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Climate Action 15: 2024's top global innovators powering green solutions

<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/anima-anandkumar-ai-climate-change-open-source-caltech-nvidia-2024-8">Anandkumar</a>, a former senior director of Nvidia's AI research, left the private sector last year to return full time to academia at CalTech, where she serves as a Bren professor in the computing and mathematical sciences department. Her lab focuses on tensors, which can help solve higher-order problems in AI, such as simulating fluids. She helped build an AI-based weather model and made it available as open source. She hopes that by figuring out how AI can better simulate the physical world, researchers can more accurately predict and alleviate the climate crisis.See Business Insider's full <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://businessinsider.com/ai-power-list-2024">AI Power List</a>

Anima Anandkumar, a former Nvidia director, now at CalTech, uses AI to tackle the climate crisis

In a massive move for the country’s growing climate woes, India is aiming to control weather phenomena like rainfall, lightning, and hail within five years. Dubbed "<keyword id="23131560" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mission-Mausam" source="keywords">Mission Mausam</keyword>," this government-backed initiative includes the development of <keyword id="23148975" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mausam-GPT" source="keywords">Mausam GPT</keyword>, a weather AI model designed to enhance prediction accuracy and even manipulate the weather. This would make India one of the first countries to experiment with <keyword id="21369368" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="weather-modification" source="keywords">weather modification</keyword> on a significant scale. <h2>Mission Mausam</h2>India’s "Mission Mausam" aims to reshape the future of weather management by using technology to control rain. Over the next 18 months, the government will start with lab simulations to either enhance or suppress rainfall. The ultimate goal, as outlined by Earth Sciences Secretary M. Ravichandran, is to roll out full-scale weather modification within five years. He stated that the initiative could even target events like Independence Day, where “one can think about suppressing rain.” By deploying <keyword id="20644540" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="cloud-seeding" source="keywords">cloud seeding</keyword> techniques alongside AI-driven weather prediction tools like "Mausam GPT," the mission seeks to significantly improve India’s ability to manage extreme weather conditions. A key aspect of the plan involves building a robust system of advanced radars, supercomputers, satellites with high-performance sensors, and GIS-based decision support systems. This cutting-edge tech is expected to boost India’s short- and medium-range weather forecasting accuracy by 5-10%, ensuring no event — such as cloudbursts — goes undetected. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="113251187" title="India braces for an intensely harsh winter as La Niña takes hold" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>India is not new to weather manipulation efforts. The government has been running pilot projects, such as the Cloud Aerosol Interaction and Precipitation Enhancement Experiment (CAIPEEX) in Maharashtra, to study cloud properties and enhance rainfall. <h2>Why is weather manipulation necessary and is it safe?</h2>Extreme weather events in India, like deadly floods, droughts, and hailstorms, have noticeably increased in frequency due to <keyword id="19907392" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="climate-change" source="keywords">climate change</keyword>. Mission Mausam could potentially give India an edge in combating these disasters. For example, imagine preventing a flood by suppressing rain or creating artificial rain during a drought. India’s investment of Rs 2,000 crore over two years certainly reflects the seriousness of the mission, which is expected to expand further as research progresses. However, weather modification, including cloud seeding, is not without controversy. Globally, cloud seeding has had limited success, with countries like the US, Russia, and China also experimenting with these methods but facing inconsistent results. Even former MoES Secretary Madhavan Rajeevan has noted that “the technology is complex” and still in its developmental stages. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="112825937" title="Shivaji Maharaj Statue collapse: Identifying 5 reasons behind the accident" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>Further, the potential downsides can't be ignored. While controlling the weather could save lives, meddling with natural processes is risky. Weather manipulation might have unintended ecological consequences, like shifting rainfall patterns that could harm ecosystems and agriculture. It may also pose geopolitical risks, as neighbouring countries could accuse India of altering weather systems that affect their own climates. Ultimately, while the idea of managing the weather may seem appealing, it opens up a Pandora’s box of environmental and ethical challenges that need careful consideration.

The Indian government is taking steps to control rainfall and weather within five years — is it too risky of a move?

