Climate Change is pushing Greenland over the edge. As the planet grows warmer, the volume of Greenland's ice sheet is growing smaller every year.

Climate Change: Monitoring the melting of Greenland's ice sheet

Penguins have become more than just a symbol of the frozen south of the earth. Researchers now use them as indicators of climate change near the South Pole. Certain western regions, such as the Antarctic Peninsula, have experienced rapid warming while East Antarctica remains cold and ice-covered.

Nothing is easy in the remote and icy reaches of Antarctica, but penguins are easier to track than other species because they nest on land and their black feathers and waste can be observed against the white ice.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/energy-inequality-plagues-the-world-us-causes-585-times-more-climate-emissions-than-congo-report-448543" hreflang="en">Energy inequality plagues the world; US causes 585 times more climate emissions than Congo: Report</a>

"We are counting penguin nests to understand how many penguins are in a colony, producing chicks every year, and whether that number is going up or down with the environmental conditions," said Borowicz, of Stony Brook University in New York.

"We can use penguins as a bioindicator to see how the rest of the ecosystem is operating," said Wethington, also of Stony Brook.

Counting individual penguins along with other methods such as satellite images provide a nuanced picture, showing some penguins dubbed 'winners' prosper as climate change opens new habitats, while others are compelled to migrate to colder climates.

The Gentoo penguin, with its bright orange beak and distinctive white marking on its head, prefers open water with chunks of ice bobbing about.

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During the latter half of the 20th century, temperatures on the Antarctic Peninsula began rising faster than almost anywhere else in the world, leading to Gentoo populations expanding southwards - known as the "gentoofication" of Antarctica.

The reduction of sea ice at the western end of the peninsula has enabled the Gentoos to thrive. For tuxedo-wearing Adelies, which rely on sea ice for breeding and feeding, the same conditions have made it worse.

"When we find Adelie penguins, we typically know that sea ice is nearby," Wethington said. "And whenever we've seen sea ice declining or disappearing altogether, then we're seeing corresponding Adelie penguin populations decline substantially."

Overall, Adelie penguin populations are increasing, but some populations have declined by more than 65 per cent.

Scientists from Stony Brook University made an expedition to the region in January and found that Adelie colonies around the still-icy Weddell Sea had remained stable over the past decade.

Watch |&nbsp;Frozen iguanas fall from trees as cold snap hits Florida

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/frozen-iguanas-fall-from-trees-as-cold-snap-hits-florida-449244/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"This peninsula is maybe a safe space as we see climate change progressing and overall warming throughout the globe," Wethington said.

MV Arctic Sunrise expedition leader Heather Lynch believes the findings point to the conservation value of the region.

Using satellite images, a team from the British Antarctic Survey discovered 11 new emperor penguin colonies in 2020, increasing known colonies by 20 per cent.

The Halley Bay colony, on the most eastern side of the Weddell Sea, is home to the second-largest breeding colony of emperor penguins in the world, with about 25,000 breeding pairs gathering each year.

However, since 2016 every chick in this colony has perished.

Researchers believe the 2016 El Niño event altered the sea ice dynamics in the area, and penguins are at risk as climate change increases the frequency and severity of El Niños.

In spite of the chicks' deaths not being directly linked to climate change, Peter Fretwell, a geographic information scientist with the British Antarctic Survey, noted there was a climate change component to the loss.

(With inputs from agencies)

Penguins have become more than just a symbol of the frozen south of the earth. Researchers now use them as indicators of climate change near the South Pole. Certain western regions, such as the Antarctic Peninsula, have experienced rapid warming while East Antarctica remains cold and ice-covered.

Penguins have become more than just a symbol of the frozen south of the earth. Researchers now use them as indicators of climate change near the South Pole. Certain western regions, such as the Antarctic Peninsula, have experienced rapid warming while East Antarctica remains cold and ice-covered. Nothing is easy in the remote and icy reaches of Antarctica, but penguins are easier to track than other species because they nest on land and their black feathers and waste can be observed against the white ice. Also read | Energy inequality plagues the world; US causes 585 times more climate emissions than Congo: Report "We are counting penguin nests to understand how many penguins are in a colony, producing chicks every year, and whether that number is going up or down with the environmental conditions," said Borowicz, of Stony Brook University in New York. "We can use penguins as a bioindicator to see how the rest of the ecosystem is operating," said Wethington, also of Stony Brook. Counting individual penguins along with other methods such as satellite images provide a nuanced picture, showing some penguins dubbed 'winners' prosper as climate change opens new habitats, while others are compelled to migrate to colder climates. The Gentoo penguin, with its bright orange beak and distinctive white marking on its head, prefers open water with chunks of ice bobbing about. Also read | Plan to ‘dim sun rays’ gets thumbs down from experts. Here is why During the latter half of the 20th century, temperatures on the Antarctic Peninsula began rising faster than almost anywhere else in the world, leading to Gentoo populations expanding southwards - known as the "gentoofication" of Antarctica. The reduction of sea ice at the western end of the peninsula has enabled the Gentoos to thrive. For tuxedo-wearing Adelies, which rely on sea ice for breeding and feeding, the same conditions have made it worse. "When we find Adelie penguins, we typically know that sea ice is nearby," Wethington said. "And whenever we've seen sea ice declining or disappearing altogether, then we're seeing corresponding Adelie penguin populations decline substantially." Overall, Adelie penguin populations are increasing, but some populations have declined by more than 65 per cent. Scientists from Stony Brook University made an expedition to the region in January and found that Adelie colonies around the still-icy Weddell Sea had remained stable over the past decade. Watch | Frozen iguanas fall from trees as cold snap hits Florida "This peninsula is maybe a safe space as we see climate change progressing and overall warming throughout the globe," Wethington said. MV Arctic Sunrise expedition leader Heather Lynch believes the findings point to the conservation value of the region. Using satellite images, a team from the British Antarctic Survey discovered 11 new emperor penguin colonies in 2020, increasing known colonies by 20 per cent. The Halley Bay colony, on the most eastern side of the Weddell Sea, is home to the second-largest breeding colony of emperor penguins in the world, with about 25,000 breeding pairs gathering each year. However, since 2016 every chick in this colony has perished. Researchers believe the 2016 El Niño event altered the sea ice dynamics in the area, and penguins are at risk as climate change increases the frequency and severity of El Niños. In spite of the chicks' deaths not being directly linked to climate change, Peter Fretwell, a geographic information scientist with the British Antarctic Survey, noted there was a climate change component to the loss. (With inputs from agencies)

Here's how scientists use Penguins to predict climate change

Climate change is slowly becoming a major priority for most nations, but many are still getting away with what is known as greenwashing.

EU members revolt against the proposal to make Nuclear energy as green

The protected old-growth forest in the Amazon of southeastern Peru appears pristine: Ancient trees with massive trunks grow alongside young, slender ones, forming a canopy so thick it sometimes feels to scientists like evening during the day.

But a new analysis of what’s inside the forest’s leaves and birds’ feathers tells a different story: The same canopy that supports some of the richest biodiversity on the planet is also sucking up alarming levels of toxic mercury, according to a study published Friday.

The mercury is released into the air by miners searching for gold along nearby riverbanks. They use mercury to separate the precious metal from surrounding sediment and then burn it off. Carried in the air, particles catch on leaves like dust and are washed onto the forest floor by rain. Other particles are sucked into the leaves’ tissue. From there, mercury appears to have transferred up the food web to songbirds, which showed levels of mercury 2-12 times as high as those in comparable areas farther from mining activity.

“The patterns were so much more stark and so much more devastating than we expected to find,” said Jacqueline Gerson, a biogeochemist at the University of California, Berkeley, who led the research as a doctoral student at Duke University. The study was published in the journal Nature Communications.

The findings, from the Madre de Dios region of Peru, provide new evidence of how people are altering ecosystems around the world, as species extinction rates accelerate, with little understanding of the consequences.

Scientists have long known that mercury, which is also released into the air by burning coal, is a dangerous neurotoxin to humans and animals. In aquatic ecosystems, it can easily convert into a very poisonous form called methylmercury. As big fish eat smaller ones, the mercury sticks around, accumulating up the food web. For this reason, doctors advise pregnant women around the world to avoid eating large, predatory fish like shark, king mackerel and swordfish.

In the Madre de Dios region, where illegal gold mining has surged in recent years along with the price of gold on global markets, the government declared a health emergency in 2016 after 40% of people tested in 97 villages had dangerously high levels of mercury in their systems.

Researchers have mostly focused on human exposure to mercury in rivers, lakes and oceans. They have not been as worried about it on land, since it is less likely to become methylmercury. But the sheer load of mercury going into the forest, combined with rainy conditions and soil, are leading to concerning levels of methylmercury there.

“It’s been assumed that people living in the Peruvian Amazon have been getting all their methylmercury exposure from eating fish,” Gerson said. “That may not be the case.”

The kind of gold mining that happens in the Madre de Dios region, called artisanal and small-scale gold mining, occurs in about 70 countries, often illegally or unofficially, and it is the largest source of mercury pollution in the world. It also accounts for about 20% of global gold production.

Julio Cusurichi Palacios, president of the Native Federation of the Madre de Dios River and Tributaries, a group formed by Indigenous communities in the region, said the government should combat illegal mining with enforcement but also by strengthening alternative livelihoods for Indigenous and other local people. They harvest fish, Brazil nuts, yucca and corn, he said, but need help “improving their goods, selling their goods, so they don’t fall into thinking, ‘I better go into mining, since my product doesn’t have a market.’”

For the research, Gerson and her team collected soil, leaves, forest litter and other samples at three sites near mining activity and two farther away. To collect certain leaves, they used a giant slingshot to shoot a rope with a weight into the canopy and pull branches down.

