the Tiger Range by the year 2022 in tune with St. Petersburg Declaration.
The Global Tiger Day was celebrated with much fanfare. The celebrations also included two “Nukkad Natak” (street plays) by enthusiastic children on Tiger conservation. Besides the street plays, two songs on Tiger conservation were performed by Mr. Sujay Banerjee, an Indian Forest Service officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre and well-known singer, Mr. Abhishek Ray. More than 1, 000 school children cheered the presentation of the street plays and the songs.
Forest Minister Assam, Ms. Pramila Rani Brahma, Minister of Forest and Environment of Odisha, Mr. Bijayshree Routray, Forest Minister of Chhatisgarh, Mr. Mahesh Gagda, Forest Minister of Uttarakhand, Mr. Harak Singh Rawat and Forest Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Mr. Gauri Shankar Shejwar, as well as senior officers from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Global Tiger Forum, WWF attended the celebrations and also addressed the gathering.
Brief on initiatives taken for Tiger Conservation based on Parliamentary questions:
The compilation of “Glimpses of initiatives taken for Tiger Conservation in India based on Parliamentary Questions and Replies” includes significant environmental information discussed amongst India’s Legislators and Policy Makers in both Houses of Parliament- Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha. The publication comprises the concerned environmental issues and affairs in India in the form of a Compact Disk (CD), which is useful for ready reference by scientists, policy makers, technocrats and other concerned with the cause of conservation and sustainable development.
The report describes the questions and answers raised in both houses of Parliament focusing on Wildlife Management issues which is quite germane for Tiger Conservation in 5 years. Several steps have been initiated by National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for tiger conservation and protection including legal, administrative, financial, international cooperation and other miscellaneous steps and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
NASA satellites have detected from space that the number of fires across tropical forests in South America, the Eurasian Steppe, and the savannas of Africa are increasingly declining due to settled lifestyle than previous nomadic lifestyle in the regions.
The transition is leading intensified agriculture and steep drop in the use of fire leading to decline of forest fires, said researchers from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
The total acreage burned by fires declined annually by 24% from 1998 to 2015, said a research paper based on NASA satellite data and ground-based socioeconomic information. The beneficiaries are mainly the savannas and grasslands, which witnessed fires burning out half the size of the US every year, said Niels Andela, a research scientist at Goddard and lead author.
In traditional savanna cultures, people often set fires to keep grazing lands productive and free of shrubs. Since many of these communities have shifted to cultivate more permanent fields and to build more houses, roads and villages, the use of fire declines.eading organisaed governance that controls fires. By 2015, savanna fires in Africa had declined by 270,000 square miles (700,000 square km), almost equivalent to an area the size of Texas.
“When land use intensifies on savannas, fire is used less and less as a tool. As soon as people invest in houses, crops and livestock, they don’t want these fires close by anymore. The way of doing agriculture changes, the practices change, and fire slowly disappears from the grassland landscape,” said Andela.
Fires in the savanna, like this one in South Africa, burn quickly through grasses, and help prevent trees and larger shrubs from taking root. CREDIT: Guido van der Werf / Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands
For their study, researchers used data derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) instruments on NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites, as well as other sources and compared it with trends in population, agriculture, livestock density and gross domestic product.
The scientists found a different pattern emerging in the rainforests close to the equator. Natural fires are rare in tropical forests, but as people settle an area they often burn to clear land for cropland and pastures. Once settled, they set fewer fires and the burned area declines.
The impact of a warming and drying climate is seen at higher latitudes in Canada and the American west, where fire has increased. Even in parts of China, India, Brazil and southern Africa, an increase in burned area is coming to light, said Doug Morton, a research scientist at Goddard and a co-author of the study.
“Climate change has increased fire risk in many regions, but satellite burned area data show that human activity has effectively counterbalanced that climate risk, especially across the global tropics,” Morton said.
The 24% decline in burned area may have contributed about 7% to the ability of global vegetation to absorb the increase in carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels and land use change.
