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<br /> A massive <keyword id="6362774" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="earthquake">earthquake</keyword> shook <keyword id="6358777" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="New-Delhi">New Delhi</keyword>, other parts of North India, <keyword id="3001" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Pakistan">Pakistan</keyword> and Afghanistan on Monday.<br />
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Strong tremors were felt in New Delhi and people were seen running out of the buildings.<br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
	<p dir="ltr" lang="en">
		JUST IN: Officials at the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/India?src=hash">#India</a>-<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Africa?src=hash">#Africa</a> Forum Summit in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhi?src=hash">#Delhi</a> react to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/earthquake?src=hash">#earthquake</a> tremors, meeting continues. <a href="https://t.co/q4PmfbKxEQ">pic.twitter.com/q4PmfbKxEQ</a></p>
	— SkymetWeather (@SkymetWeather) <a href="https://twitter.com/SkymetWeather/status/658596051352338432">October 26, 2015</a></blockquote>
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The quake was 196 km (120 miles) deep and centred 82 km southeast of Feyzabad in a remote area of Afghanistan in the Hindu Kush mountain range. <span>At least 23 people have been reported dead and more than 140 injured. </span>The quake measured 7.7 on the Richter scale with an epicenter at <keyword id="1140795" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Hindukush">Hindukush</keyword> region, the Central government said. Powerful tremors were also felt across Pakistan’s capital Islamabad.<br />
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Tremors were also felt in Shimla in Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh in Punjab and Jaipur.<br />
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Image credit: AJE News<br />

Earthquake shakes South East Asia. Epicenter in Afghanistan

The Himalayan mountains have been a stronghold for human survival since our species settled in the area. They play various roles in our country, such as shielding <keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="india" source="keywords">India</keyword> from invaders, preventing northward cloud movement to reduce <keyword id="47162" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rainfall" source="Orion">rainfall</keyword> in the north, and providing water to a quarter of the world's population.<br /><br />However, despite their historical significance, the <keyword id="19953074" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="himalayas" source="keywords">Himalayas</keyword> are now facing the detrimental effects of <keyword id="6361617" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="climate-change" source="Orion">climate change</keyword>. Over the last few decades, the region, spanning India, Nepal, Bhutan, and other countries, has experienced a disproportionate amount of climate-related disasters, including floods, landslides, and thunderstorms.<br /><br />According to the Centre for Science and Environment's State of India's Environment 2024 report, 44% of all climate-related incidents in India from 2013-2022 occurred in the Himalayan region. Glacier melt has also accelerated significantly, with glaciers in the Hindu-Kush Himalayas losing 65% more ice mass between 2010 and 2019 compared to the previous decade. This loss of glaciers poses catastrophic consequences for <keyword id="76687" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="irrigation" source="Orion">irrigation</keyword>, <keyword id="84643" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="hydropower" source="Orion">hydropower</keyword>, and domestic use.<br /><br />Additionally, the region is experiencing a loss of permafrost, which could lead to mountain slope destabilisation and increase the risk of rock avalanches. The melting glaciers are also creating more glacial lakes, which can overflow or burst, causing devastating floods downstream.<br /><br />Furthermore, a study suggests that 90% of the Himalayan region could face droughts lasting longer than a year if global temperatures rise by 3°C. Limiting global warming to 1.5°C, as outlined in the Paris Agreement, could significantly reduce the impact on India and other countries in the region.<br /><br />It is crucial to adhere to the Paris Agreement's temperature targets to mitigate the severe consequences of climate change on vulnerable regions like the Himalayas. By taking decisive action and meeting climate goals, we can ensure a future where these majestic mountains are spared from the worst effects of climate change.<br />

Nearly half of India's recent climate incidents occurred in the Himalayas! Year-long droughts on the horizon: study