When the mercury levels came back, it was the protected old-growth site near gold mining activity that stood out. Those areas had more than 15 times as much mercury as nearby clearings, presumably because the thick canopy and vegetation caught and stored the mercury.

Shocked by the numbers, Gerson kept searching the scientific literature for examples of forests with similar levels. The only one she found was in an industrial area in Guizhou, China, polluted by mercury mining and coal burning. Some levels in the healthy-looking old-growth Amazon were even higher.

By capturing the mercury, the forests are helping to keep it out of aquatic systems, said Emily Bernhardt, a professor of biogeochemistry at Duke and co-author of the study.

“These are some of the most biodiverse forests on Earth,” Bernhardt said. “We already knew they sequester tons of carbon in their biomass and their soils, and we have now uncovered an additional, incredibly important service.”

But the service is not without cost. Mercury poisoning can affect birds’ ability to navigate and sing, and can cause them to lay fewer eggs, she noted. It can also make their eggs less likely to hatch.

Previously, scientists had assumed that the airborne mercury pollution from this kind of gold mining would have less impact locally, said Daniel Obrist, an environmental science professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell who has studied mercury in forests in the northeastern United States and the Arctic and was not involved with the Amazon study.

“It fills a very important gap in understanding what happens there with small scale mining and what the implications are,” Obrist said. “Not only for global processes, but also for local communities.”

The protected old-growth forest in the Amazon of southeastern Peru appears pristine: Ancient trees with massive trunks grow alongside young, slender ones, forming a canopy so thick it sometimes feels to scientists like evening during the day.

The protected old-growth forest in the Amazon of southeastern Peru appears pristine: Ancient trees with massive trunks grow alongside young, slender ones, forming a canopy so thick it sometimes feels to scientists like evening during the day. But a new analysis of what’s inside the forest’s leaves and birds’ feathers tells a different story: The same canopy that supports some of the richest biodiversity on the planet is also sucking up alarming levels of toxic mercury, according to a study published Friday. The mercury is released into the air by miners searching for gold along nearby riverbanks. They use mercury to separate the precious metal from surrounding sediment and then burn it off. Carried in the air, particles catch on leaves like dust and are washed onto the forest floor by rain. Other particles are sucked into the leaves’ tissue. From there, mercury appears to have transferred up the food web to songbirds, which showed levels of mercury 2-12 times as high as those in comparable areas farther from mining activity. “The patterns were so much more stark and so much more devastating than we expected to find,” said Jacqueline Gerson, a biogeochemist at the University of California, Berkeley, who led the research as a doctoral student at Duke University. The study was published in the journal Nature Communications. The findings, from the Madre de Dios region of Peru, provide new evidence of how people are altering ecosystems around the world, as species extinction rates accelerate, with little understanding of the consequences. Scientists have long known that mercury, which is also released into the air by burning coal, is a dangerous neurotoxin to humans and animals. In aquatic ecosystems, it can easily convert into a very poisonous form called methylmercury. As big fish eat smaller ones, the mercury sticks around, accumulating up the food web. For this reason, doctors advise pregnant women around the world to avoid eating large, predatory fish like shark, king mackerel and swordfish. In the Madre de Dios region, where illegal gold mining has surged in recent years along with the price of gold on global markets, the government declared a health emergency in 2016 after 40% of people tested in 97 villages had dangerously high levels of mercury in their systems. Researchers have mostly focused on human exposure to mercury in rivers, lakes and oceans. They have not been as worried about it on land, since it is less likely to become methylmercury. But the sheer load of mercury going into the forest, combined with rainy conditions and soil, are leading to concerning levels of methylmercury there. “It’s been assumed that people living in the Peruvian Amazon have been getting all their methylmercury exposure from eating fish,” Gerson said. “That may not be the case.” The kind of gold mining that happens in the Madre de Dios region, called artisanal and small-scale gold mining, occurs in about 70 countries, often illegally or unofficially, and it is the largest source of mercury pollution in the world. It also accounts for about 20% of global gold production. Julio Cusurichi Palacios, president of the Native Federation of the Madre de Dios River and Tributaries, a group formed by Indigenous communities in the region, said the government should combat illegal mining with enforcement but also by strengthening alternative livelihoods for Indigenous and other local people. They harvest fish, Brazil nuts, yucca and corn, he said, but need help “improving their goods, selling their goods, so they don’t fall into thinking, ‘I better go into mining, since my product doesn’t have a market.’” For the research, Gerson and her team collected soil, leaves, forest litter and other samples at three sites near mining activity and two farther away. To collect certain leaves, they used a giant slingshot to shoot a rope with a weight into the canopy and pull branches down. When the mercury levels came back, it was the protected old-growth site near gold mining activity that stood out. Those areas had more than 15 times as much mercury as nearby clearings, presumably because the thick canopy and vegetation caught and stored the mercury. Shocked by the numbers, Gerson kept searching the scientific literature for examples of forests with similar levels. The only one she found was in an industrial area in Guizhou, China, polluted by mercury mining and coal burning. Some levels in the healthy-looking old-growth Amazon were even higher. By capturing the mercury, the forests are helping to keep it out of aquatic systems, said Emily Bernhardt, a professor of biogeochemistry at Duke and co-author of the study. “These are some of the most biodiverse forests on Earth,” Bernhardt said. “We already knew they sequester tons of carbon in their biomass and their soils, and we have now uncovered an additional, incredibly important service.” But the service is not without cost. Mercury poisoning can affect birds’ ability to navigate and sing, and can cause them to lay fewer eggs, she noted. It can also make their eggs less likely to hatch. Previously, scientists had assumed that the airborne mercury pollution from this kind of gold mining would have less impact locally, said Daniel Obrist, an environmental science professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell who has studied mercury in forests in the northeastern United States and the Arctic and was not involved with the Amazon study. “It fills a very important gap in understanding what happens there with small scale mining and what the implications are,” Obrist said. “Not only for global processes, but also for local communities.”

Alarming levels of mercury are found in old growth Amazon forest

An analysis by the Center for Global Development (CGD) reports that the average Briton produced more carbon dioxide in the first two days of January than an average person from the Democratic Republic of Congo would in an entire year.

This study shows that rich and poor countries have vast energy inequalities, with Brits generating 200 times as much climate emissions as their Congolese counterparts, while Americans emit 585 times as much.&nbsp;

Carbon emissions in the UK will surpass those of 30 low- and middle-income countries by the end of January, according to the study.

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Euan Ritchie, a policy analyst for CGD Europe, said he was inspired by the "climate hypocrisy" of western countries, such as the US and UK, which have pledged to stop funding fossil fuel projects in developing countries.

Ritchie noted that rich countries wrung their hands when it came to the extent to which fossil fuels should be financed by aid and other development finance in poorer countries. This hypocrisy caught Ritchie's attention.

&nbsp;A cruel irony would be if the countries that are least responsible for this problem cannot access energy infrastructure says, Ritchie.

Various countries, including developing nations, and financial institutions have pledged to end their support for international fossil fuel projects. Even so, these same countries will also be able to develop fossil fuels in their own country.&nbsp;

Currently, 24 fossil fuel projects are pending in the US with potential greenhouse gas emissions of up to 1.6 gigatons, while new oil and gas fields are being licensed in the North Sea.

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Using the World Bank's annual data, CGD calculated the point where a British or US citizen's energy consumption exceeded that of someone in a low- or middle-income country.&nbsp;

Vijaya Ramachandran, a Berkeley, California, energy expert leading the head of the Breakthrough Institute's energy and development program argues that blanket bans on fossil fuel projects in developing nations will exacerbate poverty while doing little to curb carbon emissions worldwide.

The rich countries easily impose fossil fuel funding bans on poor countries while increasing their own consumption of fossil fuels at the same time, she noted. This is blatant hypocrisy and is detrimental for developing countries as they require a wide range of energy to sustain their development, she added.

Also read |&nbsp;Gravitas: Can nuclear power solve climate change?

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According to her, the notion that African countries only need solar energy is completely hypocritical and colonial. Renewable energy is intermittent and therefore needs to be backed up by other sources of power.&nbsp;

The research from the CGD should be used to inform the debate over responsibility for the climate crisis, according to Rose M Mutiso, the director of the Energy for Growth Hub.

Mutiso, who is Kenyan, said solving the climate crisis in the medium term is up to the high emitting countries, not only because they caused the problem but logically because they are the ones with the highest emissions.

An analysis by the Center for Global Development (CGD) reports that the average Briton produced more carbon dioxide in the first two days of January than an average person from the Democratic Republic of Congo would in an entire year.