The deadly landslides in Kerala's ecologically fragile Wayanad district were triggered by a heavy burst of rainfall, made 10 per cent heavier by <keyword id="19907392" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="climate-change" source="keywords">climate change</keyword>, according to a new rapid attribution study by a global team of scientists. Researchers from India, Sweden, the US and the UK warned that such events will become more common as the climate continues to warm. To measure the impact of human-caused climate change, the scientists from the <keyword id="12008149" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="World-Weather-Attribution" source="Orion">World Weather Attribution</keyword> (WWA) group analysed climate models with high enough resolution to accurately reflect rainfall in the relatively small study area. The models indicated that the intensity of rainfall has increased by 10 per cent due to climate change, they said. The models also predict a further four per cent increase in rainfall intensity if the average <keyword id="21951013" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="global-temperature" source="keywords">global temperature</keyword> rises by two degrees Celsius compared to the 1850-1900 average. The scientists, however, said there is a "high level of uncertainty" in the model results as the study area is small and mountainous with complex rainfall-climate dynamics. Having said that, the increase in heavy one-day rainfall events aligns with a growing body of scientific evidence on extreme rainfall in a warming world, including in India, and the understanding that a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, leading to heavier downpours. According to scientists, the atmosphere's capacity to hold moisture increases by about 7 per cent for every one-degree Celsius rise in global temperature. The Earth's global surface temperature has already increased by around 1.3 degrees Celsius due to the rapidly rising concentration of greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide and methane. Scientists say this is the reason behind worsening <keyword id="19912530" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="extreme-weather-events" source="keywords">extreme weather events</keyword>, such as droughts, heat waves and floods worldwide. The WWA scientists said that while the relationship between land cover, land use changes and landslide risk in Wayanad is not fully clear from existing studies, factors, such as quarrying for building materials and a 62 per cent reduction in forest cover may have increased the slopes' susceptibility to landslides during heavy rainfall. Other researchers have also linked the <keyword id="22597176" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Wayanad-landslides" source="keywords">Wayanad landslides</keyword> to a combination of forest cover loss, mining in fragile terrain and prolonged rain followed by heavy precipitation. S Abhilash, the director of the Advanced Centre for Atmospheric Radar Research at Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), had earlier told PTI that the warming of the Arabian Sea is leading to the formation of deep cloud systems, resulting in extremely heavy rainfall in Kerala in a short period and increasing the risk of landslides. "Our research found that the southeast Arabian Sea is becoming warmer, causing the atmosphere above Kerala to become thermodynamically unstable. This instability is allowing the formation of deep clouds," he had said. According to the landslide atlas released by ISRO's National Remote Sensing Centre last year, 10 out of the top 30 landslide-prone districts in India are in Kerala, with Wayanad ranked at the 13th spot. A study published by Springer in 2021 said all landslide hotspots in Kerala are in the Western Ghats region and are concentrated in Idukki, Ernakulam, Kottayam, Wayanad, Kozhikode and Malappuram districts. It said about 59 per cent of total landslides in Kerala have occurred in plantation areas. A 2022 study on depleting forest cover in Wayanad showed that 62 per cent of forests in the district disappeared between 1950 and 2018, while plantation cover rose by around 1,800 per cent.