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Sea levels are rising steadily each year as the planet warms.</li><li>Melting ice could collapse suddenly, raising sea levels abruptly.</li></ul><p>The Earth's ice is, rightly, often in the news. As the planet and its oceans warm, our so-called cryosphere is quickly melting away.</p><p>There are <a href="https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/sea-level/#:~:text=Sea%20level%20rise%20is%20caused,1993%2C%20as%20observed%20by%20satellites.">two factors</a> that lead to sea level rise: the water expanding as it gets warmer and added water from melting ice sheets and glaciers.</p><h4><br />Melting ice that could tip sea level rise into catastrophic levels</h4><span class="image-source-caption undefined" style="margin-top: -25px">                        <span class="image-source headline-regular">                                                Source: NASA Ice Viewer<br />Chart: Annie Fu/Insider                                                </span>                            </span><p>While it's easier to plan for a steady sea level rise, scientists are very concerned about what would happen if huge chunks of ice collapse and abruptly change sea levels. </p><p>Here are the sites around the world scientists are keeping a close eye on, and why they are important, according to Alex Brisbourne, a Glaciologist at the British Antarctic Survey, and Theodore Scambos, an Antarctic researcher at the University of Colorado.</p><h2><strong style="color: #000000;">Glaciers</strong></h2><p>Glaciers will be the first to go.</p><p>Though they will contribute comparatively little to sea level rise — adding about a foot to global mean sea levels if they melt completely — glaciers outside of Greenland and Antarctica have been the main contributors to higher seas over the past century, according to the UN's <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/srocc/chapter/chapter-4-sea-level-rise-and-implications-for-low-lying-islands-coasts-and-communities/">Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).</a></p><h4> </h4><h4><strong>Catastrophic collapse — Columbia Glacier in Alaska</strong></h4><p>Glaciers took centuries to freeze over, but they can disappear in a few years. When they start breaking apart, that triggers a negative feedback loop: the meltwater warms the glacier, which creates more meltwater.</p><div type="image" title="Columbia Glacier Alaska" height="2592" width="3456" msid="96665027" hostid="261"></div><p>The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/columbia-glacier-28-years-of-global-warming-2014-11">Columbia Glacier</a> in Alaska is one of the most recognizable examples of rapid glacier collapse. This glacier has almost completely disappeared today. </p><p>"It's an example of how this will play out for many coastal glaciers," Scambos told Insider in an email.</p><h4> </h4><h4><strong>Albedo — Presena Glacier in the Alps, Europe</strong></h4><p>Glaciers are not only important because they store water away from the oceans. Because they are light-colored, they bounce back a lot of light back into space. This effect, called the albedo of the ice, is crucial because it keeps sunlight from warming the earth. </p><div type="image" title="alps pink snow glacier" height="1532" width="2043" msid="96665029" hostid="261"></div><p>Scientists studying the albedo of the glaciers have discovered a peculiar effect of the melt. Colorful <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/colorful-algae-blooms-may-be-speeding-up-glacier-melt-worldwide-2022-12">glacial and snow algae</a> have been growing in the glacier meltwater, creating <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/greeland-ice-sheet-turned-black-melts-faster-because-of-algae-2021-3">pink and purple</a> spectacles on the ice, like at the Presena Glacier in the Alps. The problem is that reduces the albedo of the glacier, which again encourages warming and melting.</p><h4> </h4><h4><strong>Freshwater — Hindu Kush Himalayan glaciers, Central Asia</strong></h4><p>Glaciers are also a vital source of freshwater. Over a billion people living in central Asian countries rely on the Hindu-Kush Himalayan glaciers for drinking water, and scientists discovered recently that these glaciers are rapidly declining, causing <a href="https://e360.yale.edu/features/himalayas-glaciers-climate-change">concern</a>.</p><div type="image" title="A general view of the Chiatibo glacier in the Hindu Kush mountain range on October 16, 2019 in the Chitral District of Khyber-Pakhunkwa Province, Pakistan." height="1333" width="1777" msid="96665032" hostid="261"></div><p>"It's gonna peak in around 2050. Beyond that point, you start to get less melt," AB said.</p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-and-pakistan-potential-river-water-war-conflict-2019-2#fp-climate-change-threatens-tibetan-plateau-water-resources-in-a-couple-of-waysmore-rainfall-in-the-medium-term-but-also-quicker-glacial-melts-and-less-water-flow-in-the-future-how-much-could-climate-change-aggravate-the-already-tense-cross-border-water-situation-7">Geopolitical experts</a> are concerned this dwindling resource could cause tensions in neighboring countries.