An analysis by the Center for Global Development (CGD) reports that the average Briton produced more carbon dioxide in the first two days of January than an average person from the Democratic Republic of Congo would in an entire year. This study shows that rich and poor countries have vast energy inequalities, with Brits generating 200 times as much climate emissions as their Congolese counterparts, while Americans emit 585 times as much. Carbon emissions in the UK will surpass those of 30 low- and middle-income countries by the end of January, according to the study. Also read | How climate change will impact plantation of cash crops such as avocado, coffee and cashew Euan Ritchie, a policy analyst for CGD Europe, said he was inspired by the "climate hypocrisy" of western countries, such as the US and UK, which have pledged to stop funding fossil fuel projects in developing countries. Ritchie noted that rich countries wrung their hands when it came to the extent to which fossil fuels should be financed by aid and other development finance in poorer countries. This hypocrisy caught Ritchie's attention. A cruel irony would be if the countries that are least responsible for this problem cannot access energy infrastructure says, Ritchie. Various countries, including developing nations, and financial institutions have pledged to end their support for international fossil fuel projects. Even so, these same countries will also be able to develop fossil fuels in their own country. Currently, 24 fossil fuel projects are pending in the US with potential greenhouse gas emissions of up to 1.6 gigatons, while new oil and gas fields are being licensed in the North Sea. Also read | 'Consider carpooling': French car ads to contain messages fostering less-polluting alternatives Using the World Bank's annual data, CGD calculated the point where a British or US citizen's energy consumption exceeded that of someone in a low- or middle-income country. Vijaya Ramachandran, a Berkeley, California, energy expert leading the head of the Breakthrough Institute's energy and development program argues that blanket bans on fossil fuel projects in developing nations will exacerbate poverty while doing little to curb carbon emissions worldwide. The rich countries easily impose fossil fuel funding bans on poor countries while increasing their own consumption of fossil fuels at the same time, she noted. This is blatant hypocrisy and is detrimental for developing countries as they require a wide range of energy to sustain their development, she added. Also read | Gravitas: Can nuclear power solve climate change? According to her, the notion that African countries only need solar energy is completely hypocritical and colonial. Renewable energy is intermittent and therefore needs to be backed up by other sources of power. The research from the CGD should be used to inform the debate over responsibility for the climate crisis, according to Rose M Mutiso, the director of the Energy for Growth Hub. Mutiso, who is Kenyan, said solving the climate crisis in the medium term is up to the high emitting countries, not only because they caused the problem but logically because they are the ones with the highest emissions.

Energy inequality plagues the world; US causes 585 times more climate emissions than Congo: Report

First drought, now floods. Kenyans lose goats, sheep and livelihoods as climate change batters Africa. WION brings you this report.

Drought followed by floods in Kenya, citizens struggle to find food

A new study highlights the potential impact of climate change on the livelihoods of smallholder farmers globally. It has been found that plantation crops such as coffee, cashew and avocado will face the repercussions of global warming.&nbsp;

Coffee, cashew and avocado are said to be among the most important cash crops as they contribute substantially to the earnings of farmers. Therefore, it is important to consider the possible impacts of climate change while long-term agricultural planning, tells the study, which is&nbsp;published&nbsp;in the journal <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0261976">Plos One</a>.

As per the study, global warming of 1.2°C up to 3.0°C by 2050 is estimated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change depending on different greenhouse gas emission pathways.&nbsp;

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The study reasons&nbsp;that such temperature changes will hamper the climate suitability of growing regions for crops.&nbsp;

The study also showed that such changes can cause shifts in production regions or call for adaptation measures in agricultural management.&nbsp;

The study aims at estimating current and future biophysical suitability for coffee arabica, cashew and avocado production on a global scale. It has also helped in identifying global and regional trends. &nbsp;

When one talks about the coffee plantation, strong reductions in climate suitability are expected in most current growing regions.

However, in a few regions, coffee cultivation might derive profits from climate change, the studies tell.

Some important coffee regions in Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam and Colombia will all decrease by around 50 per cent by 2050.&nbsp;

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For both cashew and avocado, global assessment of current and future suitability is not available. However, the suitable areas for cashews and avocados will increase but most will be far from current sites of production. The authors of the study suggested more research is needed to help farmers adapt.&nbsp;

"Global biophysical modelling of current and future suitability of coffee, cashew and avocado is therefore essential to make informed decisions in long-term agricultural planning with the aim of maintaining farmers’ livelihoods and of fostering the sustainable use of natural resources," a part of the study read.&nbsp;

The study modelled crop suitability based on their biophysical requirements as it tells, "For the first time, both land and soil (artificial surfaces, protected areas, soil texture, coarse fragments, pH, organic carbon content, salinity) and climate (temperature, precipitation, humidity) parameters were taken into account on a global scale."

A new study highlights the potential impact of climate change on the livelihoods of smallholder farmers globally. It has been found that plantation crops such as coffee, cashew and avocado will face the repercussions of global warming.

A new study highlights the potential impact of climate change on the livelihoods of smallholder farmers globally. It has been found that plantation crops such as coffee, cashew and avocado will face the repercussions of global warming. Coffee, cashew and avocado are said to be among the most important cash crops as they contribute substantially to the earnings of farmers. Therefore, it is important to consider the possible impacts of climate change while long-term agricultural planning, tells the study, which is published in the journal Plos One. As per the study, global warming of 1.2°C up to 3.0°C by 2050 is estimated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change depending on different greenhouse gas emission pathways. ALSO READ | Can weed cure Covid? Cannabis compound stops coronavirus in test tube The study reasons that such temperature changes will hamper the climate suitability of growing regions for crops. The study also showed that such changes can cause shifts in production regions or call for adaptation measures in agricultural management. The study aims at estimating current and future biophysical suitability for coffee arabica, cashew and avocado production on a global scale. It has also helped in identifying global and regional trends. When one talks about the coffee plantation, strong reductions in climate suitability are expected in most current growing regions. However, in a few regions, coffee cultivation might derive profits from climate change, the studies tell. Some important coffee regions in Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam and Colombia will all decrease by around 50 per cent by 2050. ALSO READ | Extra money with parents changes babies' brains, says a landmark study For both cashew and avocado, global assessment of current and future suitability is not available. However, the suitable areas for cashews and avocados will increase but most will be far from current sites of production. The authors of the study suggested more research is needed to help farmers adapt. "Global biophysical modelling of current and future suitability of coffee, cashew and avocado is therefore essential to make informed decisions in long-term agricultural planning with the aim of maintaining farmers’ livelihoods and of fostering the sustainable use of natural resources," a part of the study read. The study modelled crop suitability based on their biophysical requirements as it tells, "For the first time, both land and soil (artificial surfaces, protected areas, soil texture, coarse fragments, pH, organic carbon content, salinity) and climate (temperature, precipitation, humidity) parameters were taken into account on a global scale."

How climate change will impact plantation of cash crops such as avocado, coffee and cashew

In the wake of climate Change, Israel has launched a national plan to plant 450,000 trees across the country.

Israel agrees to plant 450,000 trees to tackle climate change

While climate change disrupts farming practices, a crop named false banana could be the answer to food scarcity issues. Scientists say that it has the potential to feed more than 100 million people. Watch the video to know more

A crop virtually unknown outside Ethiopia is the answer to food scarcity

January 20 is celebrated as a Penguin Awareness Day. It is a day to not just talk about how cute these creatures are, but also think about saving them. Some researchers are already on their hunt to find a way to preserve these unique flightless birds. Take a look at their journey through Antarctica.

Penguin Awareness Day: Climate change is making Penguin colonies vanish

A giant tabular iceberg named A68A, which was adrift in the South Atlantic was calved from Antarctica's Larsen C ice shelf in July 2017 and reportedly by April 2021, it vanished.&nbsp;

Now a <a href="https://environment.leeds.ac.uk/faculty/news/article/5481/mega-iceberg-released-152-billion-tonnes-of-fresh-water-into-ocean">new report</a> sheds light upon the melting speed of the giant iceberg as it has been revealed that it was dumping more than 152 billion tonnes of fresh water into the ocean every single day when the melting was at its peak.&nbsp;

The latest developments emerged after the researchers from the University of Leeds said that fresh water was released when the iceberg scraped past the island of South Georgia in 2021.&nbsp;

As per the study, 152 billion tonnes of water is equivalent to 20 times the amount of water in Loch Ness or 61 million Olympic sized swimming pools.

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A68A&nbsp;gained attention in December 2020 when it drifted worryingly close to South Georgia. It had raised concerns it could harm the island's ecosystem.

Satellite measurements were used to chart the A68A&nbsp;iceberg's area and thickness change throughout its life cycle. The researchers from the University of Leeds, Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling (CPOM) and British Antarctic Survey (BAS) mapped the changes.&nbsp;

Anne Braakmann-Folgmann, a researcher at CPOM and PhD candidate at the University of Leeds' School of Earth and Environment, is lead author of the study.&nbsp;

She said: "This is a huge amount of melt water, and the next thing we want to learn is whether it had a positive or negative impact on the ecosystem around South Georgia."

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"Because A68A took a common route across the Drake Passage, we hope to learn more about icebergs taking a similar trajectory, and how they influence the polar oceans," she added.&nbsp;

A68A&nbsp;covered an area of nearly 6,000 sq km when it was separated from Antarctica in 2017 and for s short period of time, it was the world's biggest iceberg, as aerial videos and images captured the 'mega iceberg' also highlighting the impact of global warming.&nbsp;

The largest iceberg was B-15 which measured 11,000 sq km before breaking up. Scientific reports stated that the calving of A68A&nbsp;reduced the overall size of the Larsen C shelf by 12 per cent.&nbsp;

A giant tabular iceberg named A68A, which was adrift in the South Atlantic was calved from Antarctica's Larsen C ice shelf in July 2017 and reportedly by April 2021, it vanished.

A giant tabular iceberg named A68A, which was adrift in the South Atlantic was calved from Antarctica's Larsen C ice shelf in July 2017 and reportedly by April 2021, it vanished. Now a new report sheds light upon the melting speed of the giant iceberg as it has been revealed that it was dumping more than 152 billion tonnes of fresh water into the ocean every single day when the melting was at its peak. The latest developments emerged after the researchers from the University of Leeds said that fresh water was released when the iceberg scraped past the island of South Georgia in 2021. As per the study, 152 billion tonnes of water is equivalent to 20 times the amount of water in Loch Ness or 61 million Olympic sized swimming pools. ALSO READ | 'The overlooked pandemic?': Antimicrobial resistance major threat to human health globally, study finds A68A gained attention in December 2020 when it drifted worryingly close to South Georgia. It had raised concerns it could harm the island's ecosystem. Satellite measurements were used to chart the A68A iceberg's area and thickness change throughout its life cycle. The researchers from the University of Leeds, Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling (CPOM) and British Antarctic Survey (BAS) mapped the changes. Anne Braakmann-Folgmann, a researcher at CPOM and PhD candidate at the University of Leeds' School of Earth and Environment, is lead author of the study. She said: "This is a huge amount of melt water, and the next thing we want to learn is whether it had a positive or negative impact on the ecosystem around South Georgia." ALSO READ | Can eyes predict death? Scientists in Australia claim to hold potential evidence "Because A68A took a common route across the Drake Passage, we hope to learn more about icebergs taking a similar trajectory, and how they influence the polar oceans," she added. A68A covered an area of nearly 6,000 sq km when it was separated from Antarctica in 2017 and for s short period of time, it was the world's biggest iceberg, as aerial videos and images captured the 'mega iceberg' also highlighting the impact of global warming. The largest iceberg was B-15 which measured 11,000 sq km before breaking up. Scientific reports stated that the calving of A68A reduced the overall size of the Larsen C shelf by 12 per cent.