Within a couple of hours from now, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet US President Donald Trump for their first one-on-one exchange at the White House that may last for 20 minutes to be followed by respective delegations joining the bilateral discussions.
The carrots are already flying in each other’s direction with the US declaring Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, a move that vindicates India’s stand against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. In return, what India offers will be seen at a joint press meeting four hours later.
Otherwise, in display of special relations with India, the White House will host a dinner for PM Modi, which is the first for a foreign dignitary by President Trump and the First Lady Melania Trump. Vice President Mike Pence will host a cocktail reception prior to it though.
Trump has sent out friendly gestures describing Prime Minister Modi as a “true friend!”, which could be an indication that the White House is pleased with India’s bid to place an order for $2 billion worth 22 drones for use in Southeast Asian corridor, squarely aimed at China and the growing unease over the South China Sea.
The delegation level meetings are being attended by top Indian officials including National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and the Indian Ambassador to the US, Navtej Sarna, while the US side will be represented by Vice President Mike Pence, Defence Secretary James Mattis, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and National Security Advisor Lt Gen HR McMaster.
India is keen that Washington DC increases its troops to at least 5,000 more in Afghanistan in the wake of recent attacks on US and Indian embassies and repeated terrorist attacks in Kabul, among others.
What both sides want to avoid is a direct confrontation on Trump administration’s recent decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Change Agreement and Modi has not uttered a word against Trump so far and may not raise it in his one-on-one meeting either.
Another contentious issue that has to crop up is the H1 B visa that many IT companies, NASCOM and ASSOCHAM have urged Modi to raise during the meeting with Trump. It remains to be seen whether the US administration seeks to dilute its stand or offer some other olive branch in the form of a temporary relief.
If that happens, Modi will be a happy man to return home thumping on his success. But knowing Trump, some surprises will always pop up from his magic box at the most unexpected time and venue.
The government of India has officially approved to ratify the Second Commitment Period of the Kyoto Protocol on containing the emission of Green House Gases (GHGs), becoming the 65th country to ratify the second commitment period of the Protocol that was adopted in 2012.
Ratification of the Kyoto Protocol by India is believed to encourage other developing countries also to undertake this exercise as India’s implementation of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects under this commitment period in accordance with Suslainable Development priorities have attracted some major investments in India as well.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) seeks to stabilise Green House Gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would minimize interference with the climate system and India is one of the original nations to participate in the negotiations on Kyoto Protocol in Japan way back in 1996.
Recognizing that developed countries are principally responsible for the current high levels of Greenhouse Gas (GHGs) in the atmosphere, the Kyoto Protocol places commitments on developed nations to mitigate targets and to provide financial aid and transfer of technology to the developing nations. Developing countries like India have no mandatory mitigation obligations or targets under the Kyoto Protocol but have voluntarily set targets.
The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in 1997 and the first commitment period from 2008-2012 was renewed again after the talks at Doha in 2012, where the amendments to Kyoto Protocol for the second commitment period (the Doha Amendment) were successfully adopted. The second commitment period is from 2013 to 2020. Developed countries have already started implementing their commitments under the ‘opt-in’ provisions of the Doha Amendment.
India, which has emphasized the importance of climate actions by developed country Parties in the pre-2020 period, kept its commitment to advocate climate actions based on the principles of the Convention, such as the principle of Equity and Common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR & RC).
The Indian Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its ex-post facto approval to the proposal of Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) for ratification of ISA’s Framework Agreement by India.
ISA was launched jointly by the Prime Minister of India and the President of France on 30th November, 2015 at Paris on the side-lines of the 21st CoP meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
The ISA will strive to bring together more than 121 solar resource rich nations for coordinated research, low cost financing and rapid deployment.
The foundation stone of the ISA Headquarters was laid at Gwal Pahari, Guragaon in Haryana. India has already committed the required support of operationalization of ISA. ISA will put India globally in a leadership role in climate and renewable energy issues. It will also give a platform to showcase its solar programmes.
