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Showing posts with label Weather. Show all posts

Deadly lightning strikes plaguing India claim over 147 lives in 10 days, situation expected to worsen

Deadly lightning strikes plaguing India claim over 147 lives in 10 days, situation expected to worsen

More than 147 people have been reportedly killed by deadly lightning strikes in India's northeastern state of Bihar in the past 10 days, according to RT.

The severe monsoon weather intensifying and exposing farmers to fatal bolts from the blue. Authorities reportedly recorded some 26 lightning-related deaths last Thursday, followed by 15 on Friday, and 21 on Saturday. 

A further 40 people have been injured as weather conditions favourable for farming prove to be a deadly, double-edged sword for local communities. 

At least 253 more people have lost their lives to lightning strikes and 49 have been injured in the past one and half months with 90% of the deaths recorded in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, according to data from the National Disaster Management Authority.

The death toll from lightning strikes in the area since the beginning of March has climbed to over 215 people. More extreme bouts of lightning are expected in the coming days, the Indian Meteorological Department has warned.

This year's lightning strike death toll so far has already greatly surpassed previous years, as roughly 170 people were killed by lightning strikes in Bihar in 2019 during the monsoon season, which runs from June to September.

State authorities developed and released a smartphone app that helps predict periods of increased lightning strikes, thereby warning the local populace. However, as Bihar is the country's poorest state, many farmers and laborers do not own smartphones.

“Because of good rainfall this year in June, farmers are out in the field farming. Paddy field water also attracts electricity and farmers on the field act as conductors of electricity from the thunderstorm,” explained Sunitha Devi, member of the Ministry of Earth Sciences’ thunderstorm working group.

Bihar agrometeorologist Abdus Sattar said the increased strikes were caused by large-scale instability in the atmosphere prompted by increased moisture in the air courtesy of the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD).

The IOD is a natural phenomenon, also known as the Indian Niño, in which sea surface temperatures shift greatly in the eastern and western parts of the ocean, with dramatic impacts on weather. Events such as the Australian drought and subsequent bushfires earlier in 2020, the Jakarta floods, and even the massive infestation of locusts across east Africa and the Indian subcontinent have all been exacerbated by the IOD.
More than 147 people have been reportedly killed by deadly lightning strikes in India's northeastern state of Bihar in the past 10 days, according to RT.

The severe monsoon weather intensifying and exposing farmers to fatal bolts from the blue. Authorities reportedly recorded some 26 lightning-related deaths last Thursday, followed by 15 on Friday, and 21 on Saturday. 

A further 40 people have been injured as weather conditions favourable for farming prove to be a deadly, double-edged sword for local communities. 

At least 253 more people have lost their lives to lightning strikes and 49 have been injured in the past one and half months with 90% of the deaths recorded in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, according to data from the National Disaster Management Authority.

The death toll from lightning strikes in the area since the beginning of March has climbed to over 215 people. More extreme bouts of lightning are expected in the coming days, the Indian Meteorological Department has warned.

This year's lightning strike death toll so far has already greatly surpassed previous years, as roughly 170 people were killed by lightning strikes in Bihar in 2019 during the monsoon season, which runs from June to September.

State authorities developed and released a smartphone app that helps predict periods of increased lightning strikes, thereby warning the local populace. However, as Bihar is the country's poorest state, many farmers and laborers do not own smartphones.

“Because of good rainfall this year in June, farmers are out in the field farming. Paddy field water also attracts electricity and farmers on the field act as conductors of electricity from the thunderstorm,” explained Sunitha Devi, member of the Ministry of Earth Sciences’ thunderstorm working group.

Bihar agrometeorologist Abdus Sattar said the increased strikes were caused by large-scale instability in the atmosphere prompted by increased moisture in the air courtesy of the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD).

The IOD is a natural phenomenon, also known as the Indian Niño, in which sea surface temperatures shift greatly in the eastern and western parts of the ocean, with dramatic impacts on weather. Events such as the Australian drought and subsequent bushfires earlier in 2020, the Jakarta floods, and even the massive infestation of locusts across east Africa and the Indian subcontinent have all been exacerbated by the IOD.

Russian capital Moscow registers warmest weather on record on March 8

Russian capital Moscow registers warmest weather on record on March 8

The air temperature in Moscow climbed to a record 8.5 degrees Celsius (47.3 degrees Fahrenheit) on March 8, the highest figure for more than 140 years of weather observations in the Russian capital, Scientific Head of Russia’s Weather Forecasting Agency Roman Vilfand told TASS on Sunday.

"The maximum figure since 1879 was registered in 2014, equaling plus 8.3 degrees. The warm weather today is such that already at night, at 5-6 hours in the morning, the temperature was plus 8.5 degrees. This is a new record for Moscow," Vilfand said.

"The pleasant information is that the rain intensity is decreasing and actually it won’t rain by the evening and the night is predicted without any precipitation at all.

During the next five-six days, homogenous weather is forecast by its temperature in Moscow: plus 8-10 degrees Celsius and moderate rains are likely," he said.


The air temperature in Moscow climbed to a record 8.5 degrees Celsius (47.3 degrees Fahrenheit) on March 8, the highest figure for more than 140 years of weather observations in the Russian capital, Scientific Head of Russia’s Weather Forecasting Agency Roman Vilfand told TASS on Sunday.

"The maximum figure since 1879 was registered in 2014, equaling plus 8.3 degrees. The warm weather today is such that already at night, at 5-6 hours in the morning, the temperature was plus 8.5 degrees. This is a new record for Moscow," Vilfand said.

"The pleasant information is that the rain intensity is decreasing and actually it won’t rain by the evening and the night is predicted without any precipitation at all.

During the next five-six days, homogenous weather is forecast by its temperature in Moscow: plus 8-10 degrees Celsius and moderate rains are likely," he said.


How Thousands Flee Severe Flooding In New Zealand

How Thousands Flee Severe Flooding In New Zealand

Wellington (AFP) - Severe flooding forced thousands of residents in New Zealand's South Island to flee their homes on Wednesday and left hundreds of tourists stranded at the remote Milford Sound beauty spot.

The Southland region declared a state of emergency after being deluged with more than 1,000 mm of rainfall in 60 hours, triggering landslides on major roads and causing rivers to burst their banks.

Authorities told residents in the low-lying areas of Gore and Mataura to evacuate immediately early on Wednesday as floodwaters in the Mataura river peaked, warning those further downstream in Wyndham to prepare to leave.

"We have issued notices to evacuate and to prepare to evacuate to 6,000 people across the region," an Emergency Management Southland (EMS) spokeswoman told AFP.

Residents were advised to grab medication, clothing and identification documents, then head to higher ground.

Power to affected areas was cut off as a precaution and evacuation centres were set up in local churches and schools.

Floodwaters washed away sections of the only road to Milford Sound, a popular hiking spot for international tourists, and EMS said almost 200 people were being airlifted to nearby Te Anau.

"The tourists... have been well catered for," it said.

"Morale has been high amongst the visitors and staff, as they received regular briefings and have been in contact with friends and family."

Only two minor injuries have been reported after a landslide hit a hut on the Routeburn walking track, with both people receiving treatment at the scene.




Source
Wellington (AFP) - Severe flooding forced thousands of residents in New Zealand's South Island to flee their homes on Wednesday and left hundreds of tourists stranded at the remote Milford Sound beauty spot.

The Southland region declared a state of emergency after being deluged with more than 1,000 mm of rainfall in 60 hours, triggering landslides on major roads and causing rivers to burst their banks.

