Latest news with #IPCC
The Hindu
11 hours ago
- Science
- The Hindu
New phase: On the NISAR mission
The GSLV-F16 mission lifted off from Sriharikota on July 30, placing the NASA ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite into a sun synchronous orbit. The ascent capped a decade-long bilateral effort and opened a new phase in global earth observation cooperation. NISAR is a 2.8-tonne observatory that combines a NASA-built L-band radar with an ISRO-made S-band radar — also a first. They allow NISAR to detect surface changes measuring only a few centimetres, even through clouds and vegetation. NISAR will supply freely accessible data on ground deformation, glacier flow, biomass, land use changes, and sea ice dynamics. As its dawn-dusk orbit repeats every 12 days, its radars will be able to revisit the same point under nearly identical lighting conditions. This geometry, coupled with a duty cycle exceeding 50% in the L-band, has been designed to yield closely spaced time series observations that can quantify geological processes. Indeed, its various engineering firsts lead up to NISAR's unusually broad science agenda: map mangrove extent, urban subsidence, crop-soil interactions, and calving rates in polar ice shelves in a single orbital cycle. Its data could help support the Sendai Framework on reducing disaster risk and refine IPCC models. For ISRO, flying a flagship payload on the GSLV Mk II rocket is notable for a vehicle once dubbed 'naughty boy' for its early-career setbacks. The ISRO-NASA partnership would also have eased technology transfer between the two countries. Developing the S-band radar would have demanded tighter tolerances in radiofrequency electronics, thermal stability, and data throughput than previous Indian satellites. From a diplomatic standpoint, the launch confirms that India can be trusted with high-value hardware and demanding integration schedules, although it is still learning to shape joint missions on equal terms. The 12-metre reflector, the Ka band downlink, and much of the flight software stack were imported, and the key design reviews were led by NASA. Achieving parity will require larger domestic investments in advanced materials, deep-space communications, and systems engineering plus earlier Indian involvement in framing the scientific agenda of future multilateral missions. NISAR's data downlink rate also presents a challenge. ISRO must expand its Ka-band ground network, automate cloud-based processing, and release analysis-ready products within hours if state agencies are to make timely use of the data. Sustaining the time-wise data will also depend on authorising follow-on SAR spacecraft before 2030 and finalising data-sharing rules that encourage private analytics while protecting sensitive scenes. Addressing these gaps will determine how fully NISAR's potential is realised in India.
France 24
2 days ago
- Science
- France 24
EU urged to act on forests' faltering absorption of carbon
Forests, which cover 40 percent of the European Union's territory, are expected to play a crucial role in efforts to meet targets for overall reductions of the bloc's emissions of planet-warming gases. But human and climate pressures, from logging to extreme weather and insect attacks, means their ability to absorb CO2 is "rapidly declining", according to an article, led by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre. "Reversing the decline in European forests' ability to store carbon is essential -- and still possible -- with bold, science-based action today," said co-author Giacomo Grassi, who is a member of the UN's IPCC expert task force on greenhouse gas inventories. Solutions include rapid reductions in carbon emissions, combined with efforts to improve management to make forests more resilient to climate impacts, and comprehensive monitoring. Many European countries still rely on periodic inventories, which cannot keep up with rapid changes to forest health. The authors emphasize the need to better understand forest dynamics. They call in particular for better measuring of carbon flows between the soil, vegetation, and atmosphere, as well as improving predictions of how extreme weather will affect carbon sinks in the future. 'Steeper decline' The research looked at official 2024 data showing that the amount carbon absorbed by Europe's forests, ecosystems and changes to land use plummeted by around a third in the 2020 to 2022 period, compared to 2010 to 2014. The authors said 2025 figures "suggest an even steeper decline". "This trend, combined with the declining climate resilience of European forests, indicates that the EU's climate targets, which rely on an increasing carbon sink, might be at risk," the authors said. Earlier this week another study in the Nature journal Communications Earth & Environment found that land accounts for a quarter of global emissions reductions in countries' climate plans and warned that a lack of funding and conservation focus was putting these in jeopardy. Piers Forster, Director of the Priestley Centre for Climate Futures at Leeds University, who was not involved in Wednesday's study said it underscores the urgent need to slash emissions across the board. "We can't bet our future on carbon removal -- either from planting more trees, from protecting forests, or from emerging technologies such as direct air capture and storage -- without understanding what is already happening to the land and natural systems," he said. Scientists have warned that it is still unclear how carbon sinks might behave as the planet warms in future, and exactly how much heat-trapping carbon dioxide they might soak up from the atmosphere. In April, research by Climate Analytics, a policy institute that independently assesses countries' climate plans, warned that major economies are overstating how much carbon their forests can absorb in a climate accounting fudge that could allow them to use even more fossil fuels.