The Agreement was opened for signature on the sidelines of 22nd CoP meeting at Marrakesh, Morocco. The Agreement invokes the Paris Declaration on ISA and encapsulates the vision of the prospective member nations. UNDP and World Bank have already announced their partnership with the ISA. Till now, 25 nations have signed the Framework Agreement.
Minister of State for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines (Independent Charge) Piyush Goyal addressing at the National Energy Conservation Day function, in New Delhi on December 14, 2016. (PIB)
Union Minister for State for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines Piyush Goyal in a written reply in Lok Sabha on Thursday said that a comprehensive scheme including Intra-State and Inter-State transmission system has been identified as a part of ‘Green Energy Corridors’.
The German air agency KfW Germany is providing soft loan to be funded as 20% equity of the State government, 40% grant from National Clean Energy Fund (NCEF) and 40% soft loan, whereas, the inter State transmission schemes are to be funded as 30% equity by PGCIL and 70% as soft loan, he said.
For Inter-state transmission projects pertaining to Part A, B and C of Green Energy Corridor, loan agreement for financial assistance of Euro 500 million from KfW, Germany has been signed by PGCIL and the projects are likely to be completed by 2018. Further, for implementation of transmission schemes under Green Energy Corridor-Part D, PGCIL has taken loan from ADB.
For Intra-state transmission projects under Green Energy Corridor; the States of Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh have signed the loan agreements from KfW, Germany for financial assistance of Euro 76 million, Euro 49 million, Euro 57 million, Euro 68 million, Euro 114 million and Euro 124 Million respectively.
Further, Goyal added that in order to integrate solar parks with the grid, Ministry of Power assigned PGCIL to implement Inter-State transmission scheme for evacuation from 8 solar parks (7200 MW). Transmission scheme for 6 solar parks (5750 MW) is already under implementation [Ananthapuram (1500 MW), Pavagada (2000 MW), Rewa (750 MW), Bhadla-III (500 MW), Bhadla-IV (250 MW), Essel Saurya (750 MW)]. Tender issued for Banaskantha Solar Park (700 MW), whereas Long Term Access (LTA) application for other MP solar park from the developer is awaited.
To evacuate power from the renewable capacity addition in renewable rich States (Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu), transmission system strengthening, both Intra State and Inter State, along with setting up of Renewable Energy Management Centre (REMC) and the control infrastructure is being implemented under GECs.
In a new report analyzing the global climate between 2011-2015, the World Meteorological Organization – the United Nations system’s weather agency – found an increasingly visible human footprint on extreme weather and climate events with dangerous and costly impacts.
This “hot and wild” weather meant that global ocean temperatures rose at unprecedented levels, Arctic sea ice coverage and mountain glaciers declined and surface melting of the Greenland ice sheet continued at above-average levels.
The extreme weather also meant that people around the world suffered from high-impact climate events such as severe droughts in Africa, devastating floods in South-East Asia, terrible heatwaves in India and Pakistan, and catastrophic hurricanes and typhoons in the United States and the Philippines.
Against this backdrop, and within the context of the ongoing 22nd Conference of the Parties (COP22) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), in Marrakech, Morocco (07-18 November 2016), the United Nations News Centre spoke with Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General of World Meteorological Organization (WMO), on the state of the Earth’s weather and what it means to the people who inhabit the planet.
UN News Centre: The global climate report 2011-2015 confirms that the average global temperature in 2015 has already reached the 1 degree Celsius mark. What does this 1 degree Celsius really mean to people on the ground, say for an office worker in South-East Asia or a farmer in South Africa?
Petteri Taalas: One degree does not sound like a big number if you compare the temperate over a couple of days but globally [over a long period of time] it means that we have seen an increase in the amount of disasters related to the weather. It means that we have observed more heat waves, for example, in Kuwait, the temperature hit 54 degrees Celsius limit last summer and there have been devastating heat waves in many continents.
We have also seen changes in the pattern of rainfall, which means that some areas are now seeing flooding – when it rains, it rains much more — and that led to problems for human beings and also for economies. And then in some parts of the world we have seen more droughts, caused by the heat waves, and leading to forest fires and difficulties in agriculture. For example, at the moment, the southern part of Africa is suffering because of a drought that was partly caused by El Nino last year but also by a drying trend behind it. In tropical zones we have observed more intense tropical storms and they have been devastating for countries like Vanuatu. We also observed the first hurricane hitting Cabo Verde on the African coast.