Authorities told residents in the low-lying areas of Gore and Mataura to evacuate immediately early on Wednesday as floodwaters in the Mataura river peaked, warning those further downstream in Wyndham to prepare to leave.

"We have issued notices to evacuate and to prepare to evacuate to 6,000 people across the region," an Emergency Management Southland (EMS) spokeswoman told AFP.

Residents were advised to grab medication, clothing and identification documents, then head to higher ground.

Power to affected areas was cut off as a precaution and evacuation centres were set up in local churches and schools.

Floodwaters washed away sections of the only road to Milford Sound, a popular hiking spot for international tourists, and EMS said almost 200 people were being airlifted to nearby Te Anau.

"The tourists... have been well catered for," it said.

"Morale has been high amongst the visitors and staff, as they received regular briefings and have been in contact with friends and family."

Only two minor injuries have been reported after a landslide hit a hut on the Routeburn walking track, with both people receiving treatment at the scene.




Source

Hundreds of troops to help Canadian province recover from huge blizzard

Hundreds of troops to help Canadian province recover from huge blizzard

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Between 150 and 200 Canadian troops should be in the Atlantic province of Newfoundland and Labrador by the end of Sunday to help it dig out from a massive blizzard, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said.

The armed forces will also provide two transport planes and at least two helicopters. The storm dumped up to 76.2 cm (30 inches) of snow on St. John’s, the capital of Newfoundland, and packed wind gusts as high as 130 km per hour (81 mph).

Many major roads are totally impassable. Although a state of emergency remains in the town, authorities said on Sunday that gas stations and pharmacies would be allowed to reopen.

“Probably by the end of today you’ll have about 150 to 200 personnel on the ground ready to provide support. This could surge up to anywhere between 250 to 300 by tomorrow and the coming days,” Sajjan said on the sidelines of a cabinet retreat in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

The troops would be a mix of reserves already in the province and soldiers arriving from elsewhere, he added.

Conditions could continue to be difficult, since Environment Canada is predicting an additional 10 cm of snow starting on Sunday night.

“We really need to get the roads opened ... we need to make sure we get better access to the hospital,” St. John’s mayor Danny Breen told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. on Sunday.


Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Andrea Ricci for Reuters
OTTAWA (Reuters) - Between 150 and 200 Canadian troops should be in the Atlantic province of Newfoundland and Labrador by the end of Sunday to help it dig out from a massive blizzard, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said.

The armed forces will also provide two transport planes and at least two helicopters. The storm dumped up to 76.2 cm (30 inches) of snow on St. John’s, the capital of Newfoundland, and packed wind gusts as high as 130 km per hour (81 mph).

Many major roads are totally impassable. Although a state of emergency remains in the town, authorities said on Sunday that gas stations and pharmacies would be allowed to reopen.

“Probably by the end of today you’ll have about 150 to 200 personnel on the ground ready to provide support. This could surge up to anywhere between 250 to 300 by tomorrow and the coming days,” Sajjan said on the sidelines of a cabinet retreat in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

The troops would be a mix of reserves already in the province and soldiers arriving from elsewhere, he added.

Conditions could continue to be difficult, since Environment Canada is predicting an additional 10 cm of snow starting on Sunday night.

“We really need to get the roads opened ... we need to make sure we get better access to the hospital,” St. John’s mayor Danny Breen told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. on Sunday.


Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Andrea Ricci for Reuters

UN warns more extreme weather ahead after hottest decade on record

UN warns more extreme weather ahead after hottest decade on record

Geneva (AFP) - The past decade has been the hottest on record, the UN said Wednesday, warning that the higher temperatures were expected to fuel numerous extreme weather events in 2020 and beyond.

The World Meteorological Organization, which based its findings on analysis of leading international datasets, said increases in global temperatures had already had dire consequences, pointing to "retreating ice, record sea levels, increasing ocean heat and acidification, and extreme weather".

WMO said its research also confirmed data released by the European Union's climate monitor last week showing that 2019 was the second hottest year on record, after 2016.

"The year 2020 has started out where 2019 left off -- with high-impact weather and climate-related events," WMO chief Petteri Taalas said in a statement, pointing in particular to the devastating bushfires that have been raging in Australia for months.

The bushfires, unprecedented in their duration and intensity, have claimed 28 lives and highlighted the type of disasters that scientists say the world will increasingly face due to global warming.

The fires have already destroyed more than 2,000 homes and burnt 10 million hectares (100,000 square kilometres) of land -- an area larger than South Korea or Portugal.

"Unfortunately, we expect to see much extreme weather throughout 2020 and the coming decades, fuelled by record levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere," Taalas said.

The UN agency said that average global temperatures during both the past five-year (2015-2019) and 10-year (2010-2019) periods were the highest ever recorded.

"Since the 1980s each decade has been warmer than the previous one," the UN agency said in a statement, warning that "this trend is expected to continue".

The United Nations said last year that man-made greenhouse gas emissions needed to tumble 7.6 percent each year to 2030 in order to limit temperature rises to 1.5 Celsius -- the more ambitious cap nations signed up to in the landmark Paris climate deal. Continue reading
Geneva (AFP) - The past decade has been the hottest on record, the UN said Wednesday, warning that the higher temperatures were expected to fuel numerous extreme weather events in 2020 and beyond.

The World Meteorological Organization, which based its findings on analysis of leading international datasets, said increases in global temperatures had already had dire consequences, pointing to "retreating ice, record sea levels, increasing ocean heat and acidification, and extreme weather".

WMO said its research also confirmed data released by the European Union's climate monitor last week showing that 2019 was the second hottest year on record, after 2016.

"The year 2020 has started out where 2019 left off -- with high-impact weather and climate-related events," WMO chief Petteri Taalas said in a statement, pointing in particular to the devastating bushfires that have been raging in Australia for months.

The bushfires, unprecedented in their duration and intensity, have claimed 28 lives and highlighted the type of disasters that scientists say the world will increasingly face due to global warming.

The fires have already destroyed more than 2,000 homes and burnt 10 million hectares (100,000 square kilometres) of land -- an area larger than South Korea or Portugal.

"Unfortunately, we expect to see much extreme weather throughout 2020 and the coming decades, fuelled by record levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere," Taalas said.

The UN agency said that average global temperatures during both the past five-year (2015-2019) and 10-year (2010-2019) periods were the highest ever recorded.

"Since the 1980s each decade has been warmer than the previous one," the UN agency said in a statement, warning that "this trend is expected to continue".

The United Nations said last year that man-made greenhouse gas emissions needed to tumble 7.6 percent each year to 2030 in order to limit temperature rises to 1.5 Celsius -- the more ambitious cap nations signed up to in the landmark Paris climate deal. Continue reading

Warnings: Storm Brendan batters UK with HURRICANE force gales and WORSE on way

Warnings: Storm Brendan batters UK with HURRICANE force gales and WORSE on way

Yakana Photo

STORM BRENDAN has triggered weather chaos across the UK unleashing snow, ice and hurricane force winds over parts of Britain, closing schools and wrecking train timetables – and there’s WORSE to come today with flooding of homes and businesses likely.

More weather warnings have been issued for this afternoon and tonight as another very low pressure system sweeps in, right behind Brendan, promising high winds and heavy rains across the entire country. Last night Scotland was particularly badly hit by Storm Brendan with astonishing wind speeds of 121mph measured on the Cairngorm National Park in the Highlands along with heavy snowfall. But tonight the crazy weather will switch to the south. Between 1pm today and 9am tomorrow up to 1.6in (40mm) of rain could fall – more than half the entire rain which fell in January 2017.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for snow and ice in parts of Scotland including Inverness, Fort William and Aviemore.