Massive iceberg A68A released 152 billion tonnes of fresh water into ocean, study reveals

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his address at the WEF Davos Agenda 2022 emphasised that the Indian industry supports the country's commitment towards "clean, green, sustainable and reliable energy".

The Indian prime minister assured that the Indian industry "will work with the government to accomplish net-zero target by 2070."

"This period of growth will also be green, it will also be clean, it will also be sustainable, it will also be reliable," India's prime minister said.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/we-offer-a-bouquet-of-hope-to-world-modi-pitches-invest-in-india-at-wef-davos-2022-445514">Also Read |&nbsp;‘We offer a bouquet of hope to world’: Modi pitches ‘invest in India’ at WEF</a>

Key features of PM Modi's speech:

PM Modi spoke out against "today's take, make, use and dispose economy and move towards a circular economy".

PM Modi said "Lifestyle for Environment" is useful for fighting climate challenges.

India's prime minister emphasised that the world should launch a peoples movement with "3 Ps" -&nbsp;"Pro Planet People".

PM Modi also attacked the "throw away culture" and "consumerism" asserting that it has made "climate challenge even more serious."

At COP26 in Glasgow last year, PM Modi had presented the basic foundation for&nbsp;"One World" concept explaining that the "word is- "LIFE...L, I, F, E, which means Lifestyle For Environment." &nbsp;The Indian prime minister had asked world leaders to embrace Lifestyle For Environment (LIFE) as a campaign.

The prime minister had said there should be "mindful and deliberate utilisation, instead of mindless and destructive consumption". PM Modi has also resolved that India will cut carbon emissions by one billion tonnes till 2030.

(With inputs from Agencies)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his address at the WEF Davos Agenda 2022 emphasised that the Indian industry supports the country's commitment towards "clean, green, sustainable and reliable energy".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his address at the WEF Davos Agenda 2022 emphasised that the Indian industry supports the country's commitment towards "clean, green, sustainable and reliable energy". The Indian prime minister assured that the Indian industry "will work with the government to accomplish net-zero target by 2070." "This period of growth will also be green, it will also be clean, it will also be sustainable, it will also be reliable," India's prime minister said. Also Read | ‘We offer a bouquet of hope to world’: Modi pitches ‘invest in India’ at WEF Key features of PM Modi's speech: PM Modi spoke out against "today's take, make, use and dispose economy and move towards a circular economy". PM Modi said "Lifestyle for Environment" is useful for fighting climate challenges. India's prime minister emphasised that the world should launch a peoples movement with "3 Ps" - "Pro Planet People". PM Modi also attacked the "throw away culture" and "consumerism" asserting that it has made "climate challenge even more serious." At COP26 in Glasgow last year, PM Modi had presented the basic foundation for "One World" concept explaining that the "word is- "LIFE...L, I, F, E, which means Lifestyle For Environment." The Indian prime minister had asked world leaders to embrace Lifestyle For Environment (LIFE) as a campaign. The prime minister had said there should be "mindful and deliberate utilisation, instead of mindless and destructive consumption". PM Modi has also resolved that India will cut carbon emissions by one billion tonnes till 2030. (With inputs from Agencies)

PM Modi on climate: what is 'Lifestyle for Environment'?

Speaking at the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Davos Agenda, the United Nations Secretary general Antonio Guterres has once again voiced concern over climate change.

Antonio Guterres takes up the issue of climate change at Davos Summit 2022

In pics: Flood, snowstorm and tornado, US in grip of extreme weather events

A strong winter storm brought heavy snow to parts of the Southeast and was expected to leave about 1 foot of snow in parts of the Northeast on Sunday, with damaging ice possible in the Carolinas and Mid-Atlantic states, making travel hazardous and power outages likely.

In the South, where some governors declared states of emergency Friday, areas such as central Mississippi had already received up to 6 inches of snow, while portions of Tennessee and Alabama received a mixture of snow and freezing rain, the National Weather Service said.

“This storm is going to be pretty significant in terms of generating travel impacts, outages and things of that nature,” said Rich Otto, a meteorologist with the weather service.

In Georgia, nearly 90,000 customers were without power Sunday, according to PowerOutage.us, which aggregates data from utilities across the United States. South Carolina had nearly 95,000 customers without power, and North Carolina had about 35,000.

More than a quarter-inch of ice was expected to accumulate in the Piedmont regions of North and South Carolina on Sunday.

Forecasters said the storm system could bring more than 1 foot of snow to some areas, including parts of the Appalachians and upstate New York. Parts of the upper Midwest and northwest Pennsylvania could get up to 2 feet of snow, Otto said.

As the storm moves toward the Northeast on Sunday afternoon, it will remain inland, meaning cities closer to the coast, from Washington to Boston, will primarily receive heavy rain, Otto said.

Significant flooding was possible in parts of eastern Long Island, New York, and coastal New England on Sunday night and into Monday morning, he said.

Otto said that potential ice accumulations would be more severe in the Carolinas. The North Carolina Department of Transportation warned people Sunday to stay off the roads, posting pictures of streets blanketed in snow and ice.

On Friday, Gov. Ralph S. Northam of Virginia, Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia and Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina all declared states of emergency.

Southwest Airlines warned travellers passing through airports across the South that flights could be delayed, diverted or cancelled. American Airlines and Delta made similar announcements related to the weather.

A strong winter storm brought heavy snow to parts of the Southeast and was expected to leave about 1 foot of snow in parts of the Northeast on Sunday, with damaging ice possible in the Carolinas and Mid-Atlantic states, making travel hazardous and power outages likely.

A strong winter storm brought heavy snow to parts of the Southeast and was expected to leave about 1 foot of snow in parts of the Northeast on Sunday, with damaging ice possible in the Carolinas and Mid-Atlantic states, making travel hazardous and power outages likely. In the South, where some governors declared states of emergency Friday, areas such as central Mississippi had already received up to 6 inches of snow, while portions of Tennessee and Alabama received a mixture of snow and freezing rain, the National Weather Service said. “This storm is going to be pretty significant in terms of generating travel impacts, outages and things of that nature,” said Rich Otto, a meteorologist with the weather service. In Georgia, nearly 90,000 customers were without power Sunday, according to PowerOutage.us, which aggregates data from utilities across the United States. South Carolina had nearly 95,000 customers without power, and North Carolina had about 35,000. More than a quarter-inch of ice was expected to accumulate in the Piedmont regions of North and South Carolina on Sunday. Forecasters said the storm system could bring more than 1 foot of snow to some areas, including parts of the Appalachians and upstate New York. Parts of the upper Midwest and northwest Pennsylvania could get up to 2 feet of snow, Otto said. As the storm moves toward the Northeast on Sunday afternoon, it will remain inland, meaning cities closer to the coast, from Washington to Boston, will primarily receive heavy rain, Otto said. Significant flooding was possible in parts of eastern Long Island, New York, and coastal New England on Sunday night and into Monday morning, he said. Otto said that potential ice accumulations would be more severe in the Carolinas. The North Carolina Department of Transportation warned people Sunday to stay off the roads, posting pictures of streets blanketed in snow and ice. On Friday, Gov. Ralph S. Northam of Virginia, Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia and Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina all declared states of emergency. Southwest Airlines warned travellers passing through airports across the South that flights could be delayed, diverted or cancelled. American Airlines and Delta made similar announcements related to the weather.

States in US brace for dangerous conditions from winter storm

A new study has found that the decline of seed-dispersing animals is damaging plants’ ability to adapt to climate breakdown.

Study: Decline in Animal population is hurting plants ability to adapt to Climate Change

Animal decline hurts plants' ability to adapt climate change

Climate change is now affecting human bodies drastically. A study indicates that Rising temperatures are increasing the risk of Kidney stones in Humans.

Study: Rising temperatures are increasing the risk of Kidney stones in Humans

The effect of climate change can be felt across the globe, but the quest to understand its patterns and ways to tackle it continues. In the latest, the scientists have set up a camp in Antarctica to sample ice and chart climate trends from the past.

Ice drilling to chart climate history in Antarctica

It has been well established through various studies that the Arctic permafrost has been warming and, in many areas, thawing since the 1980s due to climate change.

But a new research has claimed that continuous warming could pose danger to pose humans who have established settlements in the Arctic areas.

According to a journal published in Nature Reviews Earth &amp; Environment on Tuesday, the scientists have said that buckling roads, cracks appearing in building foundations and ruptured pipelines are likely to become a common sight in and around the Arctic as warming temperatures cause the frozen ground to thaw.

They have warned that by 2050, as much as 50 per cent of Arctic infrastructure could be at high risk of damage, requiring at least US $15.5 billion dollars in maintenance and repairs.

It is already being witnessed in the permafrost areas of northern Russia, Alaska and Canada—where around five million people live.