</p><h2><strong style="color: #000000;">Greenland and Antarctica</strong></h2><p>The ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are essentially humongous glaciers that cover the poles. They contain most of the freshwater on the Earth's surface. </p><p>The Antarctic ice sheet is much bigger than the ice sheet on Greenland. If they were to melt totally, the Greenland ice sheet would contribute about 23 feet to the sea levels, while the Antarctic ice sheet holds enough ice to raise sea levels by 190 feet. Of course, this <a href="https://climate.nasa.gov/interactives/global-ice-viewer/#/2/about/1316">isn't predicted</a> to happen for centuries.</p><p>The other big difference is that the Greenland ice sheet rests on solid land above sea level, whereas much of the Antarctic ice sheet is below sea level, which makes it more vulnerable to warming ocean temperatures.</p><h4> </h4><h4><strong style="color: #000000;">Greenland </strong></h4><p>Greenland is currently melting about twice as quickly as the Antarctic ice sheet, per <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/srocc/chapter/chapter-4-sea-level-rise-and-implications-for-low-lying-islands-coasts-and-communities/">the IPCC.</a></p><p>As the atmosphere around the North Pole warms, any ice below about 2,000 meters altitude (about 6,500 feet) is at greater risk of melting, said Brisbourne. </p><p>"The problem here is that as you melt, you're thinning the ice and that brings more ice below 2,000 meters," he said.</p><p>This is happening over the entirety of the Greenland ice sheet, as can be seen in this <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/terrifying-nasa-video-shows-greenland-changing-in-the-future-2019-8">NASA animation</a>.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/greenland-fast-melting-glacier-thickening-again-2019-3">Ilulissat</a> glacier, also known as <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jakobshavn-glacier-loses-huge-chunk-of-ice-2015-8">Jakobshavn</a> or its Innuit name Sermeq Kujalleq, is a glacier that scientists are following closely on the west coast of Greenland, where the ice sheet is melting more quickly.</p><h4><br />Ilulissat Glacier, also known as Jakobshavn</h4><p>Ice flows through ice sheets like very slow rivers. Carried by its weight, the ice falls from the top of the glacier to the lowest point. In a perfect equilibrium, there's enough snow fall to replenish the ice sheet, but that balance comes out of whack when the ice is melting away too quickly, snowfall is not sufficient, or <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/greenland-summit-gets-rain-not-snow-first-time-on-record-2021-8">rain is falling</a> instead of snow. </p><p>When this happened, the ice sheet beings to thin and the glaciers at the edge of the sheet retreat, as can be seen below.</p><h4> </h4><h4><strong style="color: #000000;">Antarctica</strong></h4><p>The Antarctic ice sheet, found at the South Pole, is about eight times bigger than the Greenland sheet. </p><p>Because so much of this ice sheet is below sea level, it is much more affected by the temperature of the ocean, which has been warming. </p><p>Scientists break down this ice sheet into three parts: the peninsula, west Antarctica, and east Antarctica. </p><h4> </h4><h4>Antarctic Peninsula — Larsen-A and -B</h4><p>The peninsula is much more affected by the temperature of the atmosphere than other areas of the Antarctic, Brisbourne said.</p><p>In 2002, scientists watched helplessly as an ice shelf called Larsen-B collapsed into the ocean in a matter of weeks.</p><p>Between January 31 and April 13, 2002, about 500 billion tonnes of pack ice and snow disintegrated into the ocean. </p><p>This was less than a decade after another ice shelf in the area, Larsen-A, also disintegrated. </p><p>Ice shelves don't contribute to sea level rise when they melt. Because they float, they occupy the same volume in the sea, whether they are frozen or melted, just like an ice cube doesn't raise the water level in a glass when it melts. </p><p>However, ice shelves stabilize the glaciers and ice sheets that are behind them. Without their ice shelves, the glaciers that fed Larsen-A and -B glaciers started flowing much more quickly, releasing three times more ice into the ocean than they did before.</p><p>Larsen-B's collapse was likely caused by <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/melting-antarctica-images-from-space-2014-8">melt ponds</a>, Brisbourne said.</p><p>Meltponds appear when the warming atmosphere causes meltwater to accumulate at the surface of the ice. As they grow, their weight cracks the ice and can lead to the collapse of the ice shelf, a process called hydrofracturing. </p><div type="image" title="melt ponds Antarctica" height="1000" width="1333" msid="96665035" hostid="261"></div><p>Because there wasn't much ice in the Antarctic peninsula to start, losing these ice shelves did not change global sea levels much. </p><p>But these losses are seen as "the canary in the coal mine" for Antarctica, said Brisbourne. </p><h4> </h4><h4>West Antarctica — The Doomsday (Thwaites) glacier and Pine Island</h4><p>Scientists are much more concerned about west Antarctica