The Met Office’s statement said: “There will probably some icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths and some injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces.

“Some roads and railways likely to be affected with longer journey times by road, bus and train services.”

There are also yellow warnings for wind across the whole of England and Wales that will last until midnight.

And south eastern regions, including Brighton, have a yellow warning for rain in place from 1pm this afternoon until 9am tomorrow.

Met Office Meteorologist Alex Burkill said where heavy rain is expected to cause disruption in this region, while flooding of homes and businesses is “likely”.

He said: “In those areas, the ground is already saturated after what was a very wet December, and also a wet autumn, so that’s why we’re going to see some localised issues due to the heavy rainfall.

National Rail has warned travellers speed restrictions may be imposed on train routes in the worst affected areas today.

South Western Railway has also said that from 1pm, services between London Waterloo and Weymouth may not run between Bournemouth and Weymouth.

They also may not run as a separate train on that section.

Forecasters said winds of 60mph-70mph could continue to batter north-western Scotland into Tuesday as another area of low-pressure moved in behind Brendan.

Mr Burkill said: “That’s not Storm Brendan - Storm Brendan has moved northwards by this point.

“It’s not too far away so we’re still under the influence of it, but this new feature that comes in is going to bring some heavy, persistent rain across much of the UK, to be honest, with very strong winds.”

Nicola Maxey, of the Meteorological Office, said: “In the wake of Storm Brendan, we have another low-pressure system arriving from the South West.

“We are looking at wind speeds of 40-50mph inland and 60mph in coastal areas.

“On very exposed coasts and hills, winds could reach 70mph.”

Mr Burkill added the gales were much less likely to reach Monday's highs of over 80mph.

But inland areas could be hit with gusts of more than 50mph.

He said: “For many, tomorrow will actually be a windier day than today, despite the fact that today was named and tomorrow isn’t.”

Eight flood warnings and 79 alerts issued by the Environment Agency remained in place on Monday night.

Yakana Photo

STORM BRENDAN has triggered weather chaos across the UK unleashing snow, ice and hurricane force winds over parts of Britain, closing schools and wrecking train timetables – and there’s WORSE to come today with flooding of homes and businesses likely.

More weather warnings have been issued for this afternoon and tonight as another very low pressure system sweeps in, right behind Brendan, promising high winds and heavy rains across the entire country. Last night Scotland was particularly badly hit by Storm Brendan with astonishing wind speeds of 121mph measured on the Cairngorm National Park in the Highlands along with heavy snowfall. But tonight the crazy weather will switch to the south. Between 1pm today and 9am tomorrow up to 1.6in (40mm) of rain could fall – more than half the entire rain which fell in January 2017.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for snow and ice in parts of Scotland including Inverness, Fort William and Aviemore.

The Met Office’s statement said: “There will probably some icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths and some injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces.

“Some roads and railways likely to be affected with longer journey times by road, bus and train services.”

There are also yellow warnings for wind across the whole of England and Wales that will last until midnight.

And south eastern regions, including Brighton, have a yellow warning for rain in place from 1pm this afternoon until 9am tomorrow.

Met Office Meteorologist Alex Burkill said where heavy rain is expected to cause disruption in this region, while flooding of homes and businesses is “likely”.

He said: “In those areas, the ground is already saturated after what was a very wet December, and also a wet autumn, so that’s why we’re going to see some localised issues due to the heavy rainfall.

National Rail has warned travellers speed restrictions may be imposed on train routes in the worst affected areas today.

South Western Railway has also said that from 1pm, services between London Waterloo and Weymouth may not run between Bournemouth and Weymouth.

They also may not run as a separate train on that section.

Forecasters said winds of 60mph-70mph could continue to batter north-western Scotland into Tuesday as another area of low-pressure moved in behind Brendan.

Mr Burkill said: “That’s not Storm Brendan - Storm Brendan has moved northwards by this point.

“It’s not too far away so we’re still under the influence of it, but this new feature that comes in is going to bring some heavy, persistent rain across much of the UK, to be honest, with very strong winds.”

Nicola Maxey, of the Meteorological Office, said: “In the wake of Storm Brendan, we have another low-pressure system arriving from the South West.

“We are looking at wind speeds of 40-50mph inland and 60mph in coastal areas.

“On very exposed coasts and hills, winds could reach 70mph.”

Mr Burkill added the gales were much less likely to reach Monday's highs of over 80mph.

But inland areas could be hit with gusts of more than 50mph.

He said: “For many, tomorrow will actually be a windier day than today, despite the fact that today was named and tomorrow isn’t.”

Eight flood warnings and 79 alerts issued by the Environment Agency remained in place on Monday night.

More than 110 dead as severe weather hits Pakistan, Afghanistan

More than 110 dead as severe weather hits Pakistan, Afghanistan

AFP: Avalanches, flooding and harsh winter weather has killed more than 110 people across Pakistan and Afghanistan in recent days, officials said Tuesday, as authorities struggled to reach people stranded by heavy snowfall.

At least 75 people died and 64 were injured across Pakistan, with several still missing, while a further 39 people were killed in Afghanistan, according to officials in both countries.

Forecasts suggest more harsh weather is on the way.

Pakistani Kashmir was the worst-hit area, with 55 people killed and 10 others missing, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said in a statement.

In the picturesque but conflict-riven Neelum Valley in Kashmir, heavy snowfall triggered several avalanches, including one that killed at least 19 people.

"An avalanche hit their village, 10 people are still missing," the NDMA said.

Frequent avalanches and landslides occur in Kashmir during the winter, often blocking roads and leaving communities isolated.

Authorities have shuttered schools, while several highways and roads were closed across the country's northern mountainous areas, according to officials.

To the southeast in Balochistan province, at least 20 people had been killed in separate weather-related incidents.

"Most of those who died were women and children," said Mohammad Younus, an official with the provincial disaster management authority, adding that hundreds remained stranded.

Across the border in Afghanistan, more than 300 houses were either destroyed or partially damaged throughout the country, said Ahmad Tamim Azimi a spokesman for the Natural Disaster Management Authority.

"A cold snap, heavy snowfall and rains that started two weeks ago have caused damage," he said, adding that most casualties were caused after roofs collapsed under thick snow.

Hardest hit were southern Kandahar, Helmand, Zabul and western Herat provinces.

In Herat, seven people -- all members of the same family and including children -- died when their roof caved in, Azimi added.

Harsh winters often take a heavy toll in mountainous Afghanistan, and the country remains poor despite billions of dollars in aid from the international community.

A woman walks down a path in Quetta, Pakistan, after heavy snow

A man removes snow from his boat on the banks of Dal Lake in Srinagar in India

Afghan men enjoy a game of rugby in the snow in the capital, Kabul
AFP: Avalanches, flooding and harsh winter weather has killed more than 110 people across Pakistan and Afghanistan in recent days, officials said Tuesday, as authorities struggled to reach people stranded by heavy snowfall.

At least 75 people died and 64 were injured across Pakistan, with several still missing, while a further 39 people were killed in Afghanistan, according to officials in both countries.

Forecasts suggest more harsh weather is on the way.

Pakistani Kashmir was the worst-hit area, with 55 people killed and 10 others missing, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said in a statement.

