Brazil and Bolivia join hands to save the endangered Amazon river turtles. Climate change and human intervention have been responsible for a decline in their population.

Climate Change: Brazil join hands with Bolivia to save Amazon river turtles

Two years ago, the fields outside Christina Southwell’s family home near the cotton capital of Australia looked like a dusty, brown desert as drought-fueled wildfires burned to the north and south.

Last week, after record-breaking rains, muddy floodwaters surrounded her, along with the stench of rotting crops. She had been trapped for days with just her cat and still didn’t know when the sludge would recede.

“It seems to take for bloody ever to go away,” she said, watching a boat carry food into the town of Wee Waa. “All it leaves behind is this stink, and it’s just going to get worse.”

Life on the land has always been hard in Australia, but the past few years have delivered one extreme after another, demanding new levels of resilience and pointing to the rising costs of a warming planet. For many Australians, moderate weather — a pleasant summer, a year without a state of emergency — increasingly feels like a luxury.

The Black Summer bush fires of 2019 and 2020 were the worst in Australia’s recorded history. This year, many of the same areas that suffered through those epic blazes endured the wettest, coldest November since at least 1900. Hundreds of people, across several states, have been forced to evacuate. Many more, like Southwell, are stranded on flood plain islands with no way to leave except by boat or helicopter, possibly until after Christmas.

And with a second year of the weather phenomenon known as La Nina in full swing, meteorologists are predicting even more flooding for Australia’s east coast, adding to the stress from the pandemic, not to mention from a recent rural mouse plague of biblical proportions.

“It feels constant,” said Brett Dickinson, 58, a wheat farmer who lives not far from Southwell in northwest New South Wales, about a six-hour drive from Sydney. “We’re constantly battling all the elements — and the animals too.”

There’s a tendency to think of such extremes as “natural disasters” or “acts of God” that come and go with news reports. But Australia’s nightmares of nature ebb and flow. Its droughts and floods, although weather opposites, are driven by the same forces — some of them timeless, others newer and caused by humans.

Andy Pitman, director of the ARC Center of Excellence for Climate Extremes at the University of New South Wales, said the ups and downs of weather had been severe for millenniums on the Australian landmass, which is as large as the continental United States and surrounded by powerful climate-driving oceans, from the tropical South Pacific to the colder Southern Ocean off Antarctica.

As a consequence, the El Nino and La Nina patterns tend to hit Australia harder than they do other places, with harsh droughts that end with major floods. Some scientists even suggest that the way that marsupials reproduce, with the ability to put active pregnancies on pause, shows that the El Nino-La Nina cycle has been around long enough for flora and fauna to adapt.

On top of that already intense variability, Pitman said, are now two additional complicating factors: “climate change and human decisions around building things.”

Both make fires and floods more damaging.

“A small change in climate coupled with a small change in landscapes can have a large impact on flood characteristics,” Pitman said.

The results are already visible in government budgets. The cost of climate disasters in Australia has more than doubled since the 1970s.

Ron Campbell, the mayor of Narrabri Shire, which includes Wee Waa, said his area was still waiting for government payments to offset damage from past catastrophes. He wondered when governments would stop paying for infrastructure repairs after every emergency.

“The costs are just enormous, not just here but at all the other places in similar circumstances,” he said.

More viscerally, the effect of a “supercharged climate” is drawn on the land itself. Across the vast tracts of farmland and small towns between Melbourne and Sydney where much of the country’s food, cattle, wine — and coal — are produced, the effects of fire, drought and flood coexist.

Even in areas that did not burst into flames, the heat waves and lack of rainfall that preceded the bush fires killed as much as 60% of the trees in some places. Cattle farmers culled so much of their herds during the drought that beef prices have risen more than 50% as they rush to restock paddocks nourished (nearly to death) by heavy rain.

Bryce Guest, a helicopter pilot in Narrabri, once watched the dust bowls grow from above. Then came “just a monstrous amount of rain,” he said, and a new kind of job: flights to mechanical pumps pushing water from fields to irrigation dams in a last-ditch effort to preserve crops that had been heading for a record harvest.

On one recent flight, he pointed to mountains of stored grain — worth six figures, at least — that were ruined by the rains, with heavy equipment trapped and rusting next to it. Farther inland, a home surrounded by levees had become a small island accessible only by boat or copter.

“Australia is all about water; everything revolves around it,” he said. “Where you put your home, your stock. Everything.”

The flood plains in what is known as the Murray-Darling basin stretch out for hundreds of miles, not unlike the land at the mouth of the Mississippi River. The territory is so flat that towns can be cut off with roads flooded by less than an inch of additional rain.

That happened a few weeks ago in Bedgerabong, a few hundred miles south of Narrabri. On a recent afternoon, a couple of teachers were being driven out of town in a hulking firetruck — equipment for one disaster often serves another. Across a flooded road behind them, three other teachers had decided to camp out so they could provide some consistency for children who had already been kept out of school for months by pandemic lockdowns.

Paul Faulkner, 55, principal of the school (total enrollment: 42), said that many parents craved social connection for their children. The Red Cross has sent in booklets for those struggling with stress and anxiety.

“COVID has kept everyone from their families,” he said. “This just isolates them even more.”

He admitted that there were a few things they did not discuss; Santa, for one. The town is expected to be cut off until after the holidays as the waters that rose with surging rains over a few days take weeks to drain and fade.

In Wee Waa, where the water has started to recede, supplies and people flowed in and out last week by helicopter and in a small boat piloted by volunteers.

Still, there were shortages everywhere — mostly of people. In a community of around 2,000 people, half of the teachers at the local public school couldn’t make it to work.

At the town’s only pharmacy, Tien On, the owner, struggled with a short-handed staff to keep up with requests. He was especially concerned about delayed drug deliveries by helicopter for patients with mental health medications.

Southwell, 69, was better prepared than most. She spent 25 years volunteering with emergency services and has been teaching first aid for decades. After a quick trip into Wee Waa by boat, she returned to her home with groceries and patience, checking a shed for the stray cats she feeds and discovering that only one of her chickens appeared to have drowned.

She said she wasn’t sure how much climate change could be blamed for the floods; her father had put their house on higher stilts because they knew the waters would rise on occasion.

All she knew was that more extreme weather and severe challenges to the community would be coming their way.

“The worst part of it is the waiting,” she said. “And the cleanup.”

Two years ago, the fields outside Christina Southwell’s family home near the cotton capital of Australia looked like a dusty, brown desert as drought-fueled wildfires burned to the north and south.

Two years ago, the fields outside Christina Southwell’s family home near the cotton capital of Australia looked like a dusty, brown desert as drought-fueled wildfires burned to the north and south. Last week, after record-breaking rains, muddy floodwaters surrounded her, along with the stench of rotting crops. She had been trapped for days with just her cat and still didn’t know when the sludge would recede. “It seems to take for bloody ever to go away,” she said, watching a boat carry food into the town of Wee Waa. “All it leaves behind is this stink, and it’s just going to get worse.” Life on the land has always been hard in Australia, but the past few years have delivered one extreme after another, demanding new levels of resilience and pointing to the rising costs of a warming planet. For many Australians, moderate weather — a pleasant summer, a year without a state of emergency — increasingly feels like a luxury. The Black Summer bush fires of 2019 and 2020 were the worst in Australia’s recorded history. This year, many of the same areas that suffered through those epic blazes endured the wettest, coldest November since at least 1900. Hundreds of people, across several states, have been forced to evacuate. Many more, like Southwell, are stranded on flood plain islands with no way to leave except by boat or helicopter, possibly until after Christmas. And with a second year of the weather phenomenon known as La Nina in full swing, meteorologists are predicting even more flooding for Australia’s east coast, adding to the stress from the pandemic, not to mention from a recent rural mouse plague of biblical proportions. “It feels constant,” said Brett Dickinson, 58, a wheat farmer who lives not far from Southwell in northwest New South Wales, about a six-hour drive from Sydney. “We’re constantly battling all the elements — and the animals too.” There’s a tendency to think of such extremes as “natural disasters” or “acts of God” that come and go with news reports. But Australia’s nightmares of nature ebb and flow. Its droughts and floods, although weather opposites, are driven by the same forces — some of them timeless, others newer and caused by humans. Andy Pitman, director of the ARC Center of Excellence for Climate Extremes at the University of New South Wales, said the ups and downs of weather had been severe for millenniums on the Australian landmass, which is as large as the continental United States and surrounded by powerful climate-driving oceans, from the tropical South Pacific to the colder Southern Ocean off Antarctica. As a consequence, the El Nino and La Nina patterns tend to hit Australia harder than they do other places, with harsh droughts that end with major floods. Some scientists even suggest that the way that marsupials reproduce, with the ability to put active pregnancies on pause, shows that the El Nino-La Nina cycle has been around long enough for flora and fauna to adapt. On top of that already intense variability, Pitman said, are now two additional complicating factors: “climate change and human decisions around building things.” Both make fires and floods more damaging. “A small change in climate coupled with a small change in landscapes can have a large impact on flood characteristics,” Pitman said. The results are already visible in government budgets. The cost of climate disasters in Australia has more than doubled since the 1970s. Ron Campbell, the mayor of Narrabri Shire, which includes Wee Waa, said his area was still waiting for government payments to offset damage from past catastrophes. He wondered when governments would stop paying for infrastructure repairs after every emergency. “The costs are just enormous, not just here but at all the other places in similar circumstances,” he said. More viscerally, the effect of a “supercharged climate” is drawn on the land itself. Across the vast tracts of farmland and small towns between Melbourne and Sydney where much of the country’s food, cattle, wine — and coal — are produced, the effects of fire, drought and flood coexist. Even in areas that did not burst into flames, the heat waves and lack of rainfall that preceded the bush fires killed as much as 60% of the trees in some places. Cattle farmers culled so much of their herds during the drought that beef prices have risen more than 50% as they rush to restock paddocks nourished (nearly to death) by heavy rain. Bryce Guest, a helicopter pilot in Narrabri, once watched the dust bowls grow from above. Then came “just a monstrous amount of rain,” he said, and a new kind of job: flights to mechanical pumps pushing water from fields to irrigation dams in a last-ditch effort to preserve crops that had been heading for a record harvest. On one recent flight, he pointed to mountains of stored grain — worth six figures, at least — that were ruined by the rains, with heavy equipment trapped and rusting next to it. Farther inland, a home surrounded by levees had become a small island accessible only by boat or copter. “Australia is all about water; everything revolves around it,” he said. “Where you put your home, your stock. Everything.” The flood plains in what is known as the Murray-Darling basin stretch out for hundreds of miles, not unlike the land at the mouth of the Mississippi River. The territory is so flat that towns can be cut off with roads flooded by less than an inch of additional rain. That happened a few weeks ago in Bedgerabong, a few hundred miles south of Narrabri. On a recent afternoon, a couple of teachers were being driven out of town in a hulking firetruck — equipment for one disaster often serves another. Across a flooded road behind them, three other teachers had decided to camp out so they could provide some consistency for children who had already been kept out of school for months by pandemic lockdowns. Paul Faulkner, 55, principal of the school (total enrollment: 42), said that many parents craved social connection for their children. The Red Cross has sent in booklets for those struggling with stress and anxiety. “COVID has kept everyone from their families,” he said. “This just isolates them even more.” He admitted that there were a few things they did not discuss; Santa, for one. The town is expected to be cut off until after the holidays as the waters that rose with surging rains over a few days take weeks to drain and fade. In Wee Waa, where the water has started to recede, supplies and people flowed in and out last week by helicopter and in a small boat piloted by volunteers. Still, there were shortages everywhere — mostly of people. In a community of around 2,000 people, half of the teachers at the local public school couldn’t make it to work. At the town’s only pharmacy, Tien On, the owner, struggled with a short-handed staff to keep up with requests. He was especially concerned about delayed drug deliveries by helicopter for patients with mental health medications. Southwell, 69, was better prepared than most. She spent 25 years volunteering with emergency services and has been teaching first aid for decades. After a quick trip into Wee Waa by boat, she returned to her home with groceries and patience, checking a shed for the stray cats she feeds and discovering that only one of her chickens appeared to have drowned. She said she wasn’t sure how much climate change could be blamed for the floods; her father had put their house on higher stilts because they knew the waters would rise on occasion. All she knew was that more extreme weather and severe challenges to the community would be coming their way. “The worst part of it is the waiting,” she said. “And the cleanup.”