So this one degree change means that the amount of disasters related to weather and hydrology have been increasing and if it goes beyond that one degree limit – which seems to be the case according to this year’s observations – we can expect to see more of these kind of disasters. And it will have a negative impact on the economies of the countries, and it will also impact the lives and wellbeing of all humans.
Temperature in Kuwait hits 54 Celsius, sets possible record amid Middle East heatwave – UN
26 July 2016 – The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), a United Nations specialized agency, will set up a committee to examine whether a 54 degrees Celsius temperature recently recorded in Kuwait, has set the new highest temperature for Asia, as well as for the entire Eastern hemisphere.
UN underscores readiness to assist South-East Asian countries hit by floods
18 October 2011 – The United Nations voiced deep concern over the devastating floods in Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam and offered to assist the affected countries to respond to the disaster that has claimed hundreds of lives and caused heavy damage to property and infrastructure.
UN News Centre: What has caused this dramatic change in temperatures?
Petteri Taalas: The main reason behind it is that we are using much more fossil fuel: coal, gas, and oil. We have changed the composition of the atmosphere. Therefore, we have seen a very dramatic increase of the carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration in the atmosphere. And we have also seen an increase in the amount of methane (CH4) in the atmosphere and an increase of the nitrous oxide (N2O). And all these are contributing to this warming that we have seen.
UN News Centre: Earlier WMO had said that this 1 degree rise – already halfway to the 2 degree threshold – and that the national climate change plans adopted so far may not be enough to prevent even a 3 degree rise. Do you think this is something that could have been foreseen before the Paris agreement?
Petteri Taalas: In our field we have known about this problem for 30 years. So about 30 years ago, we established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and then years later we established the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to start mitigating climate change. So this problem has been around for a long time, but the good news is that governments now understand the need to mitigate climate change, and that’s why they adopted the Paris Agreement on climate change last year, and it has very recently entered into force. This gives us a good basis for moving forward, and to mitigate the effects of climate change. And the key issue is whether we are acting quickly enough to avoid a 1.5 or 2 degree warming or are we going to go beyond that. So far the pledges behind the Paris Agreement indicate about a 3 degree warming level, which would mean that we might have a larger amount of disasters related to the weather. So it would be a smart thing for the governments to start reducing the emissions, and that would also be good for the coming generations.
There is optimism in the fight against climate change, but the best time to act is now, according to Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The head of the UN weather agency was speaking to UN News Centre, shortly after releasing a report on global greenhouse gases and climate change, which categorised 2011 to 2015 as the hottest five-year period on record. Mr. Taalas also noted that the world is now better equipped with technologies to mitigate the levels of greenhouse gas emissions and their impact on the global climate.
UN News Centre: In this context, what other messages would you like to give to the leaders attending the COP22 in Morocco?
Petteri Taalas: I would like to thank them for ratifying the Paris Agreement, which gives us hope. And we also now have better technological means for mitigation. And those means are also cheaper than they used to be. For example, solar and wind energy sources are cheaper than they used to be ten years ago. And we also have possibilities to convert our transport systems to use more electric cars. In the case of diet, we can go to more vegetarian diet; which could also reduce emissions.
So we have all the means available, and now it’s time to act and prevent these negative impacts of climate change, and it’s important that we start acting very soon, because if we wait, the problem will become more severe. I am very optimistic that we have all the means to be successful, but we should start changing our behavior very soon.
MARRAKECH: ‘The eyes of the world are upon us,’ chair of UN Conference says as new round of climate talks opens
7 November 2016 – The United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as ‘COP 22,’ opened today in Marrakech, Morocco, just days after the entry into force of the landmark Paris Agreement which has now been ratified by 100 countries.
UN News Centre: What is something that society, as a whole, can do to mitigate these impacts?
