Delhi Air Quality Worsens, Stage 2 Of Centre's Anti-Pollution Plan Invoked

NEW DELHI, Oct 21: Amid a likely increase in pollution levels, the Centre's air quality panel on Saturday directed authorities in the National Capital Region to increase parking fees to discourage private transport and enhance the services of CNG or electric buses and metro trains.

The action comes as part of 'Stage II' of the central government's pollution control plan known as the 'Graded Response Action Plan' (GRAP), which is implemented in the Delhi-NCR to combat air pollution during the winter season.

At a meeting to review the air quality situation in the Delhi-NCR, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), a statutory body responsible for proactively implementing GRAP, said forecasts by the India Meteorological Department and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology suggest Delhi's overall air quality is likely to dip and enter the 'very poor' category on October 23 and 24, owing to unfavourable meteorological and climatic conditions.

Delhi's 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) stood at 248 on Saturday.

The panel therefore decided to invoke the measures under Stage II of GRAP in the entire NCR in addition to steps already taken under Stage I.

"All actions as envisaged under Stage-II be implemented in right earnest by all the agencies concerned in NCR with immediate effect, in addition to all Stage-I actions of GRAP already in force," it said in an order.

GRAP categorises actions into four stages: Stage I - 'Poor' (AQI 201-300); Stage II - 'Very Poor' (AQI 301-400); Stage III - 'Severe' (AQI 401-450); and Stage IV - 'Severe Plus' (AQI >450).

Stage I mandates the suspension of work at private construction and demolition projects with a plot size equal to or exceeding 500 square metres that are not registered on the state government's portal for remote monitoring of dust mitigation measures.

Authorities are also tasked with enforcing a complete ban on the use of coal and firewood in 'tandoors' at hotels, restaurants and open eateries, along with taking punitive action against polluting industrial units and thermal power plants within 300 kilometres of Delhi.

Ensuring the proper implementation of guidelines for dust mitigation at construction and demolition project sites and sound environmental management of resulting waste is also part of Stage I.

Stage II measures involve increasing parking fees to discourage private transport and enhancing CNG or electric bus and metro services by introducing additional fleets and increasing service frequency.

Under Stage III, BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers are prohibited from operating in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Buddh Nagar.

Stage III involves a complete halt on construction and demolition work, except for essential government projects, besides mining and stone crushing. It also includes a ban on the entry of light commercial vehicles registered outside Delhi and diesel-guzzling trucks, and medium and heavy goods vehicles (except those involved in essential services).

Stage IV includes banning all types of construction and demolition work. State governments are authorised to decide on online classes for school students and work-from-home arrangements for government and private offices during such situations.

Human-Caused Climate Change May Lead To 1 Billion Premature Deaths: Study

NEW DELHI, Aug 29: Climate change induced by human activity is likely to be responsible for the premature death of about one billion people over the next century, if global warming reaches two degrees Celsius, a study suggests.

The oil and gas industry is directly and indirectly responsible for over 40 per cent of carbon emissions - impacting the lives of billions of people, many living in the world's most remote and low-resourced communities, the researchers said.

The study, published in the journal Energies, proposes aggressive energy policies that would enable immediate and substantive decreases to carbon emissions. It also recommends a heightened level of government, corporate and citizen action to accelerate the decarbonisation of the global economy, aiming to minimise the number of projected human deaths.

The researchers found the peer-reviewed literature on the human mortality costs of carbon emissions converged on the "1,000-ton rule," which is an estimate that one future premature death is caused every time approximately 1,000 tons of fossil carbon are burned.

"If you take the scientific consensus of the 1,000-ton rule seriously, and run the numbers, anthropogenic global warming equates to a billion premature dead bodies over the next century. Obviously, we have to act. And we have to act fast," said Joshua Pearce, a professor at the University of Western Ontario in Canada.

Pearce hopes by changing and challenging the language and metrics of global warming, more policymakers and industry leaders will better understand the hard truths about the world's reliance on fossil fuels.

"As predictions of climate models become clearer, the harm we are doing to children and future generations can increasingly be attributed to our actions," said Pearce.

When this direct correlation is recognised, greenhouse gas emissions liabilities can no longer be ignored, the researchers said.

The study found that to limit these enormous future liabilities and save many human lives, humanity needs to stop burning fossil fuels as quickly as possible by following a more aggressive approach to energy efficiency and renewable energy.