The Star
5 days ago
- Business
- The Star
S. Korea's dried seaweed has gone global, now, it's going green
One of the Oceans and Fisheries Ministry's key initiatives is the creation of underwater ecosystems densely populated with seaweed species. — The Korea Herald SEOUL: Among South Korea's ocean bounty, one standout is seaweed, most iconically in its dried form, known in Korean as gim. While many Koreans now take quiet pride in seeing this humble staple elevated to a global delicacy, only a handful have considered its promise beyond the plate. Seaweed, after all, is giving back to the very waters that once gave it life – as a source of climate solutions now taking root in South Korea. According to the World Bank's 2023 Global Seaweed Markets Report, seaweed is a powerful climate ally – a form of 'blue carbon' in ocean and coastal ecosystems capable of sinking carbon and supporting biodiversity. The report highlights 10 emerging markets, such as bioplastics, animal feed and nutraceuticals, that are projected to grow by US$11.8bil by 2030. Most farmed seaweed is still used for food or aquaculture, with 98% of global supply produced by a few Asian countries, South Korea among them. As the world's third-largest producer of seaweed and the top exporter of gim, South Korea is turning its attention toward the algae's environmental promise. One of the Oceans and Fisheries Ministry's key initiatives is the creation of underwater ecosystems densely populated with seaweed species, known as 'sea forests'. According to the Korea Fisheries Resources Agency, over 347 square kilometres of these sea forests have been created since 2009, now absorbing around 117,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. The ministry has set targets to increase South Korea's blue carbon absorption to 1.07 million tonnes by 2030 and 1.36 million tonnes by 2050. 'Sea forests, once valued mainly as sources of food and shelter for marine life, are now being recognised for their strong carbon absorption capacity,' a ministry official said. 'We are working to secure international blue carbon certification to acknowledge their role in climate mitigation.' Seaweed already meets five of the six core criteria for international recognition, with the final step, formal inclusion in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) greenhouse gas inventory guidelines, currently under review. The IPCC currently recognises mangroves, salt marshes and seagrasses as official blue carbon ecosystems. The country is further institutionalising its ambitions, with the National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea set to build its own blue carbon research centre by 2028. Elsewhere, Wando-gun in South Jeolla Province – South Korea's largest seaweed-producing region – has become a focal point in global blue carbon discussions. In November last year, the local government visited the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) in the United States to hold working-level discussions on advancing seaweed's blue carbon certification. In 2021, Nasa highlighted Wando by releasing satellite images and praising the region's sustainable farming practices as ideal for seaweed-based carbon mitigation. 'I asked Nasa to help highlight the role of Wando's seaweed farms so that seaweed can be officially certified as blue carbon,' said county mayor Shin Woo-chul after the visit, adding that the US agency expressed support for the initiative. The local government is also collaborating with the US Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy on a joint South Korea-US project, running through 2029, to develop offshore seaweed farming systems for large-scale biomass production and blue carbon advancement. — The Korea Herald/ANN
LeMonde
25-07-2025
- Science
- LeMonde
Climate: What does it mean if we can no longer limit warming to 1.5°C?
It has become the compass for climate action, adopted by vulnerable and ambitious countries alike, as well as diplomats and non-governmental organizations. It serves as a benchmark to shape policies and measure progress. The target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C is now "no longer achievable," leading climate scientists warned at the end of June. The culprit is the ongoing rise in greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activities. These emissions are pushing temperatures higher and triggering a cascade of climate disasters. But what does exceeding this limit actually mean? Le Monde takes a closer look at an issue that's been central for the past decade. How was the 1.5°C target adopted? It is one of two main goals that was set by the Paris Agreement on climate change, signed on December 12, 2015. Article 2 of the agreement aims to hold "the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels" and "to pursue efforts" to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C. To define "pre-industrial levels," the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) uses the 1850-1900 period as its reference. Notably, these targets are not tied to any specific time horizon nor do they refer specifically to the year 2100.
