• Apply $100,000 Grants for Your Climate Technology Solution

    Here’s a chance to bring out the best in you. Before 2023 rolls off, you can get your share of these grants. Read the instructions carefully before you apply. You don’t want to make any mistakes.

    $100,000 Climate Technology Grants

    The Climate Tech Facility is looking for organizations operating in Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and Latin and Central America that apply cutting-edge technology to build innovative solutions for climate resilience for under-served populations.

    The Climate Tech Facility will provide equity-free grants of up to $100,000 to eligible partners. In addition to capital, the Venture Lab will also provide mentorship, impact measurement advisory, access to partnership opportunities, knowledge exchange, and brand exposure.

    Successful proposals will focus on:

    • Adaptive Agriculture & Food Systems

    • Inclusive Fintech

    • Climate-Smart Technologies

    Be sure your proposal explains the technological solution itself and its impact on under-served populations in emerging markets and the viability and sustainability of the model. Best if it has a business case with a clear value proposition, positive unit economics and the pathway to scale.

    Apply Now! Deadline is November 15, 2023

  • United In Science 2020 Report: Climate Change Has Not Stopped For COVID- 19

    By the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

    Climate change has not stopped for COVID19. Greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere are
    at record levels and continue to increase. Emissions are heading in the direction of pre-pandemic
    levels following a temporary decline caused by the lockdown and economic slowdown. The world is
    set to see its warmest five years on record — in a trend which is likely to continue — and is not on
    track to meet agreed targets to keep global temperature increase well below 2°C or at 1.5°C above
    pre-industrial levels.

    This is according to a new multi-agency report from leading science organizations, United in Science
    2020. It highlights the increasing and irreversible impacts of climate change, which affects glaciers,
    oceans, nature, economies, and human living conditions and is often felt through water-related
    hazards like drought or flooding. It also documents how COVID-19 has impeded our ability to
    monitor these changes through the global observing system.

    “This has been an unprecedented year for people and planet. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted
    lives worldwide. At the same time, the heating of our planet and climate disruption has continued
    apace,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres in a foreword.

    “Never before has it been so clear that we need long-term, inclusive, clean transitions to tackle the
    climate crisis and achieve sustainable development. We must turn the recovery from the pandemic
    into a real opportunity to build a better future,” said Mr. Guterres, who will present the report on 9
    September. “We need science, solidarity and solutions.”

    By 2050, the number of people at risk of floods will increase from its current level of 1.2 billion
    to 1.6 billion. In the early to mid-2010s, 1.9 billion people, or 27% of the global population, lived
    in potential severely water-scarce areas. In 2050, this number will increase to 2.7 to 3.2 billion
    people.

    The United in Science 2020 report (PDF), the second in a series, is coordinated by the World
    Meteorological Organization (WMO), with input from the Global Carbon Project, the
    Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of
    UNESCO, the UN Environment Program and the UK Met Office. It presents the very latest scientific
    data and findings related to climate change to inform global policy and action.

    “Greenhouse gas concentrations – which are already at their highest levels in 3 million years – have
    continued to rise. Meanwhile, large swathes of Siberia have seen a prolonged and remarkable
    heatwave during the first half of 2020, which would have been very unlikely without anthropogenic
    climate change. And now 2016–2020 is set to be the warmest five-year period on record.

    This report shows that whilst many aspects of our lives have been disrupted in 2020, climate change has
    continued unabated,” said WMO Secretary-General, Professor Petteri Taalas.

    Key Findings

    Greenhouse Gas Concentrations in the Atmosphere (World Meteorological Organization)
    Atmospheric CO2 concentrations showed no signs of peaking and have continued to increase to new
    records. Benchmark stations in the WMO Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) network reported CO2
    concentrations above 410 parts per million (ppm) during the first half of 2020, with Mauna Loa
    (Hawaii) and Cape Grim (Tasmania) at 414.38 ppm and 410.04 ppm, respectively, in July 2020, up
    from 411.74 ppm and 407.83 ppm in July 2019.

    Reductions in emissions of CO2 in 2020 will only slightly impact the rate of increase in the
    atmospheric concentrations, which are the result of past and current emissions, as well as the very
    long lifetime of CO2. Sustained reductions in emissions to net zero are necessary to stabilize climate
    change.

    Global Fossil CO2 emissions (Global Carbon Project)

    CO2 emissions in 2020 will fall by an estimated 4% to 7% in 2020 due to COVID-19 confinement
    policies. The exact decline will depend on the continued trajectory of the pandemic and government
    responses to address it.

    During peak lockdown in early April 2020, the daily global fossil CO2 emissions dropped by an
    unprecedented 17% compared to 2019. Even so, emissions were still equivalent to 2006 levels,
    highlighting both the steep growth over the past 15 years and the continued dependence on fossil
    sources for energy.