By analysing the satellite imagery, they estimate that at least 120,000 buildings, 40,000 km of roads, and 9,500 km of pipelines could be at risk, highlighting threats to some Canadian highways, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, and the Russian cities of Vorkuta, Yakutsk, and Norilsk.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/arctic-region-recorded-highest-temperature-ever-in-2020-says-world-meteorological-organization-436887">Arctic region recorded highest temperature ever in 2020, says World Meteorological Organization</a>

“Infrastructure is in trouble,” said report co-author Dmitry Streletskiy, a geographer at George Washington University.

“But it's not like an earthquake. It’s a relatively slow process, which gives us enough time” to prevent some damage.

Permafrost or tundra is a climatic condition where the land is frozen continuously for more than two years.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/unprecedented-speed-of-global-warming-at-its-fastest-pace-since-ice-age-428615">'Unprecedented': Speed of&nbsp;global warming at its fastest pace since ice age</a>

The Arctic permafrost covers around one-quarter of the northern hemisphere’s land surface, including half of Canada's land and 80 per cent of Alaska.

However, the pace of infrastructure is still ramping up.

According to another study published last year in the journal Environmental Research Letters, researchers by going through the satellite images found that coastal infrastructure increased by 15 per cent, since 2000,

About 70 per cent of that growth is linked to the oil and gas industry, especially on Russia's Yamal Peninsula and near the Yamburg gas field, according to that study's lead author, Annett Bartsch, a polar researcher with the Austrian-based b.geos research and consultancy group.

(With inputs from agencies)

It has been well established through various studies that the Arctic permafrost has been warming and, in many areas, thawing since the 1980s due to climate change.

It has been well established through various studies that the Arctic permafrost has been warming and, in many areas, thawing since the 1980s due to climate change. But a new research has claimed that continuous warming could pose danger to pose humans who have established settlements in the Arctic areas. According to a journal published in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment on Tuesday, the scientists have said that buckling roads, cracks appearing in building foundations and ruptured pipelines are likely to become a common sight in and around the Arctic as warming temperatures cause the frozen ground to thaw. They have warned that by 2050, as much as 50 per cent of Arctic infrastructure could be at high risk of damage, requiring at least US $15.5 billion dollars in maintenance and repairs. It is already being witnessed in the permafrost areas of northern Russia, Alaska and Canada—where around five million people live. By analysing the satellite imagery, they estimate that at least 120,000 buildings, 40,000 km of roads, and 9,500 km of pipelines could be at risk, highlighting threats to some Canadian highways, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, and the Russian cities of Vorkuta, Yakutsk, and Norilsk. Also read | Arctic region recorded highest temperature ever in 2020, says World Meteorological Organization “Infrastructure is in trouble,” said report co-author Dmitry Streletskiy, a geographer at George Washington University. “But it's not like an earthquake. It’s a relatively slow process, which gives us enough time” to prevent some damage. Permafrost or tundra is a climatic condition where the land is frozen continuously for more than two years. Also read | 'Unprecedented': Speed of global warming at its fastest pace since ice age The Arctic permafrost covers around one-quarter of the northern hemisphere’s land surface, including half of Canada's land and 80 per cent of Alaska. However, the pace of infrastructure is still ramping up. According to another study published last year in the journal Environmental Research Letters, researchers by going through the satellite images found that coastal infrastructure increased by 15 per cent, since 2000, About 70 per cent of that growth is linked to the oil and gas industry, especially on Russia's Yamal Peninsula and near the Yamburg gas field, according to that study's lead author, Annett Bartsch, a polar researcher with the Austrian-based b.geos research and consultancy group. (With inputs from agencies)

Climate change-induced permafrost thaw threatening homes, infrastructure in Arctic: Report

According to the world meteorological organization, the years from 2015 to 2021 are on track to be the seven hottest on record. The UN agency has warned that the planet was heading into uncharted territory the global warming from greenhouse gas emissions threatens average temperatures.

UN agency says planet in heading into 'unchartered territory'

A new study has claimed that ship traffic is threatening Antarctica's pristine marine ecosystem.

The research has been published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS).

Ship movements related to fishing, tourism, research, and supply expose the Antarctic continent to human impacts.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/a-horror-flick-rerun-two-third-researchers-at-antarctica-station-contract-covid-says-report-441560">Also read |&nbsp;A horror flick rerun? Two third researchers at Antarctica station contract Covid, says report</a>

Until now, only rough estimates or industry-specific information have been available to inform evidence-based policy to mitigate the introduction of non-native marine species.&nbsp;

Antarctica’s Southern Ocean supports a unique biota and represents the only global marine region without any known biological invasions.&nbsp;

However, climate change is removing physiological barriers to potential invasive non-native species, and increasing ship activities are raising pressure.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/in-latest-sign-of-climate-change-antarctica-snow-turns-blood-red-283368">Also see |&nbsp;In latest sign of climate change, Antarctica snow turns blood-red</a>

"They can create entirely new habitats that would make it harder for those amazing Antarctic animals to find their own place to live," said lead researcher Arlie McCarthy from the University of Cambridge.

Ship visits are more than seven times higher to the Antarctic Peninsula (especially east of Anvers Island) and the South Shetland Islands than elsewhere around Antarctica, together accounting for 88 per cent&nbsp;of visits to the Southern Ocean ecoregions.&nbsp;

The successful conservation of iconic Antarctic species and environments relies on addressing both climate change and direct, localised human impact.&nbsp;

In this study, scientists have identified ports outside Antarctica where biosecurity interventions could be most effectively implemented and the most vulnerable Antarctic locations where monitoring programs for high-risk invaders should be established.

(With inputs from agencies)

A new study has claimed that ship traffic is threatening Antarctica's pristine marine ecosystem. The research has been published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS).

A new study has claimed that ship traffic is threatening Antarctica's pristine marine ecosystem. The research has been published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS). Ship movements related to fishing, tourism, research, and supply expose the Antarctic continent to human impacts. Also read | A horror flick rerun? Two third researchers at Antarctica station contract Covid, says report Until now, only rough estimates or industry-specific information have been available to inform evidence-based policy to mitigate the introduction of non-native marine species. Antarctica’s Southern Ocean supports a unique biota and represents the only global marine region without any known biological invasions. However, climate change is removing physiological barriers to potential invasive non-native species, and increasing ship activities are raising pressure. Also see | In latest sign of climate change, Antarctica snow turns blood-red "They can create entirely new habitats that would make it harder for those amazing Antarctic animals to find their own place to live," said lead researcher Arlie McCarthy from the University of Cambridge. Ship visits are more than seven times higher to the Antarctic Peninsula (especially east of Anvers Island) and the South Shetland Islands than elsewhere around Antarctica, together accounting for 88 per cent of visits to the Southern Ocean ecoregions. The successful conservation of iconic Antarctic species and environments relies on addressing both climate change and direct, localised human impact. In this study, scientists have identified ports outside Antarctica where biosecurity interventions could be most effectively implemented and the most vulnerable Antarctic locations where monitoring programs for high-risk invaders should be established. (With inputs from agencies)

Ship traffic threatening Antarctica's pristine marine ecosystem, says study

A new study has suggested that climate change could spark a rise in kidney stones. Higher temperatures are more likely to cause dehydration, which in turn leads to the formation of kidney stones according to researchers. Mohammed Saleh speaks to Dr. Barry Gorlitsky for more on this.

WION in conversation with Dr Barry Gorlitsky on how climate change could spark rise in kidney stones

Nepal is bearing the brunt of climate change. It's share of carbon emissions in the world is miniscule. But due to emissions by the developed countries small nations like Nepal pay the price. So its PM has launched a campaign called unity for sustainability. Our next report gets you the details.

Nepal launches campaign called unity for sustainability

Nepalese Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Friday stated that the country continues to feel the brunt of climate change, even though Nepal’s contribution to Green House Gas emission is minimal.&nbsp;

The statement was made during a launch of a campaign against climate change with the aim to raise awareness against the climate crisis,&nbsp;the "Unity for Sustainability" run by Annapurna Media Network (AMN).

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/nepal-maoist-party-pledges-to-fight-for-disputed-land-with-india-442428" hreflang="en">Nepal Maoist party pledges to fight for disputed land with India</a>

During the speech, PM Deuba added that media can play a vital role in highlighting issues of climate change and contribute to an enhanced dialogue.&nbsp;“I believe we can contribute to clean and green nature-based solutions to the prevailing climate change and environmental issues. I also strongly raised the issue in the recent COP26 Summit,” said PM Deuba.&nbsp;

“Extreme climate events are increasing, causing huge losses to the economy, environment, and people’s lives and livelihoods. But I believe Nepal can be a leader in launching clean, green, and nature-based climate solutions,” he added.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-nepal-exchange-views-on-further-strengthening-ties-442747" hreflang="en">India, Nepal exchange views on further strengthening ties</a>

He informed of the initiatives taken by the Nepal government to mitigate the effects of climate change, “We have recently launched a long-term National Adaptation Plan, Net-zero emission mitigation strategy and net zero-deforestation pledge.&nbsp;The Government has formulated climate-friendly policies and the legal framework and structures to deal with the impacts of climate change and disaster risk.”

Deuba said that the government had launched a short and long-term programme to mitigate climate change impacts but the government's efforts alone were not enough to deal with the adverse impacts of climate change. The government has categorically put its stance on climate change in the national and international arena.&nbsp;

In addition to this, the Prime Minister pointed out the need for the government, private sector, and other stakeholders to work together on the issues of climate change.&nbsp;

The programme also witnessed the signing of the Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with dozens of organisations to work together on climate change.&nbsp;

ANM wants to highlight the issue of sustainable development that takes care of the planet and to address the challenges posed by the effects of climate change. So the core of the campaign is to unite all stakeholders to work on a sustainable development framework. AMN will be organizing a series of related programs in the days to come.