First fires, then floods: Climate extremes batter Australia

Beavers are often nature's best friend, but the rapid rise in the Beaver population in Siberia are increasing carbon emissions. Beaver's invasive traits add to the struggle of scientists to stop them.

The rising population of Beavers driving up carbon emissions in Siberia

In a bid to preserve Amazon river turtles who often fall prey to poachers, Brazil and Bolivia join hands. Turtles have significant biological importance for the environment.

Climate Change: Brazil joins Bolivia to help preserve Amazon river turtles

Due to rapid urbanization and receding wetlands, the population of dragonflies have declined drastically. At this pace, extinction threat looms ahead for the dragonflies, which may, in turn, affect nature's balance.

Climate Change: Dragonflies face extinction threat as wetlands recede, may imbalance nature

European Union's Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service claimed that unusually intense wildfires raged by climate change have been responsible for record-breaking carbon emissions into the atmosphere in 2021.

Wildfires raged due to climate change emitted record-shattering carbon into the atmosphere in 2021

When given time and space to recover, nature can bounce back quickly. A new study suggests that tropical forests in the absence of human touch can bounce back, regrow pretty rapidly. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Scientists have now discovered that tropical forests have the potential to regrow almost fully if left untouched by humans for about 20 years. This can happen because of a natural process known as "secondary succession" in which old forest flora and fauna encourage the growth of new trees.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/googles-year-in-search-2021-tells-of-a-world-looking-to-heal-435374" hreflang="en">Google's Year in Search 2021, tells of a world looking to heal</a>

There just might still be time to reverse the damage done by us humans through catastrophic climate change over the past few decades. Published in Science, these new findings may be useful in mitigating the effects of climate breakdown and offer actionable advice on what to do next.&nbsp;

Oftentimes, natural regeneration is ignored in favour of tree planting, but according to Lourens Poorter, lead author of the paper, it produces better results than restoration planting.&nbsp;

Poorter says that the method is superior to planting new trees when it comes to biodiversity, climate change mitigation and recovering nutrients. In summary, it is not necessary to plant more trees when nature already does it.

More than 90 researchers from around the world participated in this study to analyse how tropical forests regrow. Researchers reviewed data from three continents, 77 sites, and 2,275 plots of land in North America and Western Africa. After that, 12 specific criteria were evaluated, such as soil, plant function, ecosystem structure and biodiversity, among others.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/for-the-first-time-in-centuries-worlds-population-set-to-decline-study-435049" hreflang="en">For the first time in centuries, world’s population set to decline: Study</a>

Using a technique called chronosequencing to model this data, they were able to infer long-term trends in forest recovery, which they would have otherwise had to wait for more than 100 years to see in the real world.

In particular, the researchers investigated what happens to tropical forest land that has been used for agriculture or farming but abandoned after a couple of seasons. An old forest portion, which includes some fertile soil, any remaining trees, seed banks, and possibly replanted stumps, provided a nourishing and interconnected ecosystem for the new forest to grow.

According to the researchers, different aspects of the land take, respectively, more or less time to return to the state of the "old forest" before it was used. It takes on average 10 years for soil to recover to its previous state. It takes 60 years to regenerate plant communities and animals, and 120 years to regenerate overall biomass, their calculations suggest.

Watch |&nbsp;Wildfires raged by climate change spurred record-breaking carbon into the atmosphere

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/wildfires-raged-by-climate-change-spurred-record-breaking-carbon-into-the-atmosphere-english-news-435541/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The good news is that tropical forests can regain roughly 78 per cent of their old-growth status in just 20 years.

Poorter urged people to value secondary forests and allow them to regrow in areas where they can. Many of the promises made to restore forests across the world by planting trees have been proven to be unreal. According to Poorter, 30-50 per cent of those trees die and only a few species are able to mimic the natural biodiversity of forests.

Use natural regeneration whenever possible and plant or restore actively when necessary. The approach is case-by-case, depending on the local conditions as well as the needs of the local residents residing in these landscapes, concluded Poorter.

When given time and space to recover, nature can bounce back quickly. A new study suggests that tropical forests in the absence of human touch can bounce back, regrow pretty rapidly.

When given time and space to recover, nature can bounce back quickly. A new study suggests that tropical forests in the absence of human touch can bounce back, regrow pretty rapidly. Scientists have now discovered that tropical forests have the potential to regrow almost fully if left untouched by humans for about 20 years. This can happen because of a natural process known as "secondary succession" in which old forest flora and fauna encourage the growth of new trees. Also read | Google's Year in Search 2021, tells of a world looking to heal There just might still be time to reverse the damage done by us humans through catastrophic climate change over the past few decades. Published in Science, these new findings may be useful in mitigating the effects of climate breakdown and offer actionable advice on what to do next. Oftentimes, natural regeneration is ignored in favour of tree planting, but according to Lourens Poorter, lead author of the paper, it produces better results than restoration planting. Poorter says that the method is superior to planting new trees when it comes to biodiversity, climate change mitigation and recovering nutrients. In summary, it is not necessary to plant more trees when nature already does it. More than 90 researchers from around the world participated in this study to analyse how tropical forests regrow. Researchers reviewed data from three continents, 77 sites, and 2,275 plots of land in North America and Western Africa. After that, 12 specific criteria were evaluated, such as soil, plant function, ecosystem structure and biodiversity, among others. Also read | For the first time in centuries, world’s population set to decline: Study Using a technique called chronosequencing to model this data, they were able to infer long-term trends in forest recovery, which they would have otherwise had to wait for more than 100 years to see in the real world. In particular, the researchers investigated what happens to tropical forest land that has been used for agriculture or farming but abandoned after a couple of seasons. An old forest portion, which includes some fertile soil, any remaining trees, seed banks, and possibly replanted stumps, provided a nourishing and interconnected ecosystem for the new forest to grow. According to the researchers, different aspects of the land take, respectively, more or less time to return to the state of the "old forest" before it was used. It takes on average 10 years for soil to recover to its previous state. It takes 60 years to regenerate plant communities and animals, and 120 years to regenerate overall biomass, their calculations suggest. Watch | Wildfires raged by climate change spurred record-breaking carbon into the atmosphere The good news is that tropical forests can regain roughly 78 per cent of their old-growth status in just 20 years. Poorter urged people to value secondary forests and allow them to regrow in areas where they can. Many of the promises made to restore forests across the world by planting trees have been proven to be unreal. According to Poorter, 30-50 per cent of those trees die and only a few species are able to mimic the natural biodiversity of forests. Use natural regeneration whenever possible and plant or restore actively when necessary. The approach is case-by-case, depending on the local conditions as well as the needs of the local residents residing in these landscapes, concluded Poorter.

Study shows that away from human touch, tropical forests can regenerate in 20 years

According to European Union's Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, wildfires raged by climate change emitted record-breaking carbon into the atmosphere in 2021.

Wildfires raged by climate change spurred record-breaking carbon into the atmosphere | English News

Erosion of coastal sand dunes in Scotland has put thousands of building at the risk of being submerged. This all is happening due to climate change WION tells you what can be the solution.

Scotland tackles dune erosion as climate change hits beaches

Erosion of coastal sand dunes in Scotland has put thousands of building at the risk of being submerged. Now, what can be the solution, out next report tells this.

Climate change hits Scotland beaches | Climate News

For years, environmentalists have sought compromises with labor unions in industries reliant on fossil fuels, aware that one of the biggest obstacles to cutting carbon emissions is opposition from the unions’ members.

States like Washington, New York and Illinois have enacted renewable-energy laws that were backed by unions representing workers who build and maintain traditional power plants. And unions for electricians and steelworkers are rallying behind President Joe Biden’s climate and social policy legislation, now in the Senate’s hands.

But at least one group of workers appears far less enthusiastic about the deal-making: coal workers, who continue to regard clean-energy jobs as a major risk to their standard of living.

“It’s definitely going to pay less, not have our insurance,” Gary Campbell, a heavy-equipment operator at a coal mine in West Virginia, said of wind and solar jobs. “We see windmills around us everywhere. They’re up, then everybody disappears. It’s not consistent.”

Biden has sought to address the concerns about pay with subsidies that provide incentives for wind and solar projects to offer union-scale wages. His bill includes billions in aid, training money and redevelopment funds that will help coal communities.

But Phil Smith, the top lobbyist for the United Mine Workers of America, said a general skepticism toward promises of economic relief was nonetheless widespread among his members. “We’ve heard the same things over and over and over again going back to JFK,” Smith said. The union has been pointedly mum on the current version of Biden’s bill, which the president is calling Build Back Better.