Wayanad landslides linked to 10% heavier rainfall due to climate change: Study

<ul class="summary-list"><li>'Twisters' aims to be more scientifically accurate than its predecessor, 'Twister.'</li><li>Many of the film's characters are scientists or storm chasers who know a lot about tornadoes.</li></ul>You don't need to know a lot about tornadoes to understand the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/iowa-tornado-video-injuries-damage-2018-7">massive storms</a> you'll see on screen in the new film "Twisters," debuting in US theaters Friday.However, the filmmakers worked to make "Twisters" more scientifically <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=8794e36cb8c1aa27c3f5637620281e7f8509966ad7e2a48650e0fa7451426dd4&amp;postID=669816d520eaab25bc1945d7&amp;postSlug=twisters-tornado-science-terms-should-know-before-seeing-2024-7&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fd41586-024-02276-x">accurate</a> than its predecessor, and the scientists and storm chasers in the movie spit out some jargon that could leave you scratching your head.So, a weather refresher might help if you want to follow along more closely. Here are a couple dozen terms that show up in the film and may be worth reviewing before you head to the theater. We tell you what the terms mean but not how they appear in the film, so no spoilers.<h2 id="62a1be3e-7668-4811-8ca1-cc77753aad30">22 science terms to know before seeing 'Twisters'</h2>Cap: A layer of warm air thousands of feet high in the atmosphere that can slow or stop the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricanes-and-rain-getting-stronger-2018-6">formation of a thunderstorm</a>. Sandwiched between warm, moist air and cold, dry air, the cap can also increase instability and cause a severe storm if it's removed.Cloud microphysics: This branch of atmospheric science relates to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/cloud-microphysics">study</a> of ice formation and similar processes in the air. Scientists use it to <a target="_blank" href="https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/bams/100/4/bams-d-18-0005.1.xml">more accurately</a> simulate clouds in their <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-flood-prediction-save-lives-climate-change-2023-12">weather models</a>.Cloud seeding and silver iodide: Some regions hoping to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-dubai-airport-flash-floods-show-downsides-controlling-the-weather-2024-4">increase precipitation</a> release particles of silver iodide — a compound of silver and iodine that can encourage ice formation — to cause rain or snow to fall.Death ridge: <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/storm-chaser-job-live-salary-news-extreme-weather-hurricanes">Storm chasers</a> use this term to describe conditions that lead to milder weather. When an elongated area of hot, dry high atmospheric pressure settles over the Plains, it means severe storms are less likely to form, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/06/16/jet-stream-extreme-pattern-weather-tornadoes/">according to</a> The Washington Post.<div type="image" title="A Doppler radar tower with a large white ball on top" height="1500" width="1925" msid="111871259" hostid="261" sizebytes="90852"></div>Doppler radar: The National Weather Service's Doppler radars look like they have <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW9og0xK2Bc">giant</a> golf balls sitting on top of them. These are the antennae, which spin around and scan the atmosphere at different heights. The radar's beam hits particles of precipitation and receives the information back, creating a picture of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-hunters-noaa-air-force-planes-2019-8">what's happening in the sky</a>.Enhanced Fujita Scale/EF Scale: Meteorologist Ted Fujita created the original scale, with ratings from 0 to 5, for tornado intensity in 1971. The newer version from 2007 <a target="_blank" href="https://www.weather.gov/oun/efscale">includes</a> more types of buildings and objects to better reflect the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/what-is-tornado-insurance">level of damage</a>. When a meteorologist describes a tornado as EF1 or EF5, it's a reflection of how destructive the storm was. Tornadoes are only rated after the NWS performs an assessment.FEMA, NASA, NOAA, and NWS: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) helps coordinate disaster response. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and National Weather Service (NWS) all contribute to weather and climate data with satellites, radar, and other technology. The NWS is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/">responsible</a> for issuing tornado warnings.