At the COP26, Nepal had called upon the World leaders to protect the Himalayan Mountain from the devastating impact of climate change.&nbsp;

Deuba, representing Nepal at the summit, Nepal aims to reach a net-zero emission by 2045 and achieve net zero deforestation by 2030.&nbsp;

“We will ensure that 15 per cent&nbsp;of our total energy demand is supplied from clean energy sources and that 45 per cent&nbsp;of our country is under forest cover by 2030,” the PM said.&nbsp;

Nepalese Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Friday stated that the country continues to feel the brunt of climate change, even though Nepal’s contribution to Green House Gas emission is minimal.

Nepalese Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Friday stated that the country continues to feel the brunt of climate change, even though Nepal’s contribution to Green House Gas emission is minimal. The statement was made during a launch of a campaign against climate change with the aim to raise awareness against the climate crisis, the "Unity for Sustainability" run by Annapurna Media Network (AMN). Also read | Nepal Maoist party pledges to fight for disputed land with India During the speech, PM Deuba added that media can play a vital role in highlighting issues of climate change and contribute to an enhanced dialogue. “I believe we can contribute to clean and green nature-based solutions to the prevailing climate change and environmental issues. I also strongly raised the issue in the recent COP26 Summit,” said PM Deuba. “Extreme climate events are increasing, causing huge losses to the economy, environment, and people’s lives and livelihoods. But I believe Nepal can be a leader in launching clean, green, and nature-based climate solutions,” he added. Also read | India, Nepal exchange views on further strengthening ties He informed of the initiatives taken by the Nepal government to mitigate the effects of climate change, “We have recently launched a long-term National Adaptation Plan, Net-zero emission mitigation strategy and net zero-deforestation pledge. The Government has formulated climate-friendly policies and the legal framework and structures to deal with the impacts of climate change and disaster risk.” Deuba said that the government had launched a short and long-term programme to mitigate climate change impacts but the government's efforts alone were not enough to deal with the adverse impacts of climate change. The government has categorically put its stance on climate change in the national and international arena. In addition to this, the Prime Minister pointed out the need for the government, private sector, and other stakeholders to work together on the issues of climate change. The programme also witnessed the signing of the Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with dozens of organisations to work together on climate change. ANM wants to highlight the issue of sustainable development that takes care of the planet and to address the challenges posed by the effects of climate change. So the core of the campaign is to unite all stakeholders to work on a sustainable development framework. AMN will be organizing a series of related programs in the days to come. At the COP26, Nepal had called upon the World leaders to protect the Himalayan Mountain from the devastating impact of climate change. Deuba, representing Nepal at the summit, Nepal aims to reach a net-zero emission by 2045 and achieve net zero deforestation by 2030. “We will ensure that 15 per cent of our total energy demand is supplied from clean energy sources and that 45 per cent of our country is under forest cover by 2030,” the PM said.

Despite low carbon emission, Nepal bears brunt of climate change, says PM Deuba

Rarely does a country get a chance to lay out its ideals as a nation and write a new constitution for itself. Almost never does the climate and ecological crisis play a central role.

That is, until now, in Chile, where a national reinvention is underway. After months of protests over social and environmental grievances, 155 Chileans have been elected to write a new constitution amid what they have declared a “climate and ecological emergency.”

Their work will not only shape how this country of 19 million is governed. It will also determine the future of a soft, lustrous metal — lithium — lurking in the salt waters beneath this vast ethereal desert beside the Andes Mountains.

Lithium is an essential component of batteries. And as the global economy seeks alternatives to fossil fuels to slow down climate change, lithium demand — and prices — are soaring.

Mining companies in Chile, the world’s second-largest lithium producer after Australia, are keen to increase production, as are politicians who see mining as crucial to national prosperity. They face mounting opposition, though, from Chileans who argue that the country’s very economic model, based on extraction of natural resources, has exacted too high an environmental cost and failed to spread the benefits to all citizens, including its Indigenous people.

And so it falls to the Constitutional Convention to decide what kind of country Chile wants to be. Convention members will decide many things, including: How should mining be regulated, and what voice should local communities have over mining? Should Chile retain a presidential system? Should nature have rights? How about future generations?

Around the world, nations face similar dilemmas — in the forests of central Africa, in Native American territories in the United States — as they try to tackle the climate crisis without repeating past mistakes. For Chile, the issue now stands to shape the national charter. “We have to assume that human activity causes damage, so how much damage do we want to cause?” said Cristina Dorador Ortiz, a microbiologist who studies the salt flats and is in the Constitutional Convention. “What is enough damage to live well?”

Then there is water. Amid a crippling drought supercharged by climate change, the Convention will decide who owns Chile’s water. It will also weigh something more basic: What exactly&nbsp;is&nbsp;water?

‘Sacrifice Zones’

Chile’s current constitution was written in 1980 by people hand-picked by its then military ruler, Augusto Pinochet. It opened the country to mining investments and allowed water rights to be bought and sold.

Chile prospered by exploiting its natural riches: copper and coal, salmon and avocados. But even as it became one of Latin America’s richest nations, frustrations mounted over inequality. Mineral-rich areas became known as “sacrifice zones” of environmental degradation. Rivers began drying up.

Anger boiled over into huge protests starting in 2019. A national referendum followed, electing a diverse panel to rewrite the constitution.

On Dec. 19 came another turning point. Voters elected Gabriel Boric, a 35-year-old former student activist, as president. He had campaigned to expand the social safety net, increase mining royalties and taxes, and create a national lithium company.

The morning after his victory, the stock price of the country’s biggest lithium producer, Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile, or SQM, fell 15%.

The Father of Volcanoes

One-fifth of the world’s lithium is produced by SQM, most of it in the Atacama Desert in the shadow of ancient volcanoes, including the oldest and still active one, Lascar. The Lickanantay, the area’s Indigenous people, call Lascar the father of all volcanoes.

From above, the mine looks as if someone has spread a glistening blue and green quilt in the middle of this pale desert.

The riches lie in the brine underground. Day and night, SQM pumps out the brine, along with freshwater from five wells. Pipes carry brine to a series of ponds.

Then, the sun goes to work.

The Atacama has the highest solar radiation levels on Earth. Water evaporates astonishingly fast, leaving mineral deposits behind. Magnesium comes out of the ponds. Also potassium. Lithium remains in a viscous yellow-green pool, which SQM converts into powdery white lithium carbonate for battery-makers abroad.

SQM was a state-owned maker of fertilizer chemicals until Pinochet turned it over to his then son-in-law, Julio Ponce Lerou, in 1983. More recently, it has been fined by Chile’s stock market regulator and by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Ponce, no longer chair, retains 30% ownership.

Today, SQM is riding a lithium bull market. Carlos Díaz, its vice president for lithium, said the company seeks to increase capacity from 140,000 tons of lithium carbonate to 180,000 tons by 2022. Díaz said the firm wants to “produce lithium as green as possible,” including by reducing saltwater extraction by half by 2030 and by becoming “carbon neutral” by 2040.

There is a good reason. Nearby, a copper mine, called Escondida, was fined $93 million for extracting water and causing what a Chilean court called “irreparable damage.”

The mining industry is bracing for change. A law to increase royalties is working through the Legislature. And the Constitutional Convention is weighing provisions that could require more local decision-making.

Joaquin Villarino, president of the Mining Council, the industry lobby, said both could diminish Chile’s appeal to investors. He voiced particular worry that some of the Convention members appeared to be against mining altogether, though he did not name any. “I hope this is not what we will have in our constitution,” he said, “because Chile is a mining country.”

The Convention is also likely to make water a public good. But another question will bear on the industry even more: Is brine — the saltwater beneath the desert — technically water? Mining companies assert it is not, because it is fit for neither human nor animal consumption.

“There is a clear separation between what is coming from the mountain, that is the continental water, and what you have in the brine in the Salar de Atacama,” Díaz said.

Brine extraction is currently governed by the mining code. The new constitution could change that. It could call brine water.

Crisis in a Bright Lagoon

In the shadow of Lascar, not far from the SQM mine, shimmers a lagoon encrusted in bright white salt. Jordán Jofré Lique, a geologist who works with the Atacama Indigenous Council, walks along its edge. A solitary flamingo crosses the salt crust.

The bird is looking for food, mainly brine shrimp, and this afternoon the lake is unusually dry. Lique, 28, is not sure why. But it worries him. The health of the&nbsp;salar&nbsp;(salt flat in Spanish) constantly worries him, considering two major forces beyond his control: the warming of the planet and the mining industry’s extraction of water here in one of the world’s driest regions. The flamingo gives up its search, unfurls its pale pink wings and flies.

Lique, a Lickanantay man, knows the tracks of the salt flat. His grandfather herded sheep and goats here.

He was once set to go work for a mining company. It was a path to a good salary. Instead, he found himself studying the effects of mining on his people’s land. “Maybe it was an act of God or life’s circumstances,” he said.

Some Indigenous people say mining companies have divided their communities with offers of money and jobs. Lique’s organization is shunned by some people because it accepts research funds from Albemarle, a US&nbsp;company that also mines lithium locally.

His group has installed more than a dozen sensors to measure water levels, salinity and temperature. He is particularly worried about “the mixing zone,” a sensitive ecosystem where freshwater coexists with the saltwater underground. The bright evaporation ponds act like mirrors, which Lique suspects heats the air.

Independent research has found declining soil moisture and ground cover in the salt flat, along with rising daytime temperatures, evidence of a strong correlation between the expansion of lithium mining and the drying of the area.

A government census has recorded a slight decline in the Andean flamingo population in the Atacama since 1997, whereas their numbers remain unchanged elsewhere in Chile. Alejandra Castro, a park ranger in charge of flamingo reserves, suspects climate change.