Unfortunately for Biden, this skepticism has threatened to undermine his efforts on climate change. While there are fewer than 50,000 unionized coal miners in the country, compared with the millions of industrial and construction workers who belong to unions, miners have long punched above their weight thanks to their concentration in election battleground states like Pennsylvania or states with powerful senators, like Joe Manchin of West Virginia.

When Manchin, a Democrat and one of the chamber’s swing votes, came out against Biden’s $150 billion clean electricity program in October, his move effectively killed what many environmentalists considered the most critical component of the president’s climate agenda. The miners’ union applauded.

And Manchin and his constituents will continue to exert outsize influence over climate policy. Biden’s roughly $2 trillion bill includes about $550 billion in spending on green technology and infrastructure. Even if the bill passes largely intact, most experts say future government action will be necessary to stave off the catastrophic effects of global warming.

All of that has raised the stakes for courting coal miners.

“Our guiding principle is the belief that we don’t have to choose between good jobs and a clean environment,” said Jason Walsh, executive director of the BlueGreen Alliance, which has united labor and environmental groups to marshal support for initiatives like Biden’s. “But our ability to continue to articulate that belief with a straight face depends on the policy choices we make.”

“Coal miners,” he added, “are at the center of that.”

It is impossible to explain mine workers’ jaundiced view of Biden’s agenda without appreciating their heightened economic vulnerability: Unlike the carpenters and electricians who work at power plants but could apply their skills to renewable-energy projects, many miners are unlikely to find jobs on wind and solar farms that resemble their current work. (Some, like equipment operators, have more transferable skills.)

It is also difficult to overstate the political gamesmanship that has shaped the discourse on miners. In her 2016 presidential campaign, Hillary Rodham Clinton proposed spending $30 billion on economic aid for coal country. But a verbal miscue — “We’re going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business,” she said while discussing her proposal at a town hall — allowed opponents to portray her as waging a “war on coal.”

“It is a politicized situation in which one political party that’s increasingly captured by industry benefits from the status quo by perpetuating this rhetoric,” said Matto Mildenberger, a political scientist at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who studies the politics of climate policy.

And then there is Manchin, a complicated political figure who is among the Senate’s leading recipients of campaign money from the fossil fuel industry.

Manchin has sometimes resisted provisions favored by the miners’ union, such as wage-replacement payments to coal workers who must accept a lower-paying job. “At the end of the day, it wasn’t something he was interested in doing,” said Smith, the union’s lobbyist. A spokesperson for Manchin declined to comment.

Yet in other ways Manchin has channeled his constituents’ feelings well, suggesting that he might be more enthusiastic about renewable-energy legislation if they were.

At a forum in the spring, he talked about the tendency to forget coal miners — “We feel like the returning Vietnam veteran,” he said — and questioned the proposed trade of “the traditional jobs we’re about to lose, for the transitional jobs that I’m not sure are going to be there.”

In interviews, coal workers said they were skeptical that Biden’s spending plan would ultimately benefit them. Campbell, a recording secretary for his union local, said he would be pleased if an electric-vehicle battery plant opened in West Virginia under a manufacturing tax credit pending in Congress.

But he doubted it would happen. “Until something gets done, I don’t want to jump on anyone’s coattail,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of promises, that’s about it.”

Dustin Tingley, an expert on public opinion on climate policy at Harvard University, said that while investments in green technology were popular among the general public, many coal country residents simply didn’t believe these investments would produce jobs in their communities over the long term.

“If you’re some 35-year-old, 40-year-old worker in fossil fuels thinking about transitioning to some new industry, you need to have the expectation that the jobs will actually be around,” Tingley said.

The clean-energy bill that Illinois passed in September illustrates the tension. The legislation allocated hundreds of millions of dollars to accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, and ensures that construction workers will receive union-scale wages on most nonresidential projects. It also includes tens of millions of dollars for worker training.

But Doris Turner, a Democratic state senator from central Illinois whose district includes a coal-powered plant and mine workers, said she had voted “present” rather than “yea” on the bill because of lingering concerns about workers.

Turner, a first-term senator who helped win a concession to extend the life of the local coal plant, said she sometimes felt like the Joe Manchin of Illinois. “I’m trying to build relationships with new colleagues, and all of a sudden here we are with this energy legislation and I’m like, ‘I can’t do that,’” Turner said. “Nobody was very rude, but I could hear sighs.”

Pat Devaney, the secretary-treasurer of the Illinois AFL-CIO, who was involved in negotiating the bill, said coal workers presented the most vexing policy quandary.

“That one is a little bit tougher of a nut to crack,” he said, adding that the AFL-CIO and other labor groups would continue to push for proposals like health benefits and lost-wage compensation for displaced workers, programs that didn’t make it into the recently enacted Illinois law.

Such delays in economic relief are typical and have heightened miners’ opposition to clean-energy legislation, said Heidi Binko, executive director of the Just Transition Fund, a nonprofit group focused on growing local economies hit hard by the decline of fossil fuels.

Binko cited the example of the Obama administration, which in 2014 proposed an ambitious regulatory effort to reduce carbon emissions that appeared likely to accelerate the closing of coal-fired plants. The administration later unveiled an economic development package for coal country — after voters there had already become alarmed.

“It would have been received so differently if first the administration had done something to help the people left behind,” Binko said.

Private philanthropists have often reinforced the problem, Binko said, by spending millions on campaigns to shut down coal plants, but little on economic development that would ease the political opposition to renewable energy in states like West Virginia.

Carrie Doyle, a senior fellow in the environment program of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, which makes grants to organizations working on climate change, said philanthropists were only beginning to address the shortfall in funding for economic development.

“It feels like it should have been put into place a while ago,” Doyle said. “Some of that funding is happening now, but it needs to scale.”

While such efforts will come too late to ease the passage of Biden’s climate legislation, they could be essential to ensuring that renewable energy remains politically viable.

Some scholars point to international trade as a cautionary tale. In the 1990s and 2000s, Congress approved multiple trade deals. Economists argued, as they do on renewable energy today, that the benefits to the country would far outweigh the costs, which would be concentrated among a small group of workers who could be compensated for their losses, or find new jobs for similar pay.

But the failure to ease the economic blow to manufacturing workers, who many economists now concede were devastated by greater trade with China, helped unravel political support for free trade. In 2016, both major presidential nominees campaigned against the 12-nation trade pact that the Obama administration had spent years negotiating.

If displaced fossil fuel workers go through a comparable experience, these scholars say, the political effects could be similar, unraveling support for climate policies.

“There are lessons to be learned from that experience,” said Tingley, speaking of the fallout from trade. Among them, he added, “was just recognizing how hard it is to pivot, given where people are in life.”

For years, environmentalists have sought compromises with labor unions in industries reliant on fossil fuels, aware that one of the biggest obstacles to cutting carbon emissions is opposition from the unions’ members.