    The COVID-19 pandemic has produced significant impacts on the global observing systems,
    which in turn have affected the quality of forecasts and other weather, climate, and ocean-
    related services.

    By early June 2020, global daily fossil CO2 emissions had mostly returned to within 5% (1%–8%
    range) below 2019 levels, which reached a new record of 36.7 Gigatonnes (Gt) last year, 62% higher
    than at the start of climate change negotiations in 1990.

    Global methane emissions from human activities have continued to increase over the past decade.
    Current emissions of both CO2 and methane are not compatible with emissions pathways consistent
    with the targets of the Paris Agreement.

    Emissions Gap (UN Environment Program)

    Transformational action can no longer be postponed if the Paris Agreement targets are to be met.
    The Emissions Gap Report 2019 showed that the cuts in global emissions required per year from
    2020 to 2030 are close to 3% for a 2°C target and more than 7% per year on average for the 1.5°C
    goal of the Paris Agreement.

    The Emissions Gap in 2030 is estimated at 12–15 Gigatonnes (Gt) CO2e to limit global warming to
    below 2°C. For the 1.5°C goal, the gap is estimated at 29–32 Gt CO2e, roughly equivalent to the
    combined emissions of the six largest emitters.

    It is still possible to bridge the emissions gap, but this will require urgent and concerted action by all
    countries and across all sectors. A substantial part of the short-term potential can be realized
    through scaling up existing, well-proven policies, for instance on renewables and energy efficiency,
    low carbon transportation means and a phase out of coal.

    Looking beyond the 2030 timeframe, new technological solutions and gradual change in
    consumption patterns are needed at all levels. Both technically and economically feasible solutions
    already exist.

    State of Global Climate (WMO and UK’s Met Office)

    The average global temperature for 2016–2020 is expected to be the warmest on record, about
    1.1°C above 1850–1900, a reference period for temperature change since pre-industrial times and
    0.24°C warmer than the global average temperature for 2011–2015.

    In the five-year period 2020–2024, the chance of at least one year exceeding 1.5°C above pre-
    industrial levels is 24%, with a very small chance (3%) of the five-year mean exceeding this level. It is
    likely (~70% chance) that one or more months during the next five years will be at least 1.5°C
    warmer than pre-industrial levels.

    In every year between 2016 and 2020, Arctic sea ice extent has been below average. 2016–2019
    recorded a greater glacier mass loss than all other past five-year periods since 1950. The rate of
    global mean sea-level rise increased between 2011–2015 and 2016–2020.

    Major impacts have been caused by extreme weather and climate events. A clear fingerprint of
    human-induced climate change has been identified on many of these extreme events.

    The Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change)
    Human-induced climate change is affecting life-sustaining systems, from the top of the mountains to
    the depths of the oceans, leading to accelerating sea-level rise, with cascading effects for
    ecosystems and human security.

    This increasingly challenges adaptation and integrated risk management responses.
    Ice sheets and glaciers worldwide have lost mass. Between 1979 and 2018, Arctic sea-ice extent has
    decreased for all months of the year. Increasing wildfire and abrupt permafrost thaw, as well as
    changes in Arctic and mountain hydrology, have altered the frequency and intensity of ecosystem
    disturbances.

    The global ocean has warmed unabated since 1970 and has taken up more than 90% of the excess
    heat in the climate system. Since 1993 the rate of ocean warming, and thus heat uptake has more
    than doubled. Marine heatwaves have doubled in frequency and have become longer-lasting, more
    intense and more extensive, resulting in large-scale coral bleaching events. The ocean has absorbed
    between 20% to 30% of total anthropogenic CO2 emissions since the 1980s causing further ocean
    acidification.

    Since about 1950 many marine species have undergone shifts in geographical range and seasonal
    activities in response to ocean warming, sea-ice change and oxygen loss.

    Global mean sea-level is rising, with acceleration in recent decades due to increasing rates of ice loss
    from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, as well as continued glacier mass loss and ocean
    thermal expansion. The rate of global mean sea-level rise for 2006–2015 of 3.6 ±0.5 mm/yr is
    unprecedented over the last century

    Climate and Water Resources (WMO)

    Climate change impacts are most felt through changing hydrological conditions including changes in
    snow and ice dynamics.

    By 2050, the number of people at risk of floods will increase from its current level of 1.2 billion to 1.6
    billion. In the early to mid-2010s, 1.9 billion people, or 27% of the global population, lived in
    potential severely water-scarce areas. In 2050, this number will increase to 2.7 to 3.2 billion people.
    As of 2019, 12% of the world population drinks water from unimproved and unsafe sources. More
    than 30% of the world population, or 2.4 billion people, live without any form of sanitation.
    Climate change is projected to increase the number of water-stressed regions and exacerbate
    shortages in already water-stressed regions.