SQM says its monitors show brine levels decreasing marginally in the mixing zone and that the flora and fauna remain healthy.

The Atacama is full of surprises. Parts of it are so dry, the ground is sharp and craggy, with no vegetation. Then the landscape changes suddenly, giving way to ankle-high shrubs or a forest of towering tamarugo trees. A dirt road twists through the bare ocher hills, depositing you abruptly in a ravine carrying mountain spring water.

Lique sees the compounding effects of climate change. Water on his family’s farm, near the mine, evaporates more quickly. Rains are more extreme. One alfalfa patch did not grow this year. The corn is short.

But Lique is most worried about how the extraction of so much brine could change the delicate equilibrium of sun, earth and water, especially amid climate change. “The best scenario is that it doesn’t get worse than this,” he said. “The worst scenario is that everything dries up.”

Clues to the Future

Dorador, the Constitutional Convention member, walks through a busy market in her hometown, Antofagasta. “The constitution is the most important law in the country,” she tells a man selling mangoes.

He listens politely.

Dorador, 41, describes what the assembly is discussing: water, housing, health care. She explains the timeline: a draft constitution by July, followed by a national vote.

Behind her, a man yells out the price of corn. Another is selling rabbits. One woman vents about shoulder pain. A few tell her they have no time.

Dorador became drawn to the microorganisms that have survived for millions of years in the salt flats. “We can learn a lot of things about climate change studying the&nbsp;salares, because they are already extreme,” she said. “You can find clues of the past and also clues of the future.”

Dorador is vying to be the convention’s president. She wants the constitution to recognize that “humans are part of nature.” She bristles when asked if lithium extraction is necessary to pivot away from fossil fuel extraction. Of course, the world should stop burning oil and gas, she said, but not by ignoring yet-unknown ecological costs. “Someone buys an electric car and feels very good because they’re saving the planet,” she said. “At the same time, an entire ecosystem is damaged. It’s a big paradox.”

Indeed, the questions facing this Convention are not Chile’s alone. The world faces the same reckoning as it confronts climate change and biodiversity loss amid widening social inequities: Does the search for climate fixes require reexamining humanity’s relationship to nature itself?

“We have to face some very complex 21st-century problems,” said Maisa Rojas, a climate scientist at the University of Chile. “Our institutions are, in many respects, not ready.”

Rarely does a country get a chance to lay out its ideals as a nation and write a new constitution for itself. Almost never does the climate and ecological crisis play a central role.

Rarely does a country get a chance to lay out its ideals as a nation and write a new constitution for itself. Almost never does the climate and ecological crisis play a central role. That is, until now, in Chile, where a national reinvention is underway. After months of protests over social and environmental grievances, 155 Chileans have been elected to write a new constitution amid what they have declared a “climate and ecological emergency.” Their work will not only shape how this country of 19 million is governed. It will also determine the future of a soft, lustrous metal — lithium — lurking in the salt waters beneath this vast ethereal desert beside the Andes Mountains. Lithium is an essential component of batteries. And as the global economy seeks alternatives to fossil fuels to slow down climate change, lithium demand — and prices — are soaring. Mining companies in Chile, the world’s second-largest lithium producer after Australia, are keen to increase production, as are politicians who see mining as crucial to national prosperity. They face mounting opposition, though, from Chileans who argue that the country’s very economic model, based on extraction of natural resources, has exacted too high an environmental cost and failed to spread the benefits to all citizens, including its Indigenous people. And so it falls to the Constitutional Convention to decide what kind of country Chile wants to be. Convention members will decide many things, including: How should mining be regulated, and what voice should local communities have over mining? Should Chile retain a presidential system? Should nature have rights? How about future generations? Around the world, nations face similar dilemmas — in the forests of central Africa, in Native American territories in the United States — as they try to tackle the climate crisis without repeating past mistakes. For Chile, the issue now stands to shape the national charter. “We have to assume that human activity causes damage, so how much damage do we want to cause?” said Cristina Dorador Ortiz, a microbiologist who studies the salt flats and is in the Constitutional Convention. “What is enough damage to live well?” Then there is water. Amid a crippling drought supercharged by climate change, the Convention will decide who owns Chile’s water. It will also weigh something more basic: What exactly is water? ‘Sacrifice Zones’ Chile’s current constitution was written in 1980 by people hand-picked by its then military ruler, Augusto Pinochet. It opened the country to mining investments and allowed water rights to be bought and sold. Chile prospered by exploiting its natural riches: copper and coal, salmon and avocados. But even as it became one of Latin America’s richest nations, frustrations mounted over inequality. Mineral-rich areas became known as “sacrifice zones” of environmental degradation. Rivers began drying up. Anger boiled over into huge protests starting in 2019. A national referendum followed, electing a diverse panel to rewrite the constitution. On Dec. 19 came another turning point. Voters elected Gabriel Boric, a 35-year-old former student activist, as president. He had campaigned to expand the social safety net, increase mining royalties and taxes, and create a national lithium company. The morning after his victory, the stock price of the country’s biggest lithium producer, Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile, or SQM, fell 15%. The Father of Volcanoes One-fifth of the world’s lithium is produced by SQM, most of it in the Atacama Desert in the shadow of ancient volcanoes, including the oldest and still active one, Lascar. The Lickanantay, the area’s Indigenous people, call Lascar the father of all volcanoes. From above, the mine looks as if someone has spread a glistening blue and green quilt in the middle of this pale desert. The riches lie in the brine underground. Day and night, SQM pumps out the brine, along with freshwater from five wells. Pipes carry brine to a series of ponds. Then, the sun goes to work. The Atacama has the highest solar radiation levels on Earth. Water evaporates astonishingly fast, leaving mineral deposits behind. Magnesium comes out of the ponds. Also potassium. Lithium remains in a viscous yellow-green pool, which SQM converts into powdery white lithium carbonate for battery-makers abroad. SQM was a state-owned maker of fertilizer chemicals until Pinochet turned it over to his then son-in-law, Julio Ponce Lerou, in 1983. More recently, it has been fined by Chile’s stock market regulator and by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Ponce, no longer chair, retains 30% ownership. Today, SQM is riding a lithium bull market. Carlos Díaz, its vice president for lithium, said the company seeks to increase capacity from 140,000 tons of lithium carbonate to 180,000 tons by 2022. Díaz said the firm wants to “produce lithium as green as possible,” including by reducing saltwater extraction by half by 2030 and by becoming “carbon neutral” by 2040. There is a good reason. Nearby, a copper mine, called Escondida, was fined $93 million for extracting water and causing what a Chilean court called “irreparable damage.” The mining industry is bracing for change. A law to increase royalties is working through the Legislature. And the Constitutional Convention is weighing provisions that could require more local decision-making. Joaquin Villarino, president of the Mining Council, the industry lobby, said both could diminish Chile’s appeal to investors. He voiced particular worry that some of the Convention members appeared to be against mining altogether, though he did not name any. “I hope this is not what we will have in our constitution,” he said, “because Chile is a mining country.” The Convention is also likely to make water a public good. But another question will bear on the industry even more: Is brine — the saltwater beneath the desert — technically water? Mining companies assert it is not, because it is fit for neither human nor animal consumption. “There is a clear separation between what is coming from the mountain, that is the continental water, and what you have in the brine in the Salar de Atacama,” Díaz said. Brine extraction is currently governed by the mining code. The new constitution could change that. It could call brine water. Crisis in a Bright Lagoon In the shadow of Lascar, not far from the SQM mine, shimmers a lagoon encrusted in bright white salt. Jordán Jofré Lique, a geologist who works with the Atacama Indigenous Council, walks along its edge. A solitary flamingo crosses the salt crust. The bird is looking for food, mainly brine shrimp, and this afternoon the lake is unusually dry. Lique, 28, is not sure why. But it worries him. The health of the salar (salt flat in Spanish) constantly worries him, considering two major forces beyond his control: the warming of the planet and the mining industry’s extraction of water here in one of the world’s driest regions. The flamingo gives up its search, unfurls its pale pink wings and flies. Lique, a Lickanantay man, knows the tracks of the salt flat. His grandfather herded sheep and goats here. He was once set to go work for a mining company. It was a path to a good salary. Instead, he found himself studying the effects of mining on his people’s land. “Maybe it was an act of God or life’s circumstances,” he said. Some Indigenous people say mining companies have divided their communities with offers of money and jobs. Lique’s organization is shunned by some people because it accepts research funds from Albemarle, a US company that also mines lithium locally. His group has installed more than a dozen sensors to measure water levels, salinity and temperature. He is particularly worried about “the mixing zone,” a sensitive ecosystem where freshwater coexists with the saltwater underground. The bright evaporation ponds act like mirrors, which Lique suspects heats the air. Independent research has found declining soil moisture and ground cover in the salt flat, along with rising daytime temperatures, evidence of a strong correlation between the expansion of lithium mining and the drying of the area. A government census has recorded a slight decline in the Andean flamingo population in the Atacama since 1997, whereas their numbers remain unchanged elsewhere in Chile. Alejandra Castro, a park ranger in charge of flamingo reserves, suspects climate change. SQM says its monitors show brine levels decreasing marginally in the mixing zone and that the flora and fauna remain healthy. The Atacama is full of surprises. Parts of it are so dry, the ground is sharp and craggy, with no vegetation. Then the landscape changes suddenly, giving way to ankle-high shrubs or a forest of towering tamarugo trees. A dirt road twists through the bare ocher hills, depositing you abruptly in a ravine carrying mountain spring water. Lique sees the compounding effects of climate change. Water on his family’s farm, near the mine, evaporates more quickly. Rains are more extreme. One alfalfa patch did not grow this year. The corn is short. But Lique is most worried about how the extraction of so much brine could change the delicate equilibrium of sun, earth and water, especially amid climate change. “The best scenario is that it doesn’t get worse than this,” he said. “The worst scenario is that everything dries up.” Clues to the Future Dorador, the Constitutional Convention member, walks through a busy market in her hometown, Antofagasta. “The constitution is the most important law in the country,” she tells a man selling mangoes. He listens politely. Dorador, 41, describes what the assembly is discussing: water, housing, health care. She explains the timeline: a draft constitution by July, followed by a national vote. Behind her, a man yells out the price of corn. Another is selling rabbits. One woman vents about shoulder pain. A few tell her they have no time. Dorador became drawn to the microorganisms that have survived for millions of years in the salt flats. “We can learn a lot of things about climate change studying the salares, because they are already extreme,” she said. “You can find clues of the past and also clues of the future.” Dorador is vying to be the convention’s president. She wants the constitution to recognize that “humans are part of nature.” She bristles when asked if lithium extraction is necessary to pivot away from fossil fuel extraction. Of course, the world should stop burning oil and gas, she said, but not by ignoring yet-unknown ecological costs. “Someone buys an electric car and feels very good because they’re saving the planet,” she said. “At the same time, an entire ecosystem is damaged. It’s a big paradox.” Indeed, the questions facing this Convention are not Chile’s alone. The world faces the same reckoning as it confronts climate change and biodiversity loss amid widening social inequities: Does the search for climate fixes require reexamining humanity’s relationship to nature itself? “We have to face some very complex 21st-century problems,” said Maisa Rojas, a climate scientist at the University of Chile. “Our institutions are, in many respects, not ready.”