For years, environmentalists have sought compromises with labor unions in industries reliant on fossil fuels, aware that one of the biggest obstacles to cutting carbon emissions is opposition from the unions’ members. States like Washington, New York and Illinois have enacted renewable-energy laws that were backed by unions representing workers who build and maintain traditional power plants. And unions for electricians and steelworkers are rallying behind President Joe Biden’s climate and social policy legislation, now in the Senate’s hands. But at least one group of workers appears far less enthusiastic about the deal-making: coal workers, who continue to regard clean-energy jobs as a major risk to their standard of living. “It’s definitely going to pay less, not have our insurance,” Gary Campbell, a heavy-equipment operator at a coal mine in West Virginia, said of wind and solar jobs. “We see windmills around us everywhere. They’re up, then everybody disappears. It’s not consistent.” Biden has sought to address the concerns about pay with subsidies that provide incentives for wind and solar projects to offer union-scale wages. His bill includes billions in aid, training money and redevelopment funds that will help coal communities. But Phil Smith, the top lobbyist for the United Mine Workers of America, said a general skepticism toward promises of economic relief was nonetheless widespread among his members. “We’ve heard the same things over and over and over again going back to JFK,” Smith said. The union has been pointedly mum on the current version of Biden’s bill, which the president is calling Build Back Better. Unfortunately for Biden, this skepticism has threatened to undermine his efforts on climate change. While there are fewer than 50,000 unionized coal miners in the country, compared with the millions of industrial and construction workers who belong to unions, miners have long punched above their weight thanks to their concentration in election battleground states like Pennsylvania or states with powerful senators, like Joe Manchin of West Virginia. When Manchin, a Democrat and one of the chamber’s swing votes, came out against Biden’s $150 billion clean electricity program in October, his move effectively killed what many environmentalists considered the most critical component of the president’s climate agenda. The miners’ union applauded. And Manchin and his constituents will continue to exert outsize influence over climate policy. Biden’s roughly $2 trillion bill includes about $550 billion in spending on green technology and infrastructure. Even if the bill passes largely intact, most experts say future government action will be necessary to stave off the catastrophic effects of global warming. All of that has raised the stakes for courting coal miners. “Our guiding principle is the belief that we don’t have to choose between good jobs and a clean environment,” said Jason Walsh, executive director of the BlueGreen Alliance, which has united labor and environmental groups to marshal support for initiatives like Biden’s. “But our ability to continue to articulate that belief with a straight face depends on the policy choices we make.” “Coal miners,” he added, “are at the center of that.” It is impossible to explain mine workers’ jaundiced view of Biden’s agenda without appreciating their heightened economic vulnerability: Unlike the carpenters and electricians who work at power plants but could apply their skills to renewable-energy projects, many miners are unlikely to find jobs on wind and solar farms that resemble their current work. (Some, like equipment operators, have more transferable skills.) It is also difficult to overstate the political gamesmanship that has shaped the discourse on miners. In her 2016 presidential campaign, Hillary Rodham Clinton proposed spending $30 billion on economic aid for coal country. But a verbal miscue — “We’re going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business,” she said while discussing her proposal at a town hall — allowed opponents to portray her as waging a “war on coal.” “It is a politicized situation in which one political party that’s increasingly captured by industry benefits from the status quo by perpetuating this rhetoric,” said Matto Mildenberger, a political scientist at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who studies the politics of climate policy. And then there is Manchin, a complicated political figure who is among the Senate’s leading recipients of campaign money from the fossil fuel industry. Manchin has sometimes resisted provisions favored by the miners’ union, such as wage-replacement payments to coal workers who must accept a lower-paying job. “At the end of the day, it wasn’t something he was interested in doing,” said Smith, the union’s lobbyist. A spokesperson for Manchin declined to comment. Yet in other ways Manchin has channeled his constituents’ feelings well, suggesting that he might be more enthusiastic about renewable-energy legislation if they were. At a forum in the spring, he talked about the tendency to forget coal miners — “We feel like the returning Vietnam veteran,” he said — and questioned the proposed trade of “the traditional jobs we’re about to lose, for the transitional jobs that I’m not sure are going to be there.” In interviews, coal workers said they were skeptical that Biden’s spending plan would ultimately benefit them. Campbell, a recording secretary for his union local, said he would be pleased if an electric-vehicle battery plant opened in West Virginia under a manufacturing tax credit pending in Congress. But he doubted it would happen. “Until something gets done, I don’t want to jump on anyone’s coattail,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of promises, that’s about it.” Dustin Tingley, an expert on public opinion on climate policy at Harvard University, said that while investments in green technology were popular among the general public, many coal country residents simply didn’t believe these investments would produce jobs in their communities over the long term. “If you’re some 35-year-old, 40-year-old worker in fossil fuels thinking about transitioning to some new industry, you need to have the expectation that the jobs will actually be around,” Tingley said. The clean-energy bill that Illinois passed in September illustrates the tension. The legislation allocated hundreds of millions of dollars to accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, and ensures that construction workers will receive union-scale wages on most nonresidential projects. It also includes tens of millions of dollars for worker training. But Doris Turner, a Democratic state senator from central Illinois whose district includes a coal-powered plant and mine workers, said she had voted “present” rather than “yea” on the bill because of lingering concerns about workers. Turner, a first-term senator who helped win a concession to extend the life of the local coal plant, said she sometimes felt like the Joe Manchin of Illinois. “I’m trying to build relationships with new colleagues, and all of a sudden here we are with this energy legislation and I’m like, ‘I can’t do that,’” Turner said. “Nobody was very rude, but I could hear sighs.” Pat Devaney, the secretary-treasurer of the Illinois AFL-CIO, who was involved in negotiating the bill, said coal workers presented the most vexing policy quandary. “That one is a little bit tougher of a nut to crack,” he said, adding that the AFL-CIO and other labor groups would continue to push for proposals like health benefits and lost-wage compensation for displaced workers, programs that didn’t make it into the recently enacted Illinois law. Such delays in economic relief are typical and have heightened miners’ opposition to clean-energy legislation, said Heidi Binko, executive director of the Just Transition Fund, a nonprofit group focused on growing local economies hit hard by the decline of fossil fuels. Binko cited the example of the Obama administration, which in 2014 proposed an ambitious regulatory effort to reduce carbon emissions that appeared likely to accelerate the closing of coal-fired plants. The administration later unveiled an economic development package for coal country — after voters there had already become alarmed. “It would have been received so differently if first the administration had done something to help the people left behind,” Binko said. Private philanthropists have often reinforced the problem, Binko said, by spending millions on campaigns to shut down coal plants, but little on economic development that would ease the political opposition to renewable energy in states like West Virginia. Carrie Doyle, a senior fellow in the environment program of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, which makes grants to organizations working on climate change, said philanthropists were only beginning to address the shortfall in funding for economic development. “It feels like it should have been put into place a while ago,” Doyle said. “Some of that funding is happening now, but it needs to scale.” While such efforts will come too late to ease the passage of Biden’s climate legislation, they could be essential to ensuring that renewable energy remains politically viable. Some scholars point to international trade as a cautionary tale. In the 1990s and 2000s, Congress approved multiple trade deals. Economists argued, as they do on renewable energy today, that the benefits to the country would far outweigh the costs, which would be concentrated among a small group of workers who could be compensated for their losses, or find new jobs for similar pay. But the failure to ease the economic blow to manufacturing workers, who many economists now concede were devastated by greater trade with China, helped unravel political support for free trade. In 2016, both major presidential nominees campaigned against the 12-nation trade pact that the Obama administration had spent years negotiating. If displaced fossil fuel workers go through a comparable experience, these scholars say, the political effects could be similar, unraveling support for climate policies. “There are lessons to be learned from that experience,” said Tingley, speaking of the fallout from trade. Among them, he added, “was just recognizing how hard it is to pivot, given where people are in life.”

The Achilles’ heel of Biden’s climate plan? Coal miners.

Nobel Laureates Klaus Hasselmann and David MacMillan raise concerns about extreme climate events in recent times. According to Hasselmann, Making people understand the gravity of the situation is the biggest challenge. However, MacMillan expressed happiness over the youth's efforts in combating climate change.

Nobel Laureates Klaus Hasselmann & David MacMillan talk about climate change

Rewind 2021: Covid, coups, Taliban...the tumultuous year that was

On the occasion of World Soil Day, Sadhguru, Founder-Isha Foundation, has called for urgent steps to revive soil's organic content.

"For soil to be agricultural, it must contain a minimum of 3 per cent&nbsp;organic content,” the spiritual leader emphasised.

Taking to Twitter, Sadhguru said, “Living Soil, our very body, is moving towards extinction. Addressing this with utmost urgency is the most important Responsibility that all nations have to fulfill. #ConsciousPlanet. Let Us Make It Happen".

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Living Soil, our very body, is moving towards extinction. Addressing this with utmost urgency is the most important Responsibility that all nations have to fulfill. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ConsciousPlanet?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ConsciousPlanet</a>. Let Us Make It Happen. - Sg <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldSoilDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldSoilDay</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SaveSoil?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SaveSoil</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/UNCCD?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UNCCD</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/UNEP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UNEP</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/FAO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FAO</a> <a href="https://t.co/c3oG2qWcJb">pic.twitter.com/c3oG2qWcJb</a>
— Sadhguru (@SadhguruJV) <a href="https://twitter.com/SadhguruJV/status/1467365618462695424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

To fight the threat of desertification in the world, Sadhguru says that preserving the biodiversity of the soil is the single most significant and urgent concern on the planet today. "Our attention has to shift to the soil,” he said.

As part of this, Sadhguru would be unfolding a movement to save soil called “Conscious Planet”. “Right now, it looks like climate change and ecology are the playgrounds of the rich and elite. This must change. Individual human beings should become conscious about the danger that we are facing," he said.

Also see |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/fires-floods-flying-insects-climate-fuelled-disasters-that-wreaked-havoc-across-world-432546">Fires, floods, flying insects: Climate-fuelled disasters that wreaked havoc across world</a>

"Ecological issues must become election issues. Governments must be elected for their concern for ecological issues," the spiritual leader, who championed "Rally for Rivers" campaign in 2017 and the "Cauvery Calling" movement in 2019, added.

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has shared alarming facts in its report. "Every year, 75 billion tons of fertile soil is lost to land degradation. Similarly, 12 million hectares of land are lost every year to desertification and drought alone. This is an area that could produce 20 million tons of grain," the UNCCD has stated.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/melting-arctic-is-a-bonanza-for-the-oceans-natural-born-killers-434066">Also read |&nbsp;Melting Arctic is a bonanza for the ocean’s natural born killers</a>

The United Nations agencies have also brought forward that the world is left with agricultural soil for 80-100 crops, or another 45-60 years. 80% of the biomass insects have disappeared over the last 30 years and it is predicted that within 45 to 50 years, there will be an inevitable food crisis on the planet, which will bring tremendous chaos and suffering to populations around the world.

With much attention being directed at carbon, emissions, and pollution as fundamental environmental issues, Sadhguru prompts everyone to distinguish between ecological issues and civic issues that can be addressed and reversed with the needed awareness and law enforcement. The real issue, he contends, is soil extinction.

"Soil is a very significant carbon sink, the largest water soak on the planet, and the basis of all life. The 36-39 inches of topsoil on average around the planet is the basis of 87 per cent&nbsp;of life on the planet. The very body that we carry is soil. Without soil being rich and well, this body and every other life cannot be well,” he said.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) 
&nbsp;

On the occasion of World Soil Day, Sadhguru, Founder-Isha Foundation, has called for urgent steps to revive soil's organic content. "For soil to be agricultural, it must contain a minimum of 3 per cent organic content,” the spiritual leader emphasised.

On the occasion of World Soil Day, Sadhguru, Founder-Isha Foundation, has called for urgent steps to revive soil's organic content. "For soil to be agricultural, it must contain a minimum of 3 per cent organic content,” the spiritual leader emphasised. Taking to Twitter, Sadhguru said, “Living Soil, our very body, is moving towards extinction. Addressing this with utmost urgency is the most important Responsibility that all nations have to fulfill. #ConsciousPlanet. Let Us Make It Happen". Living Soil, our very body, is moving towards extinction. Addressing this with utmost urgency is the most important Responsibility that all nations have to fulfill. #ConsciousPlanet. Let Us Make It Happen. - Sg #WorldSoilDay#SaveSoil @UNCCD @UNEP @FAO pic.twitter.com/c3oG2qWcJb — Sadhguru (@SadhguruJV) December 5, 2021 × To fight the threat of desertification in the world, Sadhguru says that preserving the biodiversity of the soil is the single most significant and urgent concern on the planet today. "Our attention has to shift to the soil,” he said. As part of this, Sadhguru would be unfolding a movement to save soil called “Conscious Planet”. “Right now, it looks like climate change and ecology are the playgrounds of the rich and elite. This must change. Individual human beings should become conscious about the danger that we are facing," he said. Also see | Fires, floods, flying insects: Climate-fuelled disasters that wreaked havoc across world "Ecological issues must become election issues. Governments must be elected for their concern for ecological issues," the spiritual leader, who championed "Rally for Rivers" campaign in 2017 and the "Cauvery Calling" movement in 2019, added. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has shared alarming facts in its report. "Every year, 75 billion tons of fertile soil is lost to land degradation. Similarly, 12 million hectares of land are lost every year to desertification and drought alone. This is an area that could produce 20 million tons of grain," the UNCCD has stated. Also read | Melting Arctic is a bonanza for the ocean’s natural born killers The United Nations agencies have also brought forward that the world is left with agricultural soil for 80-100 crops, or another 45-60 years. 80% of the biomass insects have disappeared over the last 30 years and it is predicted that within 45 to 50 years, there will be an inevitable food crisis on the planet, which will bring tremendous chaos and suffering to populations around the world. With much attention being directed at carbon, emissions, and pollution as fundamental environmental issues, Sadhguru prompts everyone to distinguish between ecological issues and civic issues that can be addressed and reversed with the needed awareness and law enforcement. The real issue, he contends, is soil extinction. "Soil is a very significant carbon sink, the largest water soak on the planet, and the basis of all life. The 36-39 inches of topsoil on average around the planet is the basis of 87 per cent of life on the planet. The very body that we carry is soil. Without soil being rich and well, this body and every other life cannot be well,” he said. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Soil moving towards extinction, urgent steps needed: Sadhguru on World Soil Day

It is time that the countries take the link between the changing weather and human health more seriously. According to WHO, climate change has led to the shortage of safe drinking water and food.