In the picturesque but conflict-riven Neelum Valley in Kashmir, heavy snowfall triggered several avalanches, including one that killed at least 19 people.

"An avalanche hit their village, 10 people are still missing," the NDMA said.

Frequent avalanches and landslides occur in Kashmir during the winter, often blocking roads and leaving communities isolated.

Authorities have shuttered schools, while several highways and roads were closed across the country's northern mountainous areas, according to officials.

To the southeast in Balochistan province, at least 20 people had been killed in separate weather-related incidents.

"Most of those who died were women and children," said Mohammad Younus, an official with the provincial disaster management authority, adding that hundreds remained stranded.

Across the border in Afghanistan, more than 300 houses were either destroyed or partially damaged throughout the country, said Ahmad Tamim Azimi a spokesman for the Natural Disaster Management Authority.

"A cold snap, heavy snowfall and rains that started two weeks ago have caused damage," he said, adding that most casualties were caused after roofs collapsed under thick snow.

Hardest hit were southern Kandahar, Helmand, Zabul and western Herat provinces.

In Herat, seven people -- all members of the same family and including children -- died when their roof caved in, Azimi added.

Harsh winters often take a heavy toll in mountainous Afghanistan, and the country remains poor despite billions of dollars in aid from the international community.

A woman walks down a path in Quetta, Pakistan, after heavy snow

A man removes snow from his boat on the banks of Dal Lake in Srinagar in India

Afghan men enjoy a game of rugby in the snow in the capital, Kabul

Climate change: For nearly 130 years, 2019 was hottest year on record for Russia says weather chief

Climate change: For nearly 130 years, 2019 was hottest year on record for Russia says weather chief

Weather records have been kept since 1879 in Moscow and since 1891 in Russia as a whole.

Moscow, Dec 30 (AFP) This year was the hottest ever registered in Russia, the country's weather chief said on Monday, as climate change pushes global temperatures to record highs.


"This year in Russia was the hottest for the entire period of instrumental observations," or nearly 130 years, the head of the Gidromedtsentr weather service, Roman Vilfand, told Russian news agencies.

He said Moscow's average temperature for 2019 had hit 7.6-7.7 degrees Celsius (45.7-45.9 degrees Fahrenheit), beating the previous record by 0.3 degrees.

Global warming has sent temperatures rising around the world, with the United Nations saying earlier this month that 2019 was on course to be one of the three hottest years on record.

Known for its notoriously harsh winters, Moscow has seen its warmest December in a century this year.


Weather records have been kept since 1879 in Moscow and since 1891 in Russia as a whole.

Moscow, Dec 30 (AFP) This year was the hottest ever registered in Russia, the country's weather chief said on Monday, as climate change pushes global temperatures to record highs.


"This year in Russia was the hottest for the entire period of instrumental observations," or nearly 130 years, the head of the Gidromedtsentr weather service, Roman Vilfand, told Russian news agencies.

He said Moscow's average temperature for 2019 had hit 7.6-7.7 degrees Celsius (45.7-45.9 degrees Fahrenheit), beating the previous record by 0.3 degrees.

Global warming has sent temperatures rising around the world, with the United Nations saying earlier this month that 2019 was on course to be one of the three hottest years on record.

Known for its notoriously harsh winters, Moscow has seen its warmest December in a century this year.


UK Ambassadors go green as Foreign Office replaces petrol official vehicles with electric cars

UK Ambassadors go green as Foreign Office replaces petrol official vehicles with electric cars

British ambassadors around the world are to have their official vehicles replaced with low-carbon cars in a drive to become "the greenest diplomatic service in the world". 

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has begun phasing out senior diplomats' chauffeur-driven petrol cars and replacing them with all-electric or hybrid Jaguar I-Paces.

The cars cost around £60,000 off-the-shelf, before any modifications for British diplomats’ extra needs.

British embassies in Oslo and the Vatican have already received the new vehicles, with a further 30 posts due to get them by April 2020.

Fast charging stations are being installed as part of the programme.

The move is in line with a target for all Government departments to have a 25% electric vehicle fleet by 2022 and an all-electric fleet by 2030.

It comes as the UK prepares to host the crucial COP26 international climate change talks in Glasgow in November.

Sir Simon McDonald, the permanent under-secretary at the FCO, said: “Climate change is the greatest challenge of our time, and our fleet of flag cars is a high-profile tool for demonstrating the UK’s international leadership on climate change diplomacy.

“I want us to be the greenest diplomatic service in the world. Shifting our vehicles away from petrol to all-electric will help us achieve this.”


British ambassadors around the world are to have their official vehicles replaced with low-carbon cars in a drive to become "the greenest diplomatic service in the world". 

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has begun phasing out senior diplomats' chauffeur-driven petrol cars and replacing them with all-electric or hybrid Jaguar I-Paces.

The cars cost around £60,000 off-the-shelf, before any modifications for British diplomats’ extra needs.

British embassies in Oslo and the Vatican have already received the new vehicles, with a further 30 posts due to get them by April 2020.

Fast charging stations are being installed as part of the programme.

The move is in line with a target for all Government departments to have a 25% electric vehicle fleet by 2022 and an all-electric fleet by 2030.

It comes as the UK prepares to host the crucial COP26 international climate change talks in Glasgow in November.

Sir Simon McDonald, the permanent under-secretary at the FCO, said: “Climate change is the greatest challenge of our time, and our fleet of flag cars is a high-profile tool for demonstrating the UK’s international leadership on climate change diplomacy.

“I want us to be the greenest diplomatic service in the world. Shifting our vehicles away from petrol to all-electric will help us achieve this.”


Go electric: 17 developing countries that will benefit from GEF Global E-Mobility Program

Go electric: 17 developing countries that will benefit from GEF Global E-Mobility Program

The Countries that will participate in the GEF Global E-Mobility Program include Antigua & Barbuda, Armenia, Burundi, Chile, Costa Rica, India, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Madagascar, Maldives, Peru, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, St. Lucia, Togo, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

Early this Month, a new GEF Global E-Mobility Program launched at the COP25 climate summit aimed at helping an initial set of 17 developing countries deploy electric vehicles at scale, in support of improved air quality and reduced fossil fuel dependency.

GEF Press release confirmed that the new $33 million program, launched in Madrid in coordination with the European Commission’s new E-Mobility Solutions Plus Project, represents the first global coordinated effort to promote and accelerate the uptake of electric mobility in developing countries.

The program will help governments establish supportive policies to enable technology transfer, private sector engagement, and access to commercial finance for the introduction of fleets of electric buses, two-wheelers, three-wheelers, trucks, light duty vehicles, and private vehicles.

It will also create three regional platforms to support the transition to electric mobility in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean. 

This work will be closely tied to the GEF Sustainable Cities Impact Program.

“Globally there will be twice as many vehicles on the road by 2050 – with nearly all of the projected growth taking place in developing countries, where air pollution is already a major challenge in many cities,” said Gustavo Fonseca, GEF Director of Programs. 

“We see tremendous benefit from governments opting to phase-out internal combustion engines, both in terms of lower emissions and improved quality of life. The GEF is delighted to help create scale for such efforts through this program.”

Beyond the GEF financing, the E-Mobility Program is set to leverage more than $400 million in co-financing, including from the European Commission, the Asian Development Bank, and several other national institutions, international financial and philanthropic organizations, and the private sector.

The program will be implemented by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in partnership with the International Energy Agency (IEA).