<div type="image" title="A black-and-white image of two tornadoes side by side near a road" height="1068" width="1188" msid="111871260" hostid="261" sizebytes="86136"></div>Fujiwhara effect: Named for Sakuhei Fujiwhara, who wrote about the effect in 1921, this uncommon phenomenon occurs when two cyclones pass close enough to each other that their centers either lock into a dance, or in rarer cases, they can merge into a single, more powerful storm. The effect occasionally happens with hurricanes, and in 2023, atmospheric scientist Matthew Cappucci <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link" href="https://x.com/MatthewCappucci/status/1648898968099729409">noted on X</a> that the phenomenon occurred with tornadoes in Oklahoma.Hook echo: When a hook shape shows up on a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/extreme-weather-blunts-the-us-militarys-technological-edge-2024-5">radar screen</a> as part of a supercell storm, it can indicate the conditions are ripe for a tornado. The spinning storm can show up at a hook's tip, but it's not a guarantee that a tornado has formed, <a target="_blank" href="https://weather.com/storms/severe/news/2024-03-20-tornado-severe-weather-radar-terms-debris-ball-hook-echo">according</a> to Weather.com.Instability, lift, and moisture: These are three ingredients needed for a thunderstorm. The instability comes from air that keeps rising after something provides lift, like a cold front or mountain. The rising air brings heat and moisture to the cooler atmosphere above. As the water vapor cools, it condenses and becomes a cloud. It's these cumulonimbus clouds that you see in thunderstorms.Goldilocks problem: Much like a certain fairy tale figure's porridge, the temperature of the air flowing into a supercell storm has to be just right for a tornado to form, <a target="_blank" href="https://pubs.aip.org/physicstoday/article/67/9/26/414837/What-we-know-and-don-t-know-about-tornado">according to researchers</a> Paul Markowski and Yvette Richardson. Everything needs to be perfect for all the other ingredients, too.<div type="image" title="A tornado cloud in front of a pinkish sky" height="1168" width="1732" msid="111871258" hostid="261" sizebytes="31026"></div>Hail: When rain freezes in a thunderstorm's updraft, it can turn into ice chunks ranging from pea-sized (0.25 inches) to grapefruit-sized (4.5 inches).Lagrangian mechanics: Joseph-Louis Lagrange <a target="_blank" href="https://pubs.aip.org/physicstoday/online/9280/Joseph-Louis-Lagrange">published</a> important work on celestial mechanics in the late 18th century. Researchers still use his principles in modeling work on tornadoes and thunderstorms.Phased Array Radar (PAR): The National Severe Storms Laboratory has used PAR for weather data since the early 2000s, installing a newer version in 2018. It's a large, stationary flat panel antenna on top of a building in Norman, Oklahoma. Experts can control the radar beam <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/tools/radar/atd/">electronically</a> and point it at a storm to get the most relevant data.Sodium polyacrylate: This super-absorbent polymer, which is often used in the gel layer of diapers, can <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cmu.edu/gelfand/lgc-educational-media/polymers/polymer-and-absorption/super-absorb-powder.html">irritate</a> the eyes and nose. It plays an important role in the film's opening scene.Supercell: Most storms aren't supercells, but these long-lived storms can be severe. Strong tornadoes are often the result of supercells.Tornado: When a thunderstorm causes a violent rotation of air to touch the ground, it <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tornadoes-more-us-than-anywhere-else-world-2019-5">creates a tornado</a>. Sometimes the funnel is visible but not always. Tornadoes need the right amount of moisture, instability, lift, and wind shear to develop.<div type="image" title="A tornado by some wind turbines with a field in front" height="1500" width="2250" msid="111871261" hostid="261" sizebytes="48724"></div>Tornado Alley: This is the area of the US where tornadoes have traditionally occurred most frequently. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-tornado-alley-is-shifting-east-to-mississippi-tennessee-alabama-2023-4">Tornado Alley</a> encompasses parts of Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas. Recent research suggests severe storm activity is shifting to states like Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee.Tornadogenesis: The process of tornado formation.Updraft: Warm air rising in a thunderstorm is called updraft. It sucks in more warm, moist air to help power the storm. If the updraft starts rotating vertically, it can produce a tornado.Vortex: A vortex is a horizontal or vertical mass of air that's rotating in a column or spiral. Some tornadoes can have more than one.Wind shear: Wind shear is when winds at different heights change speed or direction or both. If it contributes to rotation in a thunderstorm's updraft, a tornado can form.Despite taking some artistic license on how to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/twister-wrong-and-right-about-tornadoes-2019-6">stay safe from tornadoes</a>, the 1996 "Twister" movie inspired in many people a deep appreciation for and interest in meteorology — or, at the very least, in jaw-droppingly powerful storms. Now its sequel could do the same for a new generation.