Chile rewrites its constitution, confronting climate change head-on

In a bid to spread awareness and cut down CO2 emissions, car advertisements in France will include messages encouraging people to consider less-polluting travel alternatives.

France car ads to contain messages to back less-pollution travel alternatives

Costa Rica's once dense forests were known for a healthy population of howler monkeys. However, with urbanization and commercial developmental projects, monkeys have been pushed out of the forests, onto rooftops and power lines where they face the risk of electrocution. Our report gets you the complete story.

Costa Rica: Howler monkeys pushed out of the forests on to power lines

As per officials, one person has been found and two are still feared dead following a devastating Colorado wildfire that wiped out swaths of several towns and forced thousands of people to flee with little notice.

Eerie scenes as drone video shows SNOW-CLAD Colorado region destroyed by wildfires

A scientist has highlighted the role played by climate change in the devastating Colorado wildfire that wiped out swaths of several towns and forced thousands of people to flee with little notice.

According to Natasha Stavros, director of the Earth Lab Analytics Hub and a fire scientist who studies mega-fires at the University of Colorado-Boulder, "This kind of event that happens in December with a lot of rain to increase fuels early in the year and then no rain later in the year that dries them out is very much associated with climate change."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/fast-moving-colorado-wildfires-destroy-hundreds-of-homes-and-cause-mass-evacuation-see-catastrophic-pics-441458">Fast-moving Colorado wildfires destroy hundreds of homes and cause mass evacuation</a>

"As we continue to develop out into the wildlands, we have to really think about how we're doing that development - both in how we provide energy, the kind of wind we would expect, and also how we're using that land and maintaining that land around those urban areas, and what ignition sources we're bringing with us," she said.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/colorado-wildfires-us-president-joe-biden-issues-a-disaster-declaration-orders-federal-aid-441711/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Boulder County received above-average rainfall in May and July of last year, giving the county's grasses plenty of water to grow as per the data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

That rainfall dropped off dramatically in August and remained below historic averages for the remainder of the year, as the county entered winter with little to no precipitation that caused the grasses that surround the towns to dry out, making them more combustible for fires.

Although fires are a natural part of the climate cycle and help to clear dead brush, their scale and intensity are increasing.

Scientists say a warming climate, chiefly caused by human activities such as the unchecked burning of fossil fuels, is altering weather patterns.&nbsp;

Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle told journalists that one person has been found and two are still feared dead following the fire.

(With inputs from agencies)

A scientist has highlighted the role played by climate change in the devastating Colorado wildfire that wiped out swaths of several towns and forced thousands of people to flee with little notice.

A scientist has highlighted the role played by climate change in the devastating Colorado wildfire that wiped out swaths of several towns and forced thousands of people to flee with little notice. According to Natasha Stavros, director of the Earth Lab Analytics Hub and a fire scientist who studies mega-fires at the University of Colorado-Boulder, "This kind of event that happens in December with a lot of rain to increase fuels early in the year and then no rain later in the year that dries them out is very much associated with climate change." Also read | Fast-moving Colorado wildfires destroy hundreds of homes and cause mass evacuation "As we continue to develop out into the wildlands, we have to really think about how we're doing that development - both in how we provide energy, the kind of wind we would expect, and also how we're using that land and maintaining that land around those urban areas, and what ignition sources we're bringing with us," she said. Boulder County received above-average rainfall in May and July of last year, giving the county's grasses plenty of water to grow as per the data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). That rainfall dropped off dramatically in August and remained below historic averages for the remainder of the year, as the county entered winter with little to no precipitation that caused the grasses that surround the towns to dry out, making them more combustible for fires. Although fires are a natural part of the climate cycle and help to clear dead brush, their scale and intensity are increasing. Scientists say a warming climate, chiefly caused by human activities such as the unchecked burning of fossil fuels, is altering weather patterns. Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle told journalists that one person has been found and two are still feared dead following the fire. (With inputs from agencies)

Scientist says climate change helped dry out grasslands that fuelled Colorado fire

On Friday, the UK ended the New Year’s Eve on a warm note—quite literally—as the country experienced its warmest day on record with temperatures hovering around 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit), the Met Office said.

The previous record was 14.8 degrees C (58.6F) in Colwyn Bay, Wales, in 2011.

The Met Office tweeted that the village of Coningsby in Lincolnshire in the East Midlands had recorded 15.3 degrees C “meaning today is the warmest New Year's Eve on record for the UK”.

Temperatures of 15 degrees C were forecast for several cities including London and Cardiff on Friday. "We are ending 2021 on a very mild note across the UK,” the Met Office said.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Temperatures have continued to climb this <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NewYearsEve?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NewYearsEve</a> afternoon with Merryfield in Somerset recording 15.8 °C so far <a href="https://t.co/q2LehhF5me">pic.twitter.com/q2LehhF5me</a>
— Met Office (@metoffice) <a href="https://twitter.com/metoffice/status/1476914559193686047?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 31, 2021</a></blockquote>
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The Met Office said the weather was forecast to get cooler from Tuesday, potentially bringing winter showers and frosts.

The Met Office linked UK’s record temperatures with climate change, which has raised the global temperatures by 1.1 degrees C.

Despite the warm conditions, the UK celebrated New Year's Eve in muted fashion without the usual grandiose fireworks displays in London and Edinburgh, and with nightclubs closed and limits on social gatherings in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

This year "as a whole has been slightly warmer and slightly drier than average," Mike Kendon of the National Climate Information Centre, said in a summary published by the Met Office.

Apart from UK, other regions also witnessed unusual weather patterns.

Alaska—one of the coldest US states— has been witnessing cold and warm temperatures simultaneously, with experts warning of an “Icemageddon”, as torrents of rain and snow have left ice as hard as cement coating the roads.

Experts say warm air pouring in from Hawaii has made Alaska's air —usually cold and dry during December —moister.

In Colorado—another US state—wildfires have been rampaging the region that has gutted thousands of homes. Over 100 people are reported to be missing.

The latest bout of wildfires is being attributed to the La Nina weather pattern which leaves eaves much of the west US hotter and drier.

(With inputs from agencies)

On Friday, the UK ended the New Year’s Eve on a warm note—quite literally—as the country experienced its warmest day on record with temperatures hovering around 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit), the Met Office said.

On Friday, the UK ended the New Year’s Eve on a warm note—quite literally—as the country experienced its warmest day on record with temperatures hovering around 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit), the Met Office said. The previous record was 14.8 degrees C (58.6F) in Colwyn Bay, Wales, in 2011. The Met Office tweeted that the village of Coningsby in Lincolnshire in the East Midlands had recorded 15.3 degrees C “meaning today is the warmest New Year's Eve on record for the UK”. Temperatures of 15 degrees C were forecast for several cities including London and Cardiff on Friday. "We are ending 2021 on a very mild note across the UK,” the Met Office said. Temperatures have continued to climb this #NewYearsEve afternoon with Merryfield in Somerset recording 15.8 °C so far pic.twitter.com/q2LehhF5me — Met Office (@metoffice) December 31, 2021 × The Met Office said the weather was forecast to get cooler from Tuesday, potentially bringing winter showers and frosts. The Met Office linked UK’s record temperatures with climate change, which has raised the global temperatures by 1.1 degrees C. Despite the warm conditions, the UK celebrated New Year's Eve in muted fashion without the usual grandiose fireworks displays in London and Edinburgh, and with nightclubs closed and limits on social gatherings in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. This year "as a whole has been slightly warmer and slightly drier than average," Mike Kendon of the National Climate Information Centre, said in a summary published by the Met Office. Apart from UK, other regions also witnessed unusual weather patterns. Alaska—one of the coldest US states— has been witnessing cold and warm temperatures simultaneously, with experts warning of an “Icemageddon”, as torrents of rain and snow have left ice as hard as cement coating the roads. Experts say warm air pouring in from Hawaii has made Alaska's air —usually cold and dry during December —moister. In Colorado—another US state—wildfires have been rampaging the region that has gutted thousands of homes. Over 100 people are reported to be missing. The latest bout of wildfires is being attributed to the La Nina weather pattern which leaves eaves much of the west US hotter and drier. (With inputs from agencies)

Ending 2021 on a warm note: UK records warmest New Year’s Eve

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