Climate change has led to the shortage of safe drinking water and food: WHO

A new study revealed that as the climate crisis has been warming up the planet's northern ice cover, rainfall could replace snow in the Arctic region. WION tells you more.

New study reveals Arctic could get more rain than snowfall by 2060

Fires, floods, flying insects: Climate-fuelled disasters that wreaked havoc across world

The famous Apple Orchards of Kashmir Valley might soon vanish due to the erratic climatic changes in the region. The valley in the last decade has seen major climatic changes&nbsp;like early snowfall due to which farmers have lost around 40 percent of the crop every year.&nbsp;

In 2021, the first snowfall of the season in the Kashmir valley happened in the month of October. At that time the majority of farmers had not harvested the produce. Researchers say the damage to the apple orchards and produce was between 4-40 percent.

A new research done by Dr. Irfan Rashid suggests that the apple orchards of the valley might not sustain if these climatic conditions&nbsp;prevail.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/quarantine-genome-sequencing-for-passengers-coming-from-south-africa-to-mumbai-says-citys-mayor-432359" hreflang="en">Quarantine, genome sequencing for South African passengers, says Mumbai mayor</a>

''We have a substantial number of farmers all across the Kashmir valley who are doing apple farming. What has happened over the last two or three decades is we are experiencing changes in many meteorological&nbsp;parameters. We have very instrumental evidence with us that is temperature and precipitation patterns. If you look at precipitation patterns, we used to receive substantial precipitation in winters, there were some sporadic events in springs also but Autumn&nbsp;used to be dry but what we are seeing now is erratic snowfall during autumn,''&nbsp;said Dr. Irfan Rashid, Coordinator, Department of GeoInformatics, Kashmir University.&nbsp;

''If we look at Met History we experienced very heavy snowfall in the first week of November in 2018 and in 2019. We received snowfall in the month of October which is very early. There are many varieties of apples that are harvested in November so obviously when we have erratic snowfalls, the crop will suffer and also damage the trees. In 2018 we did a survey, which suggested that 4-50 percent damage, some orchards were damaged up to 50 percent. On an average around 35 percent of our crop got damaged,'' he added.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/uae-to-be-first-foreign-destination-of-prime-minister-narendra-modi-in-2022-432653" hreflang="en">UAE to be first foreign destination of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2022</a>

He also said that if we don't&nbsp;bring in the required changes, the horticulture industry which is the backbone of Kashmir's GDP will be majorly impacted.

''If we do not take into consideration the erratic snowfall patterns that Kashmir has been experiencing, this promulgation of horticulture as an economic savior of Jammu and Kashmir will not be sustainable in the long run,'' added Dr. Irfan Rashid, Coordinator, Department of GeoInformatics, Kashmir University.&nbsp;

Researchers believe that the last two decades have seen major climatic changes in the Kashmir Valley, but In the last five years, the apple orchard farmers had to bear the maximum brunt. This year was the third consecutive harvest destroyed by the early snowfall.

2019 saw the maximum damage as Kashmir witnessed the heaviest snowfall during that year damaging crops and trees worth millions.&nbsp;

The Horticulture department has been promoting High-Density Apple orchards to the farmers. A huge number of farms have been converted from traditional apple orchards to High-Density ones. The horticulture&nbsp;department as well as the researchers also believe shifting to High density could save the industry.&nbsp;

''In my research also, we basically vouched for High-density apple orchards, but we have to take into consideration the harvest season and timing has to not be October and November it has to be early. if we receive snowfall in October like this year, it might be likely in years to come October may see snowfall again, &nbsp;so if we have apple varieties where apples are harvested in the month of October, it will be unsustainable, but if we have varieties that can be harvested by mid-September or late September that could be a good way to sustain and channelise horticulture,'' said Dr. Irfan Rashid, Coordinator, Department of GeoInformatics, Kashmir University

The farmers on the other hand say it would be extremely difficult to shift to High-Density Orchards. The existing traditional Apple orchards would need to be completely taken off to plant new trees, which means huge losses to the farmers.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The famous Apple Orchards of Kashmir Valley might soon vanish due to the erratic climatic changes in the region. The valley in the last decade has seen major climatic changes like early snowfall due to which farmers have lost around 40 percent of the crop every year.

The famous Apple Orchards of Kashmir Valley might soon vanish due to the erratic climatic changes in the region. The valley in the last decade has seen major climatic changes like early snowfall due to which farmers have lost around 40 percent of the crop every year. In 2021, the first snowfall of the season in the Kashmir valley happened in the month of October. At that time the majority of farmers had not harvested the produce. Researchers say the damage to the apple orchards and produce was between 4-40 percent. A new research done by Dr. Irfan Rashid suggests that the apple orchards of the valley might not sustain if these climatic conditions prevail. Also read | Quarantine, genome sequencing for South African passengers, says Mumbai mayor ''We have a substantial number of farmers all across the Kashmir valley who are doing apple farming. What has happened over the last two or three decades is we are experiencing changes in many meteorological parameters. We have very instrumental evidence with us that is temperature and precipitation patterns. If you look at precipitation patterns, we used to receive substantial precipitation in winters, there were some sporadic events in springs also but Autumn used to be dry but what we are seeing now is erratic snowfall during autumn,'' said Dr. Irfan Rashid, Coordinator, Department of GeoInformatics, Kashmir University. ''If we look at Met History we experienced very heavy snowfall in the first week of November in 2018 and in 2019. We received snowfall in the month of October which is very early. There are many varieties of apples that are harvested in November so obviously when we have erratic snowfalls, the crop will suffer and also damage the trees. In 2018 we did a survey, which suggested that 4-50 percent damage, some orchards were damaged up to 50 percent. On an average around 35 percent of our crop got damaged,'' he added. Also read | UAE to be first foreign destination of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2022 He also said that if we don't bring in the required changes, the horticulture industry which is the backbone of Kashmir's GDP will be majorly impacted. ''If we do not take into consideration the erratic snowfall patterns that Kashmir has been experiencing, this promulgation of horticulture as an economic savior of Jammu and Kashmir will not be sustainable in the long run,'' added Dr. Irfan Rashid, Coordinator, Department of GeoInformatics, Kashmir University. Researchers believe that the last two decades have seen major climatic changes in the Kashmir Valley, but In the last five years, the apple orchard farmers had to bear the maximum brunt. This year was the third consecutive harvest destroyed by the early snowfall. 2019 saw the maximum damage as Kashmir witnessed the heaviest snowfall during that year damaging crops and trees worth millions. The Horticulture department has been promoting High-Density Apple orchards to the farmers. A huge number of farms have been converted from traditional apple orchards to High-Density ones. The horticulture department as well as the researchers also believe shifting to High density could save the industry. ''In my research also, we basically vouched for High-density apple orchards, but we have to take into consideration the harvest season and timing has to not be October and November it has to be early. if we receive snowfall in October like this year, it might be likely in years to come October may see snowfall again, so if we have apple varieties where apples are harvested in the month of October, it will be unsustainable, but if we have varieties that can be harvested by mid-September or late September that could be a good way to sustain and channelise horticulture,'' said Dr. Irfan Rashid, Coordinator, Department of GeoInformatics, Kashmir University The farmers on the other hand say it would be extremely difficult to shift to High-Density Orchards. The existing traditional Apple orchards would need to be completely taken off to plant new trees, which means huge losses to the farmers.

Kashmir: Apple orchards might not sustain climatic changes, farmers losing upto 40 percent crop every year

The Humboldt archipelago off the northern Pacific coast of Chile serves as a "natural reserve". But its fragile ecosystem is under threat, say, environmentalists, from a US$2.5-billion mining project on the nearby mainland.

Chile: Activists, locals oppose mining project near Humboldt Archipelago

Researchers say global warming might be responsible for albatrosses, one of the most monogamous birds in the world, divorcing more often.<o:p></o:p>

A recent Royal Society study shows that climate change and warming waters are leading to higher break-up rates among black-browed albatrosses.<o:p></o:p>

Albatrosses&nbsp;are anthropomorphic creatures, i.e., they exhibit traits or behaviours typically associated with humans. As they mature, they embark on years-long trips away from home, have a long, awkward teenage phase during which they learn how to seduce a mate through dance, and live for 50-60 years.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/internet-outrage-as-ukraine-clinic-offers-black-friday-discounts-on-babies-431545" hreflang="en">Internet outrage as Ukraine clinic offers Black Friday discounts on babies</a>

They mate for life, and they also celebrate loudly when reunited with a partner after a long time.<o:p></o:p>

Sadly, today, more and more of these creatures share another rite of passage with young humans. Under stress from the climate crisis, working longer hours to eat, and juggling the logistical challenges of travelling together, they are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain relationships.<o:p></o:p>

While earlier, it was estimated that only 1-3 per cent of couples who choose a partner will separate to find a better one, the study found that this increases significantly in years with unusually warm water temperatures, as many as 8 per cent of couples are splitting up.<o:p></o:p>

To reach these numbers an investigation was conducted into a wild population of 15,500 breeding pairs in the Falkland Islands over the course of 15 years.<o:p></o:p>

Warmer waters mean less fish, less food and harsher conditions for seabirds. Their stress hormones increase, they must hunt farther afield, fewer chicks survive.

<o:p>Also read |&nbsp;</o:p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/albert-einsteins-notes-on-theory-of-relativity-sold-at-this-record-price-431524" hreflang="en">Albert Einstein's notes on theory of relativity sold at this record price</a>

Albatross love lives have long been a subject of scientific study, as they are among the most loyal members of the animal kingdom.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>

Co-author Francesco Ventura of the Royal Society study reported that&nbsp;even after adjusting for the scarcity of fish,&nbsp;researchers were surprised to find that warm waters led to unusually high levels of albatross couples splitting up.<o:p></o:p>

Usually, the birds divorce after facing a reproductive failure. A couple is more likely to split up when they do not produce a chick. While food shortages might result in more failures, they were surprised, however, to discover that higher water temperatures had an additional effect. It pushes up divorce rates even in instances where reproduction was successful.<o:p></o:p>

According to Ventura, one explanation could be that warming waters were forcing birds to hunt for longer and fly farther. A bird's partner may move on to someone else if he or she fails to return for a breeding season.&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>

Additionally, albatross stress hormones increase when waters are warmer and in harsher environments. Ventura indicated the birds might blame their partner for this.