The science you need to know before seeing 'Twisters'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber held a press conference to defend his support for climate science.</li><li>Al Jaber is under fire again for his comments on fossil fuels and science. </li></ul>DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — When the chief executive of an oil company runs a UN climate summit, sparks are bound to fly.Sultan Al Jaber, the president of COP28 being held in Dubai, took center stage at the UN climate summit earlier Monday to defend his support of climate initiatives. Al Jaber, who is also the CEO of the United Arab Emirates state-owned oil company Adnoc, came under fire after controversial comments became public around how "there is no science" or "scenario" saying that phasing out fossil fuels will achieve global climate targets.He made those comments during a live online event on Nov. 21, roughly a week before the UN climate gathering kicked off; they were <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/03/back-into-caves-cop28-president-dismisses-phase-out-of-fossil-fuels">published by the Guardian on Sunday</a>. The comments alarmed climate advocates in Dubai and led Al Jaber to pull together a press conference to defend his "respect for the science" and his record of saying that fossil fuels are on their way out."I have said over and over that the phase down and phase out of fossil fuels is inevitable," Al Jaber told reporters at COP28 on Monday. "This transition is essential. It needs to be orderly, fair, just, responsible, and well-managed. I am quite surprised at the constant and repeated attempts to undermine this message."Before the the conference started, Al Jaber <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cop28-dubai-un-climate-summit-sultan-al-jaber-oil-loss-damage-2023-11">also denied a report</a> that Emirati officials used COP28 meetings with other countries to promote oil and gas deals, as well as renewable energy projects."COP28 President Al Jaber's science-denying statements are alarming and raise deep concerns about the presidency's capacity to lead the UN climate talks, at a time when leadership and a clear vision are most needed," Romain Ioualalen, Oil Change International's global policy lead, said in a statement. "Of course, denying science has been part of the fossil fuel industry's playbook for decades. But science is not up for debate: we must phase out fossil fuels to have a livable planet."The controversies underscore the central debate at the UN climate summit in Dubai. Nearly 200 countries are trying to reach a deal that calls for shifting economies away from fossil fuels, the main cause of the climate crisis. UN scientists warn that countries must make that transition quickly to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.unep.org/resources/emissions-gap-report-2023">cut greenhouse gas emissions by 42% by 2030</a> and avert catastrophic levels of global warming. But they are far off track.Al Jaber says he's on board with a deal of some kind on fossil fuels. But climate advocates are skeptical, in part because Adnoc is planning to invest $150 billion over the next five years on its offshore oil and gas fields.That seems to be inconsistent with a report by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/syr/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_SYR_SPM.pdf">the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change</a>, which found that emissions from existing and planned fossil fuel infrastructure are already enough to surpass global climate goals. The Paris Climate agreement calls for limiting global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to preindustral levels. The world has already warmed by 1.2 degrees, the IPCC said, and caused substantial loss and damage from deadly floods, drought, wildfires, and other disasters.A spokesperson for Adnoc told Business Insider that the company is spending some of its $150 billion investment on maintaining its existing oil and gas operations. Adnoc is also investing $15 billion on reducing the carbon intensity of its operations and on low-carbon technologies like hydrogen, geothermal, and renewables.Al Jaber was joined by Jim Skea, chair of the IPCC, during Monday's press conference, who said the COP28 president has been "attentive to the science."Skea said that under a 1.5-degree warming scenario, fossil fuel use is "greatly reduced and unabated coal is completely phased out." Oil is reduced by 60% and natural gas by 45%, he said."Unabated" refers to emissions that are not captured at the smokestack. Carbon capture projects are largely unproven and expensive to develop, which is why many climate advocates see them as a distraction from cheap and available solutions like renewable energy.But oil and gas giants like Adnoc, ExxonMobil, and Chevron are investing billions in carbon capture technology, in part because it could give them license to operate in a greener world.During the online event, Al Jaber argued that a complete phase-out of fossil fuels wouldn't allow sustainable development "unless you want to take the world back into caves."The exchange was with Mary Robinson, the chair of the Elders group and a former UN special envoy for climate change, during an event hosted by the nonprofit She Changes Climate that advocates for greater female representation in climate policy.Robinson said the climate crisis is disproportionately hurting women and children because the world hasn't committed to phase out fossil fuels.

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