IPCC: Scotish Professor to Lead Top Global Climate Body
The United Nations body responsible for assessing the latest climate change elected a Scottish academic as its new chair.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said that Dundee-born Jim Skea was elected by 90 votes to 69 in a vote held at the United Nations Environment Programme headquarters in Nairobi.
Skea will hold office for the next five to seven years in which temperatures are expected to soon strike 1.5 Celsius of warming above pre-industrial levels.
The Scot was a founding member of the UK Government's Committee on Climate Change and currently chairs Scotland's Just Transition Commission.
He studied at the University of Edinburgh, where he graduated with a BSc in Mathematical Physics with first class Honours in 1975. He gained his PhD in Energy Research from Clare College, Cambridge in 1978.
Jul 25, 2023
PFC Becomes First Member from India to Join Asia Transition Finance Study Group
Power Finance Corporation Ltd (PFC) became the first Indian participant in the Asia Transition Finance Study Group (ATFSG), an initiative spearheaded by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) to promote sustainable transition finance in Asian countries. By becoming a part of this initiative, PFC will not only contribute India's perspective but also collaborate on devising policy considerations to facilitate efficient energy transition financing.
This significant step was taken in the presence of Minister of Power and New and Renewable Energy, R. K. Singh, and His Excellency Yasutoshi Nishimura, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Government of Japan during the Bilateral Ministerial Meeting held on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Goa. The collaboration is aimed at fostering cooperation among Asian countries to advance financing for Energy Transition and Net Zero objectives.
ATFSG was launched in October 2021, by private financial institutions, with the clear aim of presenting and disseminating the concept of Asian transition finance, building upon the principles outlined in the Asia Energy Transition Initiative (AETI). Japan's Asia Energy Transition Initiative (AETI) was launched to help countries in the Asia-Pacific region achieve net-zero emissions.
Jul 24, 2023
World's Biggest Permafrost Crater in Russia's Far East Thaws as Planet Warms
Batagaika crater, a one kilometre long gash in Russia's far East that forms the world's biggest permafrost crater, also known as 'mouth to hell', is melting as a result of the planet getting warmer day by day.
The crater began to appear in the 1960s as a result of deforestation in the area. The deforestation led to the loss of ground ice, which then caused the Earth to begin eroding.
The 'gateway to the underworld', as some locals in Russia's Sakha Republic also call it, has a scientific name: a mega-slump.
Jul 23, 2023
India Meteorological Department Introduces the Heat Index
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) introduced the Heat Index on an experimental basis. The Heat Index is designed to offer general guidance for regions in India where the combination of temperature and humidity results in a higher apparent temperature or "feel-like" temperature, causing discomfort to people.
The Heat Index takes into account the impact of humidity along with the temperature to provide a more accurate representation of how hot it feels. It helps people understand the level of discomfort they may experience due to heat and humidity. Currently, IMD is using a heat index equation similar to the one used by the National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the United States.
By introducing the experimental Heat Index, IMD aims to provide valuable information to the public about heat-related conditions, enabling them to take necessary precautions during hot and humid weather conditions.
Jul 19, 2023
Typhoon Talim Disrupts Hong Kong
Talim made landfall in Zhanjiang city, located in Guangdong province. China typically experiences its primary flood season from late July to early August. During this period, there is an upsurge in tropical cyclone and typhoon activity, particularly in the South China Sea and Western Pacific regions, with particular emphasis on the southern and south-eastern coastal areas of the country. Hong Kong hoisted the Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No 8, the third-highest warning level first time this year.
The name 'Talim' has been used for four tropical cyclones in the Western Pacific Ocean. The name was contributed by the Philippines and is a Filipino word meaning 'a sharp or cutting edge'.
The four tropical cyclones are:
Typhoon Talim – 2005 in Taiwan, China, Tropical Storm Talim – 2012 in Taiwan, China, Typhoon Talim – 2017 in Ryukyu Islands and Kyushu, Japan and Typhoon Talim - 2023.
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