The Age
24-07-2025
- General
- The Age
Majority suffer due to idiocy of the few
Legal instruments In ' Watchdog pleaded for help to curb abuse risks ' (23/7), Noel Towell reports that oversight authorities are so understaffed and underfunded that they could only fully investigate a few of last year's 1500 reports of abuse in childcare centres. But all Australian jurisdictions have a reasonably staffed and funded workplace law enforcement body whose investigators must 'monitor and enforce compliance with″, for example, the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth) or Victoria's OHS Act. All such Acts impose a duty on workplace operators to first, identify all risks to the health (including psychological health) and safety of both 'workers' and 'other persons' (including children) at their workplace, then eliminate – or at least minimise and control – those risks. It's a preventive duty. If WHS/OHS inspectors find a serious unaddressed workplace risk, they can issue, on the spot, a compliance-compelling 'improvement notice″. Although duty or notice non-compliance is a heavily penalised criminal offence, the crucial child safety point is that such notices can quickly prevent harm, or further harm, before it happens or continues. Max Costello, North Melbourne Turning the tide Re ' Council's final warning for Frankston mansion owner's sea wall ', 22/7. It was King Canute who was possibly the first significant leader who made a point of reminding his courtiers that no mere mortal has the power to hold back the tide. In more recent times, there's been plenty of coastal hydraulics experts who've explained the dangers and folly of building a hard wall to contain and tame the waves. Other marine engineers have counselled the importance of leaving the primary and secondary dune systems to nature, to accommodate the seasonal fluctuations in tidal and wind dynamics, as well as the dangers of building in sand, including sandstone, well known around the Australian coastline for its vulnerability to erosion Then there's the numerous consistent, combined research findings from the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) and more localised data analysis that confirms not only that the high tide is rising due to the cumulative consequences of climate change but, in many regions the tide is rising faster than the worst case scenario envisaged by the IPCC. And yet, one man in his mansion in Frankston, thinks he can hold back the tide? Tell him he's dreaming. Bernadette George, Mildura How to quit Fiona Patten's article was concise, well-written (″ Australia has become the global village idiot on quitting smoking ″, 24/7). I agree with all her points. As a former smoker, I changed to vaping 13 years ago and four years ago decided to stop that also. Vaping, in my opinion, is the only way to get off cigarettes completely and should be easily available. Ingrid Pezzoni, Toorak Learn to like politics Even as a schoolgirl, I was keenly interested in politics and could not understand why most of my fellow students didn't care at all. As an adult, I find nothing has changed. Most people I know vote because they have to, some even barely know who the current political chiefs are. Age has nothing to do with political responsibility, but maybe more effort could be made within the school curriculum to encourage political awareness and the importance of participation in political debate. Hopefully, that would also result in better candidates. Valerie Johnson, Eaglemont One vote each What a great idea. Give extra votes to those who ″contribute more to the successful running of our society″ (Letters, 24/7). Success, by implication, is the gaining of wealth. The wealthy already have superannuation tax concessions, family trust tax concessions, capital gains tax concessions, negative gearing and expensive tax minimisation accountants. Let's give them more votes so they can vote themselves even more tax avoidance schemes. Those who cannot afford tertiary education or a house, or who cannot hold a full-time job because they have disabilities or are single parents, would only have one vote, at least until the multiple-voting rich removed that privilege. Australia is supposed to be a democracy, not a plutocracy. That is why we have ″one vote one person″. Helen Moss, Croydon Push for ceasefire For the past 60 years or so, there has been little anti-Jewish activity in Australia but it has increased significantly lately. I have been surprised by some people asking why this sudden increase has occurred. There is much violence in the Middle East but the main thing that has changed is the starvation and killing of defenceless people in Gaza day after day. This is a very disheartening, distressing saga. Some Australian residents will protest peacefully, others may act violently towards entities associated with Israel. Some people think the best way to stop attacks is to censor Australians but this is not resolving the root cause. Further, citizens should not be prohibited from rational discussions on national and international issues. Our current laws can handle racial hate speech and violence. Meanwhile, the Australian government should apply pressure on Israel to agree to a permanent ceasefire. Graham Kelley, Mount Waverley Words not enough The government is being disingenuous in saying that all our exports to Israel are non-lethal. We supply parts that are vital to the IDF's military strikes. Even worse, last year the Israeli weapons and surveillance company, Elbit systems, was awarded a $917 million contract with Australia. Seventy-eight Labor branches are now calling for the government to impose sanctions on Israel, yet nothing happens (″ Immense frustration': Labor base demands sanctions against Israel ″, 24/7). Words are not enough, the Labor Party needs to hear the calls of its members and of Australians and impose sanctions on Israel without further delay. The cruelty being perpetrated in Gaza must end. Lorel Thomas, Blackburn South A tasty read While agreeing with your correspondent about the sad decline in readership among men (″ Young men have stopped reading books – and these are the reasons ″, 22/7), I flinched wearily at yet another drive by slap at fantasy and other genre fiction. An equally jaundiced reader of fantasy could view the genre of literary fiction as pretentious navel gazing. And as for the claim that a scarcity of literary fiction ″diminishes our ability to understand each other and address issues at the core of our society″, it neglects the possibility that the best of fantasy and genre fiction does it in a profound and sublime way that literary fiction simply cannot. Fantasy and other genres can take us out of the mundanity of the here and now into wider, more expansive considerations of the human condition. Such works as Piranesi' by Susanna Clarke or Kazuo Ishiguro's writing certainly help develop empathy and a desire to make sense of the world in a movingly insightful way, and are tasty as well as being full of nourishment. Michael Pryor, Alphington AND ANOTHER THING Scott Morrison Who asked Scott Morrison to speak to US Congress? He was an abject failure as a politician, displaying appalling judgment. Haven't they got that message? Or has he been asked because he'll say what they want to hear? David Ashton, Katoomba, NSW Now we know why the Trump regime seems so out of touch with public opinion in Australia. To get a view on what we think, they consulted Morrison, who has been in the wilderness for a full term of parliament. Tony Haydon, Springvale When is Morrison going realise that he is irrelevant? Corrado Tavella, Rosslyn Park, SA Trump world Another $800 million to the US for AUKUS? Talk about money for jam. Donald Trump must be laughing all the way to the bank. Jane Ross, San Remo I hope imported US beef is well labelled as such so I can tell if it's from you Donald! Steve Melzer, Hughesdale