“Recent reports from the IPCC and the UNEP Emissions Gap Report have shown that without a worldwide switch to a zero emissions electric fleet we will not meet the Paris Climate targets. We need a global approach, and all countries need to start their switch now,” said UNEP Head of Air Quality and Mobility Rob de Jong. 

“As one of the global leaders in supporting a global switch to electric mobility, UNEP is very pleased that the GEF and the European Commission have made this one of their priorities and we look forward to working with them, and others, to support this global transformation."

“According to the IEA’s Global EV Outlook 2019, emerging economies could account for around 60% of the world’s electric vehicle fleet by 2030,” said Timur Gül, Head of the Energy Technology Policy Division at the IEA. 

“We therefore welcome this new global electric mobility program that builds on existing platforms like the Clean Energy Ministerial’s Electric Vehicle Initiative and brings together different stakeholders to share best practices based on evidence and analysis.”

The initial countries that will participate in the GEF Global E-Mobility Program include Antigua & Barbuda, Armenia, Burundi, Chile, Costa Rica, India, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Madagascar, Maldives, Peru, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, St. Lucia, Togo, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

The GEF has a track record of helping individual countries with electric mobility, including sustainable urban transport projects in Bhutan, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Georgia, Lao PDR, Mongolia, Peru, and South Africa. The statement said.
The Countries that will participate in the GEF Global E-Mobility Program include Antigua & Barbuda, Armenia, Burundi, Chile, Costa Rica, India, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Madagascar, Maldives, Peru, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, St. Lucia, Togo, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

Early this Month, a new GEF Global E-Mobility Program launched at the COP25 climate summit aimed at helping an initial set of 17 developing countries deploy electric vehicles at scale, in support of improved air quality and reduced fossil fuel dependency.

GEF Press release confirmed that the new $33 million program, launched in Madrid in coordination with the European Commission’s new E-Mobility Solutions Plus Project, represents the first global coordinated effort to promote and accelerate the uptake of electric mobility in developing countries.

The program will help governments establish supportive policies to enable technology transfer, private sector engagement, and access to commercial finance for the introduction of fleets of electric buses, two-wheelers, three-wheelers, trucks, light duty vehicles, and private vehicles.

It will also create three regional platforms to support the transition to electric mobility in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean. 

This work will be closely tied to the GEF Sustainable Cities Impact Program.

“Globally there will be twice as many vehicles on the road by 2050 – with nearly all of the projected growth taking place in developing countries, where air pollution is already a major challenge in many cities,” said Gustavo Fonseca, GEF Director of Programs. 

“We see tremendous benefit from governments opting to phase-out internal combustion engines, both in terms of lower emissions and improved quality of life. The GEF is delighted to help create scale for such efforts through this program.”

Beyond the GEF financing, the E-Mobility Program is set to leverage more than $400 million in co-financing, including from the European Commission, the Asian Development Bank, and several other national institutions, international financial and philanthropic organizations, and the private sector.

The program will be implemented by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in partnership with the International Energy Agency (IEA).

“Recent reports from the IPCC and the UNEP Emissions Gap Report have shown that without a worldwide switch to a zero emissions electric fleet we will not meet the Paris Climate targets. We need a global approach, and all countries need to start their switch now,” said UNEP Head of Air Quality and Mobility Rob de Jong. 

“As one of the global leaders in supporting a global switch to electric mobility, UNEP is very pleased that the GEF and the European Commission have made this one of their priorities and we look forward to working with them, and others, to support this global transformation."

“According to the IEA’s Global EV Outlook 2019, emerging economies could account for around 60% of the world’s electric vehicle fleet by 2030,” said Timur Gül, Head of the Energy Technology Policy Division at the IEA. 

“We therefore welcome this new global electric mobility program that builds on existing platforms like the Clean Energy Ministerial’s Electric Vehicle Initiative and brings together different stakeholders to share best practices based on evidence and analysis.”

The initial countries that will participate in the GEF Global E-Mobility Program include Antigua & Barbuda, Armenia, Burundi, Chile, Costa Rica, India, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Madagascar, Maldives, Peru, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, St. Lucia, Togo, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

The GEF has a track record of helping individual countries with electric mobility, including sustainable urban transport projects in Bhutan, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Georgia, Lao PDR, Mongolia, Peru, and South Africa. The statement said.

NO SNOW: Moscow wonders where winter has gone

NO SNOW: Moscow wonders where winter has gone

Winters in Moscow usually look like something out of a picture book: the Russian capital is covered in snow, people go skiing, and temperatures are well below freezing.

But this year things are different.

For the past two weeks, temperatures in Moscow have easily topped four degrees Celsius and are expected to move as high as 7C next week -- compared to the normal average for December of around minus 6C.

Snow is nowhere to be seen, the city's ski resorts are closed, and even the first spring buds on the trees are beginning to show -- three or more months too early. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin has always been reluctant to acknowledge the link between human activity and global warming.

At his traditional year-end annual news conference last week, he again insisted that "nobody knows" the causes of climate change.

But Putin acknowledged the consequences of global warming could be catastrophic for a country that is one of the world's biggest producers of carbon fuel and a fifth of whose land lies within the Arctic circle.

Putin said that the rate of warming for Russia was 2.5 percent higher than elsewhere on the planet.

And "for our country, this process is very serious," he said.

Climate change was a particular risk for Russian regions where buildings are built into permafrost and there "could be very big consequences if it melts," Putin warned.

- Early blossom -


In the botanic garden of Moscow State University, rhododendrons, snowdrops and crocuses are already beginning to bud.

"I've never seen this before," chief gardener, Anton Dubenyuk, told AFP.

"I like this weather, it's a normal European winter," says one visitor, pensioner Svetlana Zolotukhina.

"When the flowers blossom, it makes you feel better."

But another visitor, Svetlana Gribkova, says she finds the situation "abnormal."

"I want snow because it protects plants in the winter," says the trained botanist.

According to the Russian meteorological office, Rosgidromet, Moscow, with its population of 12 million, experienced its hottest year this year since records began a century and a half ago.

"Only the month of July was slightly below normal for the season," said senior Rosgidromet representative Anatoly Tsygankov, who described December, with its temperatures around 10 degrees higher than average, as "very warm".

But he, too, remained cautious about the possible explanations for climate change, saying the current warm temperatures could be attributable to cyclones coming in from the Atlantic.

This summer, the vast region of Siberia was devastated by forest fires, which experts linked directly to the effects of climate change.

Nevertheless, at one Moscow ski resort, where 20 pistes had to be shut down because temperatures were too warm even for artificial snow, technical chief Andrei Kharkhota remained unfazed.

"I'm not worried. Winter always comes," he told AFP.
Winters in Moscow usually look like something out of a picture book: the Russian capital is covered in snow, people go skiing, and temperatures are well below freezing.

But this year things are different.

For the past two weeks, temperatures in Moscow have easily topped four degrees Celsius and are expected to move as high as 7C next week -- compared to the normal average for December of around minus 6C.

Snow is nowhere to be seen, the city's ski resorts are closed, and even the first spring buds on the trees are beginning to show -- three or more months too early. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin has always been reluctant to acknowledge the link between human activity and global warming.

At his traditional year-end annual news conference last week, he again insisted that "nobody knows" the causes of climate change.

But Putin acknowledged the consequences of global warming could be catastrophic for a country that is one of the world's biggest producers of carbon fuel and a fifth of whose land lies within the Arctic circle.

Putin said that the rate of warming for Russia was 2.5 percent higher than elsewhere on the planet.