<o:p>Watch |&nbsp;</o:p>Climate change affects Albatross mating, leading to 'break-ups'

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/climate-change-affects-albatross-mating-leading-to-break-ups-431660/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The partner-blaming hypothesis suggests that stressed women might experience higher stress levels and blame their male partners or attribute it to the male's poor performance.<o:p></o:p>

The number of albatrosses is declining, says Dr Graeme Elliot, principal science adviser at New Zealand’s department of conservation, who has been studying albatrosses in the country’s waters for three decades.<o:p></o:p>

He reports that wandering albatross populations are declining at rates of 5-10 per cent every year, and have been dropping since 2005.&nbsp;&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>

Because of this, increasingly homosexual couplings are occurring. There are now male-male pairs among the birds on Antipodes Island, which has never happened before. Only a few per cent of the boys can find a female partner, so they pair up with another boy.<o:p></o:p>

According to Elliott, we need a global campaign to save these birds, because if we do nothing, they will become extinct.<o:p></o:p>

Researchers say global warming might be responsible for albatrosses, one of the most monogamous birds in the world, divorcing more often. A recent Royal Society study shows that climate change and warming waters are leading to higher break-up rates among black-browed albatrosses.

Researchers say global warming might be responsible for albatrosses, one of the most monogamous birds in the world, divorcing more often. A recent Royal Society study shows that climate change and warming waters are leading to higher break-up rates among black-browed albatrosses. Albatrosses are anthropomorphic creatures, i.e., they exhibit traits or behaviours typically associated with humans. As they mature, they embark on years-long trips away from home, have a long, awkward teenage phase during which they learn how to seduce a mate through dance, and live for 50-60 years. Also read | Internet outrage as Ukraine clinic offers Black Friday discounts on babies They mate for life, and they also celebrate loudly when reunited with a partner after a long time. Sadly, today, more and more of these creatures share another rite of passage with young humans. Under stress from the climate crisis, working longer hours to eat, and juggling the logistical challenges of travelling together, they are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain relationships. While earlier, it was estimated that only 1-3 per cent of couples who choose a partner will separate to find a better one, the study found that this increases significantly in years with unusually warm water temperatures, as many as 8 per cent of couples are splitting up. To reach these numbers an investigation was conducted into a wild population of 15,500 breeding pairs in the Falkland Islands over the course of 15 years. Warmer waters mean less fish, less food and harsher conditions for seabirds. Their stress hormones increase, they must hunt farther afield, fewer chicks survive. Also read | Albert Einstein's notes on theory of relativity sold at this record price Albatross love lives have long been a subject of scientific study, as they are among the most loyal members of the animal kingdom. Co-author Francesco Ventura of the Royal Society study reported that even after adjusting for the scarcity of fish, researchers were surprised to find that warm waters led to unusually high levels of albatross couples splitting up. Usually, the birds divorce after facing a reproductive failure. A couple is more likely to split up when they do not produce a chick. While food shortages might result in more failures, they were surprised, however, to discover that higher water temperatures had an additional effect. It pushes up divorce rates even in instances where reproduction was successful. According to Ventura, one explanation could be that warming waters were forcing birds to hunt for longer and fly farther. A bird's partner may move on to someone else if he or she fails to return for a breeding season. Additionally, albatross stress hormones increase when waters are warmer and in harsher environments. Ventura indicated the birds might blame their partner for this. Watch | Climate change affects Albatross mating, leading to 'break-ups' The partner-blaming hypothesis suggests that stressed women might experience higher stress levels and blame their male partners or attribute it to the male's poor performance. The number of albatrosses is declining, says Dr Graeme Elliot, principal science adviser at New Zealand’s department of conservation, who has been studying albatrosses in the country’s waters for three decades. He reports that wandering albatross populations are declining at rates of 5-10 per cent every year, and have been dropping since 2005. Because of this, increasingly homosexual couplings are occurring. There are now male-male pairs among the birds on Antipodes Island, which has never happened before. Only a few per cent of the boys can find a female partner, so they pair up with another boy. According to Elliott, we need a global campaign to save these birds, because if we do nothing, they will become extinct.

Global warming affecting one of the most monogamous birds, leading to 'break-ups'

The second largest lake in Turkey, Lake Tuz has become the latest casualty of climate change. The water body has completely dried up leaving agriculture and tourism struggling for survival.

Second largest lake in Turkey, Lake Tuz dries up due to climate change

Rising sea levels have posed a threat to the fragile ecosystem in France. It is one of the largest wetlands in Europe and a host to an extraordinary variety of wildlife and vegetation.

France: Rising sea level endanger the balance of the unique eco system

The climate crisis has been one of the major talking points across all nations after especially the COP26 summit. Leaders have come up with grand plans, they have proposed bills to battle the challenge at hand. Germany's three political parties have come together and agreed to phase out coal by 2030.

German parties agree to phase out coal by 2030: Reports

Researchers say global warming might be responsible for albatrosses, one of the most monogamous birds in the world, divorcing more often.

Climate change affects Albatross mating, leading to 'break-ups'

A global emissions targets report by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change states that the temperature of the Earth is about to rise by 2.7 degrees Celsius

Earth temperature to rise by 2.7C: Scientists issue red alert

People across West Asia are on high alert, extreme weather conditions are sweeping the region. from earthquakes and floods to droughts and wildfires. With the COP26 summit now over, what is West Asia's strategy to tackle climate change, take a look!

How is climate change affecting West Asia?

The House on Friday narrowly passed the centerpiece of President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda, approving $2 trillion in spending over the next decade to battle climate change, expand health care and reweave the nation’s social safety net, over the unanimous opposition of Republicans.

The bill’s passage, 220-213, came after weeks of cajoling, arm-twisting and legislative legerdemain by Democrats. It was capped off by an exhausting, circuitous and record-breaking speech of more than eight hours by the House Republican leader, Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, that pushed a planned Thursday vote past midnight, then delayed it to Friday morning — but did nothing to dent Democratic unity.

Groggy lawmakers reassembled at 8 a.m., three hours after McCarthy finally abandoned the floor, to begin the final series of votes to send one of the most consequential pieces of legislation in half a century to the Senate.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi opened the final push with what she called “a courtesy to” her colleagues: “I will be brief.” She then put the House’s actions in lofty terms.

“Under this dome, for centuries, members of Congress have stood exactly where we stand to pass legislation of extraordinary consequence in our nation’s history and for our nation’s future,” she said, adding, the act “will be the pillar of health and financial security in America.”

The bill still has a long and difficult road ahead. Democratic leaders must coax it through the 50-50 Senate and navigate a tortuous budget process that is almost certain to reshape the measure and force it back to the House — if it passes at all.

But even pared back from the $3.5 trillion plan that Biden originally sought, the legislation could prove as transformative as any since the Great Society and War on Poverty in the 1960s, especially for young families and older Americans. The Congressional Budget Office published an official cost estimate Thursday afternoon that found the package would increase the federal budget deficit by $160 billion over 10 years.

The assessment indicated that the package overall would cost slightly more than Biden’s latest proposal — $2.1 trillion rather than $1.85 trillion.

It offers universal prekindergarten, generous subsidies for child care that extend well into the middle class, expanded financial aid for college, hundreds of billions of dollars in housing support, home and community care for older Americans, a new hearing benefit for Medicare and price controls for prescription drugs.

More than half a trillion dollars would go toward shifting the U.S. economy away from fossil fuels to renewable energy and electric cars, the largest investment ever to slow the warming of the planet. The package would largely be paid for with tax increases on high earners and corporations, estimated to bring in nearly $1.5 trillion over 10 years.

Savings in government spending on prescription drugs were projected to bring in another $260 billion, although a scaled-back measure to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices for some medications was estimated to save only $79 billion, far less than the Democrats’ original $456 billion proposal would have.

“This bill will be transformational, and it will be measured in the deeper sense of hope that Americans will have when they see their economy working for them instead of holding them back,” Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., the House majority leader, said Thursday during what was supposed to the closing debate.

The fact that the bill could slightly add to the federal deficit did not dissuade House Democrats from proceeding to vote for it, in part because the analysis boiled down to a dispute over a single line item: how much the IRS would collect by cracking down on people and companies that dodge large tax bills.

The budget office predicted that beefing up the IRS with an additional $80 billion of funding would bring in just $127 billion over 10 years on net. That is far less than the $400 billion the White House estimates it would bring in over a decade, both through enforcement actions and by essentially scaring tax cheats into paying what they owe.

The legislation is moving through Congress under special rules known as reconciliation that shield it from a filibuster, allowing Democrats to push it through over unified Republican opposition in the Senate.

It is a key piece of Biden’s domestic policy agenda, paired with a $1 trillion infrastructure package the president signed into law this week. Its path to Friday’s vote was arduous, from midsummer to deep autumn, with negotiations pitting liberal lawmakers against centrists and House Democrats against senators.

Democrats in the Senate and House had hoped to reach agreement on a final bill before either chamber voted, but that plan was ditched weeks ago amid persistent infighting.

And from the beginning, Republicans — who made it clear they could never support a package of the scope and ambition Biden had proposed — were cut out of the reconciliation talks. While some Republicans voted for the infrastructure measure, they unanimously opposed the expansive social safety net package, arguing that it would constitute a “socialist” encroachment of the federal government into every aspect of American life, and would exacerbate rising costs across the country.

McCarthy, the minority leader, took advantage of the House’s so-called “magic minute” — a custom that allows leaders to speak without time constraints when they are granted their minute of floor time.

He held the floor well into Friday morning, railing for more than eight hours against the bill and the Biden administration, breaking the record for the longest consecutive House speech set by Pelosi in 2018 before he concluded at 5:10 a.m. Some Democrats pointedly walked out before he began to speak, and at times interrupted his speech against the bill with boos, heckles and jeers.

“Every page of all this new Washington spending shows just how irresponsible and out of touch the Democrats are to the challenges that America faces today,” McCarthy said during his diatribe, which appeared designed more to rally his Republican base behind a message for the midterm elections in a debate that had been scheduled to last just 20 minutes.