"To be clear, predicting the future accurately is hard. The 1,000-ton rule is only an order of magnitude best estimate. The number of caused deaths will likely lie between a tenth of a person and 10 people per 1,000 tons. Regardless, the bottom line that we need to act fast is still crystal clear," Pearce added.

NASA Confirms July 2023 As The Hottest Month Ever, Says 'We Must Act Now'

NEW YORK, Aug 15: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has confirmed July 2023 as the hottest month on record ever since 1880. According to report presented by scientists at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York, July smashed Earth's previous July record by more than one-third of a degree Fahrenheit.

Overall, July 2023 was 0.24°C warmer than any other July in NASA's record, and it was 1.18°C warmer than the average July between 1951 and 1980.

"NASA data confirms what billions around the world literally felt: temperatures in July 2023 made it the hottest month on record. In every corner of the country, Americans are right now experiencing firsthand the effects of the climate crisis, underscoring the urgency of President Biden's historic climate agenda," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.

"We must act now to protect our communities and planet; it's the only one we have," he added.

Parts of South America, North Africa, North America, and the Antarctic Peninsula were especially hot, experiencing temperatures increasing around 4 degrees Celsius above average. NASA's analysis also showed especially warm ocean temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific, evidence of the El Nino that began developing in May 2023.

Gavin Schmidt, director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, said the biggest impacts of El Nino will likely occur next year.

"This July was not just warmer than any previous July - it was the warmest month in our record, which goes back to 1880. The science is clear this isn't normal. Alarming warming around the world is driven primarily by human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. And that rise in average temperatures is fueling dangerous extreme heat that people are experiencing here at home and worldwide," said Mr Schmidt in a press statement.

A few days back, European Union's climate observatory also confirmed that July was the hottest month ever recorded on Earth.

According to NASA data, the five hottest Julys since 1880 have all happened in the past five years.

Heat Index At Iran Airport Hits 66 Degrees Celsius As Climate Scientist Warns Earth Will Become 'Inferno'

NEW YORK, July 17: Climate change has emerged as one of the most pressing global challenges, with rising temperature being a prominent consequence. The Earth's climate is undergoing unprecedented shifts primarily caused by human activities, particularly the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

The burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, industrial processes, and agricultural practices have all contributed to the accumulation of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane, creating a greenhouse effect that traps heat within the Earth's atmosphere. As a result, the planet's average temperature has been steadily climbing over the past century.

Iran's Persian Gulf International Airport experienced record-breaking heat on Sunday due to a rare combination of extremely high temperature and abundant atmospheric moisture that created a heat index.

According to Colin McCarthy from US Stormwatch, the Iran airport reported a heat index of 152 degrees Fahrenheit (66.7 degrees Celsius).

"Persian Gulf International Airport in Iran reported a heat index of 152 degrees Fahrenheit (66.7 degrees Celsius) today at 12:30 pm. Those are intolerable conditions for human/animal life," he said in a tweet posted on July 16.

To calculate how hot or cold the weather feels, meteorologists use equations that factor in air temperature and other atmospheric variables. One of the most widely-used methods for estimating the impacts of hot weather is called the 'heat index', which combines air temperature and humidity.

The shocking temperature was seen in Iran after searing inland heat clashed with humid air flowing off the very warm waters of the Persian Gulf.

At the time mentioned by McCarthy, the temperature at the Persian Gulf International Airport reached 40 Degrees Celsius, with a relative humidity of 65 per cent, according to NOAA data. This created an apparent temperature of 66.7 degrees Celsius.

Extreme heat can have devastating impact on humans. According to vaccine alliance GAVI, it leads to dehydration and if a person doesn't drink enough water to replace that lost through sweating and urination, the blood starts to thicken, making it more prone to clotting, which increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Exposure to high temperature can also amplify existing health problems, making older people and those with chronic conditions at particularly high risk.

According to a Bloomberg report, July is already on track to be the hottest ever year, with 10 of the hottest days in history.

Simultaneous heat waves are suffocating the US, much of Europe and parts of Asia, while El Nino intensifies in the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic waters off Florida hit an unprecedented 32.2 degrees Celsius. China has already recorded its highest-ever temperature of 52.2 degrees Celsius in Sanbo township.

Dr Akshay Deoras, from the University of Reading's meteorology department, has warned of "more frequent and intense" extreme weather events if global temperatures continue to rise at their current rate. Dr Deoras also said that Earth will become an "inferno" if the heatwaves don't spur on governments to tackle global warming.