And "for our country, this process is very serious," he said.

Climate change was a particular risk for Russian regions where buildings are built into permafrost and there "could be very big consequences if it melts," Putin warned.

- Early blossom -


In the botanic garden of Moscow State University, rhododendrons, snowdrops and crocuses are already beginning to bud.

"I've never seen this before," chief gardener, Anton Dubenyuk, told AFP.

"I like this weather, it's a normal European winter," says one visitor, pensioner Svetlana Zolotukhina.

"When the flowers blossom, it makes you feel better."

But another visitor, Svetlana Gribkova, says she finds the situation "abnormal."

"I want snow because it protects plants in the winter," says the trained botanist.

According to the Russian meteorological office, Rosgidromet, Moscow, with its population of 12 million, experienced its hottest year this year since records began a century and a half ago.

"Only the month of July was slightly below normal for the season," said senior Rosgidromet representative Anatoly Tsygankov, who described December, with its temperatures around 10 degrees higher than average, as "very warm".

But he, too, remained cautious about the possible explanations for climate change, saying the current warm temperatures could be attributable to cyclones coming in from the Atlantic.

This summer, the vast region of Siberia was devastated by forest fires, which experts linked directly to the effects of climate change.

Nevertheless, at one Moscow ski resort, where 20 pistes had to be shut down because temperatures were too warm even for artificial snow, technical chief Andrei Kharkhota remained unfazed.

"I'm not worried. Winter always comes," he told AFP.

UK weather forecast – Flood warnings for Britain as 4 DAYS of rain on the way

UK weather forecast – Flood warnings for Britain as 4 DAYS of rain on the way

BRITAIN is set to be battered by floods just days before Christmas.

The Met Office has issued four days of weather warnings for wind and rain across the south of England and Wales from today through to Sunday.

Large parts of southern England and Wales have been warned to expect heavy rain today, leading to flooding and widespread disruption.

Forecasters have said homes and businesses could be flooded causing damage to some buildings.

The south west of England and south Wales are expected to be particularly affected as some communities become cut off by flooded roads.

The warnings come just weeks after large parts of South Yorkshire and the East Midlands were left ravaged by floods.

Coastal areas could see gusts of up to 70mph.

Although the weather has been mild this festive season, Met Office chief meteorologist Paul Gunderson thinks we could see a cold snap just in time for Christmas morning.

He said: "At the moment there are signs for a drier, quieter spell of weather just in time for the Christmas period, with the potential for colder temperatures making things feel a little more festive."


BRITAIN is set to be battered by floods just days before Christmas.

The Met Office has issued four days of weather warnings for wind and rain across the south of England and Wales from today through to Sunday.

Large parts of southern England and Wales have been warned to expect heavy rain today, leading to flooding and widespread disruption.

Forecasters have said homes and businesses could be flooded causing damage to some buildings.

The south west of England and south Wales are expected to be particularly affected as some communities become cut off by flooded roads.

The warnings come just weeks after large parts of South Yorkshire and the East Midlands were left ravaged by floods.

Coastal areas could see gusts of up to 70mph.

Although the weather has been mild this festive season, Met Office chief meteorologist Paul Gunderson thinks we could see a cold snap just in time for Christmas morning.

He said: "At the moment there are signs for a drier, quieter spell of weather just in time for the Christmas period, with the potential for colder temperatures making things feel a little more festive."


European Central Bank should do more to tackle climate emergency - Lagarde

European Central Bank should do more to tackle climate emergency - Lagarde

Christine Lagarde has said the European Central Bank should do more to help tackle the climate emergency, as she came under pressure from MEPs to step up action against global heating.


In a strong hint that as president she would move the ECB beyond its traditional remit of controlling inflation, Lagarde said the bank would incorporate the climate threat into both its economic forecasts and in its capacity as watchdog of the financial system.

The ECB, like all central banks, uses models to forecast how the eurozone economy will work. “These models need to incorporate the risk of climate change,” said Lagarde. “That’s the very least, I think, we should expect.”

The former managing director of the International Monetary Fund came under pressure at the EU committee on economic and monetary affairs over the ECB’s failure to support the greening of the eurozone economy through the purchase of bonds in environmentally friendly companies.

She said the ECB’s bond portfolio – bought under its quantitative easing programme – contained “multiple shades from green to brown” because the bank operated a policy of market neutrality that ruled out stimulating a particular sector.

Lagarde said the review of the ECB she had implemented after succeeding Mario Draghi as president last month would look at whether the policy should be changed.

It was also important that the rating agencies took climate change into account when assessing credit-worthiness.

“I would hope that the three big, well-known rating agencies (Moody’s, S&P and Fitch) move in that direction,” Lagarde said. “If they ask me my views, I will tell them.”


Christine Lagarde has said the European Central Bank should do more to help tackle the climate emergency, as she came under pressure from MEPs to step up action against global heating.


In a strong hint that as president she would move the ECB beyond its traditional remit of controlling inflation, Lagarde said the bank would incorporate the climate threat into both its economic forecasts and in its capacity as watchdog of the financial system.

The ECB, like all central banks, uses models to forecast how the eurozone economy will work. “These models need to incorporate the risk of climate change,” said Lagarde. “That’s the very least, I think, we should expect.”

The former managing director of the International Monetary Fund came under pressure at the EU committee on economic and monetary affairs over the ECB’s failure to support the greening of the eurozone economy through the purchase of bonds in environmentally friendly companies.

She said the ECB’s bond portfolio – bought under its quantitative easing programme – contained “multiple shades from green to brown” because the bank operated a policy of market neutrality that ruled out stimulating a particular sector.

Lagarde said the review of the ECB she had implemented after succeeding Mario Draghi as president last month would look at whether the policy should be changed.

It was also important that the rating agencies took climate change into account when assessing credit-worthiness.

“I would hope that the three big, well-known rating agencies (Moody’s, S&P and Fitch) move in that direction,” Lagarde said. “If they ask me my views, I will tell them.”


Fossil Fuel: UN sees no sign of CO2 emissions peaking 'in next few years'

Fossil Fuel: UN sees no sign of CO2 emissions peaking 'in next few years'

Even if countries meet commitments made under the 2015 Paris Agreement, the world is heading for a 3.2 degrees Celsius global temperature rise over pre-industrial levels, leading to even wider-ranging and more destructive climate impacts, warns a report from the UN Environment Programme, released on Tuesday. 

Developed countries, the biggest emitters, must take the lead


P
aris (AFP) - The world will miss its chance to avert climate disaster without an immediate and all-but-impossible fall in fossil fuel emissions, the UN said Tuesday in its annual assessment on greenhouse gases.

The United Nations Environment Programme said that global emissions need to fall by 7.6 percent, each year, every year until 2030 to limit global temperature rises to 1.5C.

The harsh reality is that emissions have risen on average 1.5 percent annually over the last decade, hitting a record 55.3 billion tonnes of CO2 or equivalent greenhouse gases in 2018 -- three years after 195 countries signed the Paris treaty on climate change.

The World Meterological Organization said Monday that atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations hit an all-time record in 2018.

The Paris deal committed nations to limit temperature rises above pre-industrial levels to "well below" 2C, and to a safer 1.5-C if at all possible.

To do so they agreed on the need to reduce emissions and work towards a low-carbon world within decades.

Yet the UN found that even taking into account current Paris pledges, the world is on track for a 3.2C temperature rise, something scientists fear could tear at the fabric of society.