But just hours later, Democrats filed into the chamber, joking about the lack of sleep. And if Democrats feared the political consequences, it was not evident from the final tally, which reflected support among those from the most competitive districts.

The only Democrat who opposed the bill, Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, did so after raising concerns this month about the inclusion of a provision that would generously increase the federal tax deduction for state and local taxes paid, from $10,000 a year to $80,000.

The action — after months of time-consuming maneuvering over the bill — was fueled in part by an eagerness among lawmakers to wrap up their work and leave Washington for their weeklong Thanksgiving recess. It came about eight months after Biden unveiled the first part of his domestic policy agenda, and after several near-death experiences for the package that have exposed deep divisions within his party.

The vote showed remarkable Democratic unity, given the struggle to get to it. A group of moderate and conservative holdouts, wary about the size of the bill, had held out for an official estimate before they would commit to supporting it.

But after the release Thursday of section-by-section assessments from the Congressional Budget Office, the official fiscal scorekeeper, most were swayed. White House officials met privately with the group Thursday evening to walk them through the administration’s analysis and the budget tables, according to a person familiar with the discussion.

“While I continue to have reservations about the overall size of the legislation — and concerns about certain policy provisions that are extraneous or unwise — I believe there are too many badly needed investments in this bill not to advance it in the legislative process,” Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., a key centrist, said in a statement announcing her vote.

For Democrats, the bill is perhaps the last significant opportunity to push through their domestic policy ambitions: an array of environmental provisions, federal support for education and child care, and the fulfillment of a longtime campaign promise to tackle the soaring cost of prescription drugs.

“Now, it’s going to be just telling our story — that’s the challenge,” said Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Mass., the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, as staff carried fresh cups of coffee into his ceremonial office. “We’ve got make sure that people understand which party came through, and we really did.”

The legislation is all but guaranteed to change in the Senate, where two Democratic centrists, Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, have yet to explicitly endorse it. In an evenly divided Senate, a single defection could sink its passage, and Democrats will have to maneuver the bill through their own internal divisions and a rapid-fire series of politically difficult amendments that could upend the bill.

Democrats must also ensure that the entire plan adheres to the strict rules that govern the reconciliation process and force the removal of any provision that does not have a direct fiscal effect. Those rules have already forced the party to abandon a plan to provide a path to citizenship in the bill for immigrants in the country illegally.

The Senate parliamentarian, the arbiter of those rules, has yet to issue guidance for their latest proposal to provide temporary protection from deportation for millions of migrants who are long-term residents of the United States.

Other elements of the plan may also shift because of objections from individual senators. Manchin, in particular, has raised a variety of concerns, including to four weeks of federal paid family and medical leave and a push to include a fee on emissions of methane, a powerful pollutant.

And Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who is chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, and Michael Bennet, D-Colo., have rejected a House provision to generously increase the federal tax deduction for state and local taxes paid, which would primarily benefit wealthy homeowners who itemize their deductions. Instead, they and other senators are discussing an income limit to curtail who could take advantage of the increased deduction.

The provision would raise a cap imposed by Republicans in their 2017 tax law, which Democrats from high-tax states like New York, California and New Jersey, have denounced as punitive for their constituents. While some Democrats have publicly complained about its inclusion, several lawmakers in the New York and New Jersey delegations had established it as a requirement for their votes.

Democratic leaders have suggested that the Senate would move to pass the legislation before the end of the year, despite a number of other pressing fiscal deadlines piling up in December.

The House on Friday narrowly passed the centerpiece of President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda, approving $2 trillion in spending over the next decade to battle climate change, expand health care and reweave the nation’s social safety net, over the unanimous opposition of Republicans.

The House on Friday narrowly passed the centerpiece of President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda, approving $2 trillion in spending over the next decade to battle climate change, expand health care and reweave the nation’s social safety net, over the unanimous opposition of Republicans. The bill’s passage, 220-213, came after weeks of cajoling, arm-twisting and legislative legerdemain by Democrats. It was capped off by an exhausting, circuitous and record-breaking speech of more than eight hours by the House Republican leader, Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, that pushed a planned Thursday vote past midnight, then delayed it to Friday morning — but did nothing to dent Democratic unity. Groggy lawmakers reassembled at 8 a.m., three hours after McCarthy finally abandoned the floor, to begin the final series of votes to send one of the most consequential pieces of legislation in half a century to the Senate. Speaker Nancy Pelosi opened the final push with what she called “a courtesy to” her colleagues: “I will be brief.” She then put the House’s actions in lofty terms. “Under this dome, for centuries, members of Congress have stood exactly where we stand to pass legislation of extraordinary consequence in our nation’s history and for our nation’s future,” she said, adding, the act “will be the pillar of health and financial security in America.” The bill still has a long and difficult road ahead. Democratic leaders must coax it through the 50-50 Senate and navigate a tortuous budget process that is almost certain to reshape the measure and force it back to the House — if it passes at all. But even pared back from the $3.5 trillion plan that Biden originally sought, the legislation could prove as transformative as any since the Great Society and War on Poverty in the 1960s, especially for young families and older Americans. The Congressional Budget Office published an official cost estimate Thursday afternoon that found the package would increase the federal budget deficit by $160 billion over 10 years. The assessment indicated that the package overall would cost slightly more than Biden’s latest proposal — $2.1 trillion rather than $1.85 trillion. It offers universal prekindergarten, generous subsidies for child care that extend well into the middle class, expanded financial aid for college, hundreds of billions of dollars in housing support, home and community care for older Americans, a new hearing benefit for Medicare and price controls for prescription drugs. More than half a trillion dollars would go toward shifting the U.S. economy away from fossil fuels to renewable energy and electric cars, the largest investment ever to slow the warming of the planet. The package would largely be paid for with tax increases on high earners and corporations, estimated to bring in nearly $1.5 trillion over 10 years. Savings in government spending on prescription drugs were projected to bring in another $260 billion, although a scaled-back measure to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices for some medications was estimated to save only $79 billion, far less than the Democrats’ original $456 billion proposal would have. “This bill will be transformational, and it will be measured in the deeper sense of hope that Americans will have when they see their economy working for them instead of holding them back,” Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., the House majority leader, said Thursday during what was supposed to the closing debate. The fact that the bill could slightly add to the federal deficit did not dissuade House Democrats from proceeding to vote for it, in part because the analysis boiled down to a dispute over a single line item: how much the IRS would collect by cracking down on people and companies that dodge large tax bills. The budget office predicted that beefing up the IRS with an additional $80 billion of funding would bring in just $127 billion over 10 years on net. That is far less than the $400 billion the White House estimates it would bring in over a decade, both through enforcement actions and by essentially scaring tax cheats into paying what they owe. The legislation is moving through Congress under special rules known as reconciliation that shield it from a filibuster, allowing Democrats to push it through over unified Republican opposition in the Senate. It is a key piece of Biden’s domestic policy agenda, paired with a $1 trillion infrastructure package the president signed into law this week. Its path to Friday’s vote was arduous, from midsummer to deep autumn, with negotiations pitting liberal lawmakers against centrists and House Democrats against senators. Democrats in the Senate and House had hoped to reach agreement on a final bill before either chamber voted, but that plan was ditched weeks ago amid persistent infighting. And from the beginning, Republicans — who made it clear they could never support a package of the scope and ambition Biden had proposed — were cut out of the reconciliation talks. While some Republicans voted for the infrastructure measure, they unanimously opposed the expansive social safety net package, arguing that it would constitute a “socialist” encroachment of the federal government into every aspect of American life, and would exacerbate rising costs across the country. McCarthy, the minority leader, took advantage of the House’s so-called “magic minute” — a custom that allows leaders to speak without time constraints when they are granted their minute of floor time. He held the floor well into Friday morning, railing for more than eight hours against the bill and the Biden administration, breaking the record for the longest consecutive House speech set by Pelosi in 2018 before he concluded at 5:10 a.m. Some Democrats pointedly walked out before he began to speak, and at times interrupted his speech against the bill with boos, heckles and jeers. “Every page of all this new Washington spending shows just how irresponsible and out of touch the Democrats are to the challenges that America faces today,” McCarthy said during his diatribe, which appeared designed more to rally his Republican base behind a message for the midterm elections in a debate that had been scheduled to last just 20 minutes. But just hours later, Democrats filed into the chamber, joking about the lack of sleep. And if Democrats feared the political consequences, it was not evident from the final tally, which reflected support among those from the most competitive districts. The only Democrat who opposed the bill, Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, did so after raising concerns this month about the inclusion of a provision that would generously increase the federal tax deduction for state and local taxes paid, from $10,000 a year to $80,000. The action — after months of time-consuming maneuvering over the bill — was fueled in part by an eagerness among lawmakers to wrap up their work and leave Washington for their weeklong Thanksgiving recess. It came about eight months after Biden unveiled the first part of his domestic policy agenda, and after several near-death experiences for the package that have exposed deep divisions within his party. The vote showed remarkable Democratic unity, given the struggle to get to it. A group of moderate and conservative holdouts, wary about the size of the bill, had held out for an official estimate before they would commit to supporting it. But after the release Thursday of section-by-section assessments from the Congressional Budget Office, the official fiscal scorekeeper, most were swayed. White House officials met privately with the group Thursday evening to walk them through the administration’s analysis and the budget tables, according to a person familiar with the discussion. “While I continue to have reservations about the overall size of the legislation — and concerns about certain policy provisions that are extraneous or unwise — I believe there are too many badly needed investments in this bill not to advance it in the legislative process,” Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., a key centrist, said in a statement announcing her vote. For Democrats, the bill is perhaps the last significant opportunity to push through their domestic policy ambitions: an array of environmental provisions, federal support for education and child care, and the fulfillment of a longtime campaign promise to tackle the soaring cost of prescription drugs. “Now, it’s going to be just telling our story — that’s the challenge,” said Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Mass., the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, as staff carried fresh cups of coffee into his ceremonial office. “We’ve got make sure that people understand which party came through, and we really did.” The legislation is all but guaranteed to change in the Senate, where two Democratic centrists, Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, have yet to explicitly endorse it. In an evenly divided Senate, a single defection could sink its passage, and Democrats will have to maneuver the bill through their own internal divisions and a rapid-fire series of politically difficult amendments that could upend the bill. Democrats must also ensure that the entire plan adheres to the strict rules that govern the reconciliation process and force the removal of any provision that does not have a direct fiscal effect. Those rules have already forced the party to abandon a plan to provide a path to citizenship in the bill for immigrants in the country illegally. The Senate parliamentarian, the arbiter of those rules, has yet to issue guidance for their latest proposal to provide temporary protection from deportation for millions of migrants who are long-term residents of the United States. Other elements of the plan may also shift because of objections from individual senators. Manchin, in particular, has raised a variety of concerns, including to four weeks of federal paid family and medical leave and a push to include a fee on emissions of methane, a powerful pollutant. And Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who is chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, and Michael Bennet, D-Colo., have rejected a House provision to generously increase the federal tax deduction for state and local taxes paid, which would primarily benefit wealthy homeowners who itemize their deductions. Instead, they and other senators are discussing an income limit to curtail who could take advantage of the increased deduction. The provision would raise a cap imposed by Republicans in their 2017 tax law, which Democrats from high-tax states like New York, California and New Jersey, have denounced as punitive for their constituents. While some Democrats have publicly complained about its inclusion, several lawmakers in the New York and New Jersey delegations had established it as a requirement for their votes. Democratic leaders have suggested that the Senate would move to pass the legislation before the end of the year, despite a number of other pressing fiscal deadlines piling up in December.

