Common Dreams reports: Arctic scientists have warned that the increasingly rapid melting of the ice cap risks triggering 19 “tipping points” in the region that could have catastrophic consequences around the globe. The recently released Arctic Resilience Report found that the effects of Arctic warming could be felt as far away as the Indian Ocean….
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Scroll.in reports: As demonetisation enters its second week, traders in Patna’s Maroofganj mandi are seeing something unprecedented. In the last seven days, the supply of new stocks in this market has plummeted. The supply of cooking oil, for instance, is down by 80%. In the same period, orders from shopkeepers have fallen steeply as well….
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Michael T. Klare writes: Whoever enters the Oval Office, it may be time for the rest of us to take up those antinuclear signs long left to molder, and put political pressure on leaders globally to avoid strategies and weapons that would make life on this planet so much more precarious than it already is….
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The Economic Times reports: The International Energy Agency has said it was significantly increasing its five-year growth forecast for renewables, thanks to strong policy support in key countries like United States, China, India and sharp cost reductions. Renewables have surpassed coal last year to become the largest source of installed power capacity in the world….
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Live Mint reports: Environment minister Anil Dave has said that his ministry was thinking of giving environmental clearances for industrial projects within 60 days, or half of the present 120 days. “When the Modi government took charge, it used to take 300 days to grant clearances; this has been reduced to 120 days” he said….
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Live Mint reports: By 2030, without significant investment into making cities more resilient, climate change may push up to 77 million more urban residents into poverty, said a new World Bank report. It stated that a growing number of natural disasters, economic, social, and environmental shocks and stresses, pose the greatest risk to rapidly-growing cities….
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The Guardian reports: The International Monetary Fund has urged governments to take action to tackle a record $152tn debt mountain before it triggers a fresh global financial and economic crisis. New research covering 113 countries had shown that debt was currently 225% of global GDP, with the private sector responsible for two-thirds of the total….
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Scroll.in reports: India will ratify the Paris agreement on climate change today, after President Pranab Mukherjee gave his assent to the deal. The move was originally announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who said the government had chosen Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary for the occasion. The Union cabinet had approved the move on September 28….
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The Guardian reports: Environmental destruction and landgrabs could lead to governments and individuals being prosecuted for crimes against humanity by the international criminal court following a decision to expand its remit. The ICC said it would prioritise crimes that result in “destruction of the environment”, “exploitation of natural resources” and the “illegal dispossession” of land….
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The Washington Post reports: Wilderness areas on Earth have experienced alarming losses in the past two decades, a new study suggests. Researchers have concluded that a 10th of all the world’s wilderness has been lost in just 20 years. South America lost nearly 30 percent of its wilderness area, and Africa lost about 14 percent….
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Partha Sarathi Biswas reports: Kishore Tiwari, chairman of a task force constituted by the Maharashtra government, is emphatic in blaming nationalised banks for farmer suicides in the state. “They have no qualms in writing off debts owed by big corporates, but harass farmers to death even for paltry crop loans of Rs 50,000,” he alleges….
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Pavitra Mohan reports: In rural India, where 833 million Indians (70%) live, people are consuming fewer nutrients than are required to stay healthy, according to a National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau (NNMB) survey. On an average, compared to 1975-1979, a rural Indian now consumes 550 fewer calories and 13 gm protein lesser than they used to….
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Down to Earth magazine reports: The Himalaya-Hindu Kush mountain range and the Tibetan Plateau is referred as the ‘Third Pole’, which directly supports 120 million people through irrigation systems. Recent findings suggest that temperatures there have increased by 1.5 °C in the last 50 years and 509 glaciers have disappeared in the last 50 years….
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Darryl D’Monte reports: As many as 160,000 people will die every year in India by 2050 due to decreased food production because of climate change, an Oxford study predicts. India ranks second in the mortality forecast after China, where as many as 248,000 are expected to die for this reason. Surprisingly, the US ranks fifth….
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Some of the world’s largest companies have been given 45 days to respond to a complaint that their greenhouse gas emissions have violated the human rights of millions of people in the Phillippines. In a potential landmark case, the Phillippines’ Commission on Human Rights has put 47 “carbon majors” including Shell and BP, on notice….
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The Washington Post reports: The temperature in Mitribah, Kuwait, surged Thursday to a blistering 129.2 degrees (54 Celsius). On Friday in Basra, Iraq, the mercury soared to 129.0 degrees (53.9 Celsius). If confirmed, these incredible measurements would represent the two hottest temperatures ever recorded in the Eastern Hemisphere, according to Weather Underground meteorologist Jeff Masters….
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Dinesh Sharma writes: The National Water Framework Bill is a framework for legislation and executive actions related to water. It talks of “Right to Water for Life”, but the terminology used is vague. So while right to water is being offered, it’s not absolute but will be defined by the government from time to time….
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The Guardian reports: Arctic ice cover in June crashed through previous records to reach an all-time low. The Arctic sea ice extent was a staggering 260,000 sq km below the previous record (2010). That means a vast expanse of ice – an area about twice the size of Texas – has vanished over 30 years….
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Catch News reports: Flash floods brought on by a cloudburst have killed at least 30 people in Uttarakhand, and washed away many homes. At least seven people are missing. Although termed flash floods, they didn’t come out of the blue. The Met department had predicted heavy rainfall, yet, the state appears to have been unprepared….
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Kumar Sambhav Srivastava reports: The Centre has scrapped a rule that prevented the government from allowing industrial plantation in naturally forested areas, a move that will allow private players to enter forest management. The change reflects in the new draft national forest policy 2016, made public last week to replace the one formulated in 1988….
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