Even if every country made good on its promises, Earth's "carbon budget" for a 1.5-C rise -- the amount we can emit to stay below a certain temperature threshold -- would be exhausted within a decade.

In its own words, the UN assessment is "bleak".

While it insisted the 1.5-C goal is still attainable, it acknowledged that this would require an unprecedented, coordinated upheaval of a global economy that is still fuelled overwhelmingly by oil- and gas-fuelled growth.

"We are failing to curb greenhouse gas emissions," UNEP's executive director, Inger Andersen, told AFP.

"Unless we take urgent action now and make very significant cuts to global emissions we're going to miss the target of 1.5C."

- Cost of inaction -

The Emissions Gap report, now in its tenth year, also details the cost of a decade of government inaction.

Had serious climate action begun in 2010, just after the Copenhagen summit that breathed new life into the debate, annual needed emissions cuts would be 0.7 percent for 2C of warming and 3.3 percent for 1.5C.

"10 years of climate procrastination has led us to where we are today," said Andersen.

The report highlighted specific "opportunities" for big emitters to push their economies into line with the Paris goals.

While advice varies between countries, the theme is clear: completely phase out coal, significantly pare back oil and gas, and dramatically build up renewable energy.

G20 nations were singled out as laggards: although they produce around 78 percent of all emissions, only 15 rich nations have outlined plans to reach net-zero.

The Trump administration, meanwhile, notified the UN earlier this month that the US will pull out of the Paris treaty, and has taken steps to boost fossil fuel production, including subsidies for technology to capture and store CO2 emissions from power plants.

In all, countries must increase their contributions to the climate fight five-fold to deliver the cuts needed for 1.5C.

- 'No sign of peak' -

Last year the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change -- the world's leading scientific body on the subject -- issued a stark warning that going beyond 1.5C would increase the frequency and intensity of heatwaves, superstorms and mass flooding.

With just 1C of warming so far, 2019 is projected to be the second hottest in human history, a year marred by deadly wildfires and cyclones rendered more frequent as temperatures climb.

And despite the need for urgent action, with global energy demand set to continue rising for years, the UN itself conceded Tuesday that "there is no sign of (greenhouse) gas emissions peaking in the next few years."

That turning point should have come years ago, said Alden Meyer, director of policy at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

"We are not running out of time –- we are already out of time," he told AFP.

The report said emissions would need to drop 55 percent by 2030 to stay on a 1.5C track -- an unprecedented fall at a time of sustained global growth.

John Ferguson, director of country analysis at The Economist Intelligence Unity, said he was pessimistic that countries could undertake emissions cuts in the time required.

"There's the emissions gap but there's also the gap between rhetoric and action, and that gap explains my pessimism that we're not going to limit it to 1.5C," he told AFP.


Even if countries meet commitments made under the 2015 Paris Agreement, the world is heading for a 3.2 degrees Celsius global temperature rise over pre-industrial levels, leading to even wider-ranging and more destructive climate impacts, warns a report from the UN Environment Programme, released on Tuesday. 

Developed countries, the biggest emitters, must take the lead


P
aris (AFP) - The world will miss its chance to avert climate disaster without an immediate and all-but-impossible fall in fossil fuel emissions, the UN said Tuesday in its annual assessment on greenhouse gases.

The United Nations Environment Programme said that global emissions need to fall by 7.6 percent, each year, every year until 2030 to limit global temperature rises to 1.5C.

The harsh reality is that emissions have risen on average 1.5 percent annually over the last decade, hitting a record 55.3 billion tonnes of CO2 or equivalent greenhouse gases in 2018 -- three years after 195 countries signed the Paris treaty on climate change.

The World Meterological Organization said Monday that atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations hit an all-time record in 2018.

The Paris deal committed nations to limit temperature rises above pre-industrial levels to "well below" 2C, and to a safer 1.5-C if at all possible.

To do so they agreed on the need to reduce emissions and work towards a low-carbon world within decades.

Yet the UN found that even taking into account current Paris pledges, the world is on track for a 3.2C temperature rise, something scientists fear could tear at the fabric of society.

Even if every country made good on its promises, Earth's "carbon budget" for a 1.5-C rise -- the amount we can emit to stay below a certain temperature threshold -- would be exhausted within a decade.

In its own words, the UN assessment is "bleak".

While it insisted the 1.5-C goal is still attainable, it acknowledged that this would require an unprecedented, coordinated upheaval of a global economy that is still fuelled overwhelmingly by oil- and gas-fuelled growth.

"We are failing to curb greenhouse gas emissions," UNEP's executive director, Inger Andersen, told AFP.

"Unless we take urgent action now and make very significant cuts to global emissions we're going to miss the target of 1.5C."

- Cost of inaction -

The Emissions Gap report, now in its tenth year, also details the cost of a decade of government inaction.

Had serious climate action begun in 2010, just after the Copenhagen summit that breathed new life into the debate, annual needed emissions cuts would be 0.7 percent for 2C of warming and 3.3 percent for 1.5C.

"10 years of climate procrastination has led us to where we are today," said Andersen.

The report highlighted specific "opportunities" for big emitters to push their economies into line with the Paris goals.

While advice varies between countries, the theme is clear: completely phase out coal, significantly pare back oil and gas, and dramatically build up renewable energy.

G20 nations were singled out as laggards: although they produce around 78 percent of all emissions, only 15 rich nations have outlined plans to reach net-zero.

The Trump administration, meanwhile, notified the UN earlier this month that the US will pull out of the Paris treaty, and has taken steps to boost fossil fuel production, including subsidies for technology to capture and store CO2 emissions from power plants.

In all, countries must increase their contributions to the climate fight five-fold to deliver the cuts needed for 1.5C.

- 'No sign of peak' -

Last year the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change -- the world's leading scientific body on the subject -- issued a stark warning that going beyond 1.5C would increase the frequency and intensity of heatwaves, superstorms and mass flooding.

With just 1C of warming so far, 2019 is projected to be the second hottest in human history, a year marred by deadly wildfires and cyclones rendered more frequent as temperatures climb.

And despite the need for urgent action, with global energy demand set to continue rising for years, the UN itself conceded Tuesday that "there is no sign of (greenhouse) gas emissions peaking in the next few years."

That turning point should have come years ago, said Alden Meyer, director of policy at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

"We are not running out of time –- we are already out of time," he told AFP.

The report said emissions would need to drop 55 percent by 2030 to stay on a 1.5C track -- an unprecedented fall at a time of sustained global growth.

John Ferguson, director of country analysis at The Economist Intelligence Unity, said he was pessimistic that countries could undertake emissions cuts in the time required.

"There's the emissions gap but there's also the gap between rhetoric and action, and that gap explains my pessimism that we're not going to limit it to 1.5C," he told AFP.


Russia says US pullout 'seriously undermines' Paris climate pact as Xi, Macron back 'irreversible' pact

Russia says US pullout 'seriously undermines' Paris climate pact as Xi, Macron back 'irreversible' pact

Moscow (AFP) – Russia on Tuesday joined other nations in criticising the US withdrawal from the Paris climate accord, saying it seriously undermined the agreement.

According to  a reports, the US pullout “undermines this agreement in the most serious way, because it is the leading country in terms of emissions,” President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

“And without the largest economy in the world, it’s very, very hard to talk about any kind of climate agreement.”

US President Donald Trump went ahead with the pullout despite mounting evidence of the reality and impact of climate change, with September the fourth month in a row with near- or record-breaking temperatures.