House narrowly passes Biden’s social safety net and climate bill

#Climatechange is battering West Asia every day but what countries are not talking about is military pollution. If the United States was a nation in the region, it would be the 8th largest polluter in West Asia.

The West Asia Post: Military pollution and West Asiaming climate crisis

#ClimateChange is battering West Asia every day but what countries are not talking about is military pollution. If the United States was a nation in the region, it would be the 8th largest polluter in West Asia. WION's Ghadi Francis tells you more in this report.

The West Asia Post: Military pollution and West Asia

Facebook is in the headlines yet again. This time for advertising misleading and false claims about climate change during the COP26 summit.

It comes after conservative media network Newsmax ran an ad on Facebook that called man-made global warming a "hoax."

The advertisement, which had 200,000 views, had multiple versions. In one of them, "modern doomsayers" are condemned for wrongly predicting climate crises for decades.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/google-begins-rolling-out-november-2021-core-update-at-an-unusual-time-430280" hreflang="en">Google begins rolling out November 2021 core update at an unusual time</a>

Fossil fuel companies and lobbying groups spent $574,000 on "greenwashing" as per UK-based think-tank InfluenceMap.&nbsp;

"While ads like these run across many platforms, Facebook offers an extra layer of transparency by requiring them to be available to the public in our Ad Library for up to seven years after publication," a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement.

Chief Technology Officer Mike Schroepfer said We continually reevaluate what the state of the world is and what is our role, which starts with trying to allow people free expression, and then intervening when there are harms happening that we can prevent."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/apple-finally-gives-in-to-right-to-repair-movement-allows-users-to-self-repair-iphones-macs-430137" hreflang="en">Apple finally gives in to ‘right to repair’ movement, allows users to self-repair iPhones, Macs</a>

Facebook is already facing stinging criticism after whistleblower Frances Haugen revealed that the company knew its Instagram photo app had the potential to harm teen mental health.

Faced with a barrage of bad publicity due to Haugen's revelations, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had announced that the company will now be called Meta Platforms Inc., or Meta for short, to reflect what CEO Mark Zuckerberg said&nbsp;is its commitment to developing the new surround-yourself technology known as the “ metaverse.”

Skeptics have accused the company of trying to change the subject from the Facebook Papers, the trove of leaked documents that have plunged it into the biggest crisis since it was founded in Zuckerberg’s Harvard dorm room 17 years ago.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Facebook is in the headlines yet again. This time for advertising misleading and false claims about climate change during the COP26 summit. It comes after conservative media network Newsmax ran an ad on Facebook that called man-made global warming a "hoax.

Facebook is in the headlines yet again. This time for advertising misleading and false claims about climate change during the COP26 summit. It comes after conservative media network Newsmax ran an ad on Facebook that called man-made global warming a "hoax." The advertisement, which had 200,000 views, had multiple versions. In one of them, "modern doomsayers" are condemned for wrongly predicting climate crises for decades. Also read | Google begins rolling out November 2021 core update at an unusual time Fossil fuel companies and lobbying groups spent $574,000 on "greenwashing" as per UK-based think-tank InfluenceMap. "While ads like these run across many platforms, Facebook offers an extra layer of transparency by requiring them to be available to the public in our Ad Library for up to seven years after publication," a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement. Chief Technology Officer Mike Schroepfer said We continually reevaluate what the state of the world is and what is our role, which starts with trying to allow people free expression, and then intervening when there are harms happening that we can prevent." Also read | Apple finally gives in to ‘right to repair’ movement, allows users to self-repair iPhones, Macs Facebook is already facing stinging criticism after whistleblower Frances Haugen revealed that the company knew its Instagram photo app had the potential to harm teen mental health. Faced with a barrage of bad publicity due to Haugen's revelations, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had announced that the company will now be called Meta Platforms Inc., or Meta for short, to reflect what CEO Mark Zuckerberg said is its commitment to developing the new surround-yourself technology known as the “ metaverse.” Skeptics have accused the company of trying to change the subject from the Facebook Papers, the trove of leaked documents that have plunged it into the biggest crisis since it was founded in Zuckerberg’s Harvard dorm room 17 years ago. (With inputs from agencies)

Facebook advertisers promoted false claims about climate change during COP26 summit

The Biden administration has leased millions of acres in the Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas drilling, days after President Joe Biden asserted in the climate summit in Glasgow that US would “lead by example” in tackling climate change.

Environmental activists have called the move “reckless”, saying it will lock in years, and potentially decades, of planet-heating emissions.

The lease sale has the potential to emit more than 516 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere — the equivalent to annual emissions of 130 coal-fired power plants or 112 million cars, according to the Center of Biological Diversity, an NGO based in Arizona, US.

Even Biden’s Democratic allies were surprised with the auction.

“This administration went to Scotland and told the world that America’s climate leadership is back, and now it’s about to hand over 80m acres of public waters in the Gulf of Mexico to fossil fuel companies,” Guardian quoted Raul Grijalva, chair of the House natural resources committee, as saying.

Also read |<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-will-reduce-emissions-by-50-52-below-2005-levels-by-2030-says-biden-at-cop26-425923">&nbsp;US will reduce emissions by 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030, says Biden at COP26</a>

“The&nbsp;lease sale is a step in the wrong direction, and the administration needs to do better,” he added.

The Department of the Interior, which oversees public lands and waters, has estimated that there is as much as 1.12 billion barrels of oil and 4.2 trillion cubic feet of gas available for extraction.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/cop26-us-china-promoted-coal-phase-down-concept-then-why-is-india-getting-disproportionate-blame-for-it-429295">COP26: US, China promoted 'coal phase down' concept. Then why is India getting disproportionate blame for it?</a>

A separate lease sale offered by the government in Alaska’s Cook Inlet will offer up another 192m barrels of oil and 301bn cubic ft of gas to drillers, according to the Guardian.

Watch | It's official! America is a Climate Hypocrite | US to sell gas fields in 'Gulf Of Mexico'

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-its-official-america-is-a-climate-hypocrite-us-to-sell-gas-fields-in-gulf-of-mexico-430093/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The US government had announced to auction 80 million acres, which is twice as large as Florida, but only 1.7 million were actually leased, with companies placing bids on just 308 out of about 15,000 blocks.

Thirty-three companies participated in the sale.&nbsp;

The firms&nbsp;will pay a total of nearly $192 million to drill in the water, in addition to royalties for what they extract.&nbsp;

Earlier this month at the UN climate summit in Glasgow, President Joe Biden had said that US&nbsp;"will demonstrate to the world" that it is "not only back at the table" but will "hopefully lead by the power of our example."

He reiterated that the US&nbsp;will cut back carbon emissions by 50 per cent - 52 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030.&nbsp;

"I know it hasn't been the case...Our administration is working overtime to show that our climate commitment is action, not words," he said.

(With inputs from agencies)

The Biden administration has leased millions of acres in the Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas drilling, days after President Joe Biden asserted in the climate summit in Glasgow that US would “lead by example” in tackling climate change.

The Biden administration has leased millions of acres in the Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas drilling, days after President Joe Biden asserted in the climate summit in Glasgow that US would “lead by example” in tackling climate change. Environmental activists have called the move “reckless”, saying it will lock in years, and potentially decades, of planet-heating emissions. The lease sale has the potential to emit more than 516 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere — the equivalent to annual emissions of 130 coal-fired power plants or 112 million cars, according to the Center of Biological Diversity, an NGO based in Arizona, US. Even Biden’s Democratic allies were surprised with the auction. “This administration went to Scotland and told the world that America’s climate leadership is back, and now it’s about to hand over 80m acres of public waters in the Gulf of Mexico to fossil fuel companies,” Guardian quoted Raul Grijalva, chair of the House natural resources committee, as saying. Also read | US will reduce emissions by 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030, says Biden at COP26 “The lease sale is a step in the wrong direction, and the administration needs to do better,” he added. The Department of the Interior, which oversees public lands and waters, has estimated that there is as much as 1.12 billion barrels of oil and 4.2 trillion cubic feet of gas available for extraction. Also read | COP26: US, China promoted 'coal phase down' concept. Then why is India getting disproportionate blame for it? A separate lease sale offered by the government in Alaska’s Cook Inlet will offer up another 192m barrels of oil and 301bn cubic ft of gas to drillers, according to the Guardian. Watch | It's official! America is a Climate Hypocrite | US to sell gas fields in 'Gulf Of Mexico' The US government had announced to auction 80 million acres, which is twice as large as Florida, but only 1.7 million were actually leased, with companies placing bids on just 308 out of about 15,000 blocks. Thirty-three companies participated in the sale. The firms will pay a total of nearly $192 million to drill in the water, in addition to royalties for what they extract. Earlier this month at the UN climate summit in Glasgow, President Joe Biden had said that US "will demonstrate to the world" that it is "not only back at the table" but will "hopefully lead by the power of our example." He reiterated that the US will cut back carbon emissions by 50 per cent - 52 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030. "I know it hasn't been the case...Our administration is working overtime to show that our climate commitment is action, not words," he said. (With inputs from agencies)

Days after promising to fight climate change, US auctions off oil and gas drilling lease in Gulf of Mexico

climate-change

Climate Change, News on Climate Change, stories on Climate Change, articles on Climate Change, Climate Change stories at Wion, Climate Change news, Climate Change latest news