Two Killed As Rare Summer Storm Hits Netherlands, Germany

AMSTERDAM, July 5: A record-breaking summer storm hammered the Netherlands and Germany on Wednesday, killing two people and throwing international air and rail travel into chaos.

Storm Poly packed howling winds of up to 146 km/h (90 mph), toppling trees and forcing the cancellation of 400 flights from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, one of Europe's busiest hubs.

Meteorologists said the storm was the strongest on record to hit the Netherlands in the summer months and issued a rare "code red" warning for millions of people in the low-lying nation to stay indoors.

A 51-year-old woman was killed when a tree fell on her car in the Dutch city of Haarlem, while a 64-year-old woman died after being struck by a falling tree in the German town of Rhede near the Dutch border, police said.

Two men were seriously injured in Amsterdam, one when a tree fell on his car, while a second was believed to have been hit by falling power lines, local media said.

A tree also fell on a houseboat in one of Amsterdam's historic canals, while another toppled onto a tram in The Hague, though no one was hurt.

Schiphol Airport said the number of flights would "gradually improve" as winds started to drop but would remain disrupted for the rest of the day.

"At the moment, 400 flights have been cancelled," a Schiphol spokesperson told AFP. The airport is a major hub for connecting flights from Asia, the Middle East and the United States to the rest of Europe.

Eurostar trains from Amsterdam to London and high-speed rail services to the German cities of Cologne and Hamburg were also called off, while many domestic trains were cancelled, Dutch train operator NS said.

Most Dutch domestic trains were cancelled, including those to Schiphol airport, causing further misery for travellers.

Several hundred people were stranded at Amsterdam's central station, including students touring Europe for their summer holidays, an AFP journalist said.

"They told me all the trains were cancelled. We're going on a bus now to Brussels that's going to get there at 2 am," said British student Abby Scott, 18.

"I'm supposed to go to a party tonight -- I think I might just walk to The Hague," joked Ariane Gentile, 64, a school teacher.

Raging winds caused destruction across the country, with an entire row of trees falling on houses in a street in Haarlem, and beach houses and even a school damaged in northern provinces.

The government sent out a mobile phone alert urging people to stay indoors in North Holland province, which includes Amsterdam, and to call overstretched emergency services only in "life-threatening" situations.

The Dutch meteorological service KNMI said winds of force 11, the second highest on the scale, were measured along with a gust of 146 km/h measured in the northern port of IJmuiden.

It was the "first very severe summer storm ever measured" in the country, Dutch weather service Weerplaza said, adding that the gusts were also the strongest ever recorded in the summer in the Netherlands.

The last storm of similar strength to hit the Netherlands at any time was in January 2018, it said.

Storm Poly came a day after a small tornado hit the central city of Apeldoorn, causing damage but no injuries, local media said.

With around a third of the country lying below sea level, the Netherlands is vulnerable to extreme weather and the effects of climate change, and has a huge system of water defences.

A violent North Sea storm on the night of January 31 to February 1, 1953, killed more than 1,836 Dutch people.

July 3 Was Hottest Day Ever Globally

NEW YORK, July 4: July 3, was the hottest day ever recorded globally, according to data from the U.S. National Centers for Environmental Prediction.

The average global temperature reached 17.01 degrees Celsius (62.62 Fahrenheit), surpassing the August 2016 record of 16.92C (62.46F) as heatwaves sizzled around the world.

The southern U.S. has been suffering under an intense heat dome in recent weeks. In China, an enduring heatwave continued, with temperatures above 35C (95F). North Africa has seen temperatures near 50C (122F).

And even Antarctica, currently in its winter, registered anomalously high temperatures. Ukraine's Vernadsky Research Base in the white continent's Argentine Islands recently broke its July temperature record with 8.7C (47.6F).

"This is not a milestone we should be celebrating," said climate scientist Friederike Otto of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment at Britain's Imperial College London.

"It's a death sentence for people and ecosystems."

Scientists said climate change, combined with an emerging El Nino pattern, was to blame.

"Unfortunately, it promises to only be the first in a series of new records set this year as increasing emissions of [carbon dioxide] and greenhouse gases coupled with a growing El Nino event push temperatures to new highs," said Zeke Hausfather, a research scientist at Berkeley Earth, in a statement.