Chinese leader Xi and French President Macron declare the Paris climate pact "irreversible", after the United States formally withdrew from the accord this week.

The two leaders reaffirm "their firm support for the Paris accord which they consider as an irreversible process and a compass for strong action on climate", said a joint statement released after they held talks in Beijing.

On Monday, the Trump administration said it filed paperwork to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement, the first formal step in a one-year process to exit the pact.

The United States formally notified the United Nations that it is withdrawing from the Paris climate accord, triggering expressions of concern and regret from other major powers on Tuesday.

Once it exits, the United States - the top historic greenhouse gas emitter and leading oil and gas producer - will become the only country outside the accord.

The US State Department's letter to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres starts the clock on a process that will be complete one day after the 2020 US presidential election.

All the top Democratic presidential contenders seeking to unseat Mr Trump have promised to re-engage in the Paris Agreement if they win.

The Obama administration had signed the United States onto the 2015 pact, promising a 26-28% cut in US greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 from 2005 levels.

Mr Trump campaigned on a promise to rescind that pledge, saying it would hurt the US economy while leaving other big polluters like China to increase emissions. He was bound by UN rules to wait until 4 November 2019, to file exit papers.

Mr Trump has already moved, however, to unwind a slew of Obama-era rules limiting emissions - including from the electricity industry, automobiles and the oil and gas drilling sector.

The US Environmental Protection Agency announced this week that it planned to ease Obama-era rules on toxic coal ash.
Moscow (AFP) – Russia on Tuesday joined other nations in criticising the US withdrawal from the Paris climate accord, saying it seriously undermined the agreement.

According to  a reports, the US pullout “undermines this agreement in the most serious way, because it is the leading country in terms of emissions,” President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

“And without the largest economy in the world, it’s very, very hard to talk about any kind of climate agreement.”

US President Donald Trump went ahead with the pullout despite mounting evidence of the reality and impact of climate change, with September the fourth month in a row with near- or record-breaking temperatures.

Chinese leader Xi and French President Macron declare the Paris climate pact "irreversible", after the United States formally withdrew from the accord this week.

The two leaders reaffirm "their firm support for the Paris accord which they consider as an irreversible process and a compass for strong action on climate", said a joint statement released after they held talks in Beijing.

On Monday, the Trump administration said it filed paperwork to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement, the first formal step in a one-year process to exit the pact.

The United States formally notified the United Nations that it is withdrawing from the Paris climate accord, triggering expressions of concern and regret from other major powers on Tuesday.

Once it exits, the United States - the top historic greenhouse gas emitter and leading oil and gas producer - will become the only country outside the accord.

The US State Department's letter to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres starts the clock on a process that will be complete one day after the 2020 US presidential election.

All the top Democratic presidential contenders seeking to unseat Mr Trump have promised to re-engage in the Paris Agreement if they win.

The Obama administration had signed the United States onto the 2015 pact, promising a 26-28% cut in US greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 from 2005 levels.

Mr Trump campaigned on a promise to rescind that pledge, saying it would hurt the US economy while leaving other big polluters like China to increase emissions. He was bound by UN rules to wait until 4 November 2019, to file exit papers.

Mr Trump has already moved, however, to unwind a slew of Obama-era rules limiting emissions - including from the electricity industry, automobiles and the oil and gas drilling sector.

The US Environmental Protection Agency announced this week that it planned to ease Obama-era rules on toxic coal ash.

How extreme heatwave across US prompts concerns about elderly, homeless & inmates

How extreme heatwave across US prompts concerns about elderly, homeless & inmates

As an extreme heatwave hits the US, locals are being asked to look after their older neighbors, activists try to save inmates from baking in prisons, and authorities hurry to take the homeless off the sizzling streets.

The extreme temperatures, reaching as high as 95F (35C), have been plaguing large parts of the US from the Midwest to the East Coast over the past few days. At least six deaths have already been blamed on the extreme heatwave – four in Maryland and one each in Arizona and Arkansas.

In some places, thermometers have hit triple digits, prompting the authorities and meteorological services to release numerous advisories on how to stay cool, open dedicated cooling centers and hold water parties of all sorts.




The town of Braintree, Massachusetts, for example, is urging the populace to “stay cool and hydrated” and to check on elderly neighbors – while the town's police department is telling aspiring criminals about the dangers of committing crimes in the extreme heat.
“Folks. Due to the extreme heat, we are asking anyone thinking of doing criminal activity to hold off until Monday,” it said in a tongue-in-cheek Facebook post.


It is straight up hot as soccer balls out there. Conducting criminal activity in this extreme heat is next level henchmen status, and also very dangerous.

It's sound advice, too, considering that accomplished criminals possibly have it even worse in the country's prisons. In New York, advocacy groups sounded the alarm over the lack of air conditioning and summer clothes at Rikers Island Prison, and say the guards there have punished inmates for their attempts to stay cool.


Rikers inmantes have died due to overheating before. In 2014, a prisoner “basically baked to death” in his cell due to malfunctioning heating equipment.
The authorities have apparently heard the activists. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said that proper clothing has been issued, and units without air conditioning have been provided with “fans, ice, water, and access to multiple cool showers.” But Rikers is just one example, and numerous prisons across the states remain without functional air conditioning.

Another vulnerable group, the homeless, have been plagued by the heat as well, deprived of air conditioning, shelter, and readily available water. Relief groups and authorities have been trying to check up on the homeless and provide them with some means to fend off the heat. In Indianapolis, police have spent hours distributing cold water to the homeless and directing them to shelters.  RT
As an extreme heatwave hits the US, locals are being asked to look after their older neighbors, activists try to save inmates from baking in prisons, and authorities hurry to take the homeless off the sizzling streets.

The extreme temperatures, reaching as high as 95F (35C), have been plaguing large parts of the US from the Midwest to the East Coast over the past few days. At least six deaths have already been blamed on the extreme heatwave – four in Maryland and one each in Arizona and Arkansas.

In some places, thermometers have hit triple digits, prompting the authorities and meteorological services to release numerous advisories on how to stay cool, open dedicated cooling centers and hold water parties of all sorts.




The town of Braintree, Massachusetts, for example, is urging the populace to “stay cool and hydrated” and to check on elderly neighbors – while the town's police department is telling aspiring criminals about the dangers of committing crimes in the extreme heat.
“Folks. Due to the extreme heat, we are asking anyone thinking of doing criminal activity to hold off until Monday,” it said in a tongue-in-cheek Facebook post.


It is straight up hot as soccer balls out there. Conducting criminal activity in this extreme heat is next level henchmen status, and also very dangerous.

It's sound advice, too, considering that accomplished criminals possibly have it even worse in the country's prisons. In New York, advocacy groups sounded the alarm over the lack of air conditioning and summer clothes at Rikers Island Prison, and say the guards there have punished inmates for their attempts to stay cool.


Rikers inmantes have died due to overheating before. In 2014, a prisoner “basically baked to death” in his cell due to malfunctioning heating equipment.
The authorities have apparently heard the activists. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said that proper clothing has been issued, and units without air conditioning have been provided with “fans, ice, water, and access to multiple cool showers.” But Rikers is just one example, and numerous prisons across the states remain without functional air conditioning.

Another vulnerable group, the homeless, have been plagued by the heat as well, deprived of air conditioning, shelter, and readily available water. Relief groups and authorities have been trying to check up on the homeless and provide them with some means to fend off the heat. In Indianapolis, police have spent hours distributing cold water to the homeless and directing them to shelters.  RT

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