Petteri Taalas: All normal consumers now have big powers – they can decide what kind of sources of energy they use in their houses, what kind of means of transport they use, and what kind of diet they are eating. For example, a vegetarian diet is better for climate than a meat-based diet. Consumers have big power here and if they decide to go to these low emission solutions, they are the ones who have power to do that. And also the policy-makers are watching very closely what the opinion of the ordinary people is, and I believe that they are able to change the consumption behaviour in the coming years.
Many of the world’s 27 species of crocodylians will soon be either totally or locally extinct due to human population expansion and intensive land-use for agriculture depleting the water bodies, which provide succour to crocs, said a University of Queensland researcher.
Emeritus Professor Gordon Grigg of UQ says the fact that these reptiles had survived millions of years was no good owing to current rate of human expansion and encroachment of natural resources. “The current human population level and its magnitude and rate of resource consumption are unprecedented,” Professor Grigg said.
Only those crocs living in remote wetland habitats in which humans see no benefit may survive into the future, he said. Some crocodylians might have already become extinct if not for active conservation management undertaken in the second half of the 20th Century.
“For some species, the incentive for conserving them has been the commercial value of their hides, but that is dependent upon its use in high fashion garments and accessories, and that is a somewhat fragile foundation,” he said.
On flip side, the rising temperatures and sea levels may turn a more positive note for crocodylians, as it may create more habitat that will be suitable for any species to survive the human onslaught, he said wryly.
The largest living crocodiles, the estuarine or saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), are found in Northern Australia and can grow to six metres and weigh more than 900 kilograms.
Professor Grigg said estuarine crocodiles, also known as Indo-Pacific crocodiles or “salties”, were one of the luckier species because human populations across Australia’s north were unlikely to increase significantly in the next few decades. They might be among the survivors.
Professor Grigg and illustrator and biologist David Kirshner, in their recent book, Biology and Evolution of Crocodylians, reviewed the biology of the crocodiles, alligators, caimans and gharials, and also discusses the great diversity of their gigantic extinct ancestors, some of which were probably warm-blooded.
The Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Independent Charge), Shri Prakash Javadekar addressing a Press Conference on Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), in New Delhi on August 24, 2015. The Secretary, Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Shri Ashok Lavasa and the Director General (M&C), Press Information Bureau, Shri A.P. Frank Noronha are also seen. (PIB Photo).
India’s environment minister Prakash Javadekar has reiterated India’s stand on compliance with the Climate Change agreements in the past and to forge ahead with its comprehensive plan at the Paris Summit to be held in December this year.
The minsiter said India is finalizing its draft proposal before the crucial UN climate change conference in Paris and unlike most other countries whose ‘Intended Nationally Determined Contributions’ (INDCs) reflect only mitigation measures, India will have two different templates — one for adaptation and the other for mitigation apart from technology and capacity build up, Javadekar said.
Wrapping up an 8-month effort, the minister said “We are at an advanced stage of preparing our INDC… We have been engaged in this exercise and widest consultations have taken place with all ministries, state governments, research institutes, industry, think tanks and many organisations.”
Javadekar said all elements will be part of India’s INDCs, including efforts for mitigation, adaptation, finance, technology and capacity building, he said preparing for the final draft. He said India’s INDCs reflect the mandate of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
However, India is still a latecomer in terms of submission of its INDCs as the US, China and the European Union countries have already submitted their INDCs. Some of the projects undertaken by the ministry of forests and environment will figure in the INDCs, it is learnt.
But India has made it evident in all global gatherings that “Developed world would now have to walk the talk and will have to provide green climate fund to the developing world.”
Being a developing nation, India has maintained its “Common but Differentiated Responsibility” approach to global climate change and sought the developed world to pay the developing world or poorer nations like India and defer the carbon tax model for some more time.
The UN has been insisting on a “realistic” trajectory to mobilize $100 billion per year by 2020 that was pledged by developed countries in 2009 – with resources above and beyond official development assistance (ODA).
The UN Green Climate Fund has remained a lukewarm effort without funds.