    The cryosphere is an important source of freshwater in mountains and their downstream regions.
    There is high confidence that annual runoff from glaciers will reach peak globally at the latest by the
    end of the 21st century. After that, glacier runoff is projected to decline globally with implications
    for water storage.

    It is estimated that Central Europe and Caucasus have reached peak water now, and that the Tibetan
    Plateau region will reach peak water between 2030 and 2050. As runoff from snow cover,
    permafrost and glaciers in this region provides up to 45% of the total river flow, the flow decrease
    would affect water availability for 1.7 billion people.

    Earth System Observations during COVID-19 (Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of
    UNESCO and WMO)

    The COVID-19 pandemic has produced significant impacts on the global observing systems, which in
    turn have affected the quality of forecasts and other weather, climate, and ocean-related services.
    The reduction of aircraft-based observations by an average of 75% to 80% in March and April
    degraded the forecast skills of weather models. Since June, there has been only a slight recovery.
    Observations at manually operated weather stations, especially in Africa and South America, have
    also been badly disrupted.

    For hydrological observations like river discharge, the situation is like that of atmospheric in situ
    measurements. Automated systems continue to deliver data whereas gauging stations that depend
    on manual reading are affected.

    In March 2020, nearly all oceanographic research vessels were recalled to home ports. Commercial
    ships have been unable to contribute vital ocean and weather observations, and ocean buoys and
    other systems could not be maintained. Four full-depth ocean surveys of variables such as carbon,
    temperature, salinity, and water alkalinity, completed only once per decade, have been cancelled.
    Surface carbon measurements from ships, which tell us about the evolution of greenhouse gases,
    also effectively ceased.

    The impacts on climate change monitoring are long-term. They are likely to prevent or restrict
    measurement campaigns for the mass balance of glaciers or the thickness of permafrost, usually
    conducted at the end of the thawing period. The overall disruption of observations will introduce
    gaps in the historical time series of Essential Climate Variables needed to monitor climate variability
    and change and associated impacts.

    Originally published on World Meteorological Organization (WMO) website.

  • How technology and policy can mitigate climate effects

    Today, the federal government spends less than $9 billion annually on energy innovation, which is less than a quarter of what it invests in health innovation and less than a tenth of what it invests in defense innovation. As we sit at a crossroads of an unprecedented confluence of challenges — from a public health crisis to a leadership crisis, to a climate crisis, to racial equity and social justice crisis — it’s time we look for new solutions to solve some of our most urgent problems. Our leaders must explore the ways that energy resiliency and climate action can help to see us through these critical times and create a new normal where a resilient, reliable, and affordable energy system powers our economy, safeguards our public health and provides a path to social and economic mobility.

    Read

  • Global Collaboration Needed to Achieve Clean Energy

    Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) CEO Mike Howard told global energy leaders this week that lower carbon emissions and consumption during the pandemic have provided momentum for an integrated energy system underpinned by new technology and fueled by diverse clean energy resources.

    In a virtual meeting hosted this week by the Embassy of Italy in Washington, D.C., Howard told Italian Ambassador to the U.S., Armando Varricchio, “We have a tremendous challenge before us. We have to work globally, collaboratively, with a sense of urgency.”

    https://www.indrastra.com/2020/10/EPRI-CEO-Clean-Energy-Post-COVID-19-006-10-2020-0019.html

  • Early humans wiped out by climate change – Study

    Climate change wiped out early humans, a study has found, as scientists warn that global warming could have a greater impact than previously thought.

    Cousins of Homo sapiens failed to adapt to the cold tens of thousands of years ago, a new paper argues, leaving them vulnerable to extinction when temperatures dropped below the levels they were used to.

    Read more

  • Turkey: Beekeepers blame global warming for death of millions of bees

    Millions of bees died due to drought triggered by global warming in southern Turkey’s Mersin, which caused about a 70%-80% decrease in honey production in the province, a beekeepers association head said.

    The above-seasonal temperature and abrupt changes have adversely affected beekeeping in Mersin this year. Drought caused not only the deaths of many bees but also became the main reason for a decrease in the number of plants from which bees can receive nutrition to produce honey.

    Adem Kurt, head of the Mersin Beekeepers Association, told Demirören News Agency (DHA) that there will be a possible 7%-8% increase in honey prices…

     

    https://www.dailysabah.com/turkey/beekeepers-blame-global-warming-for-death-of-millions-of-bees-in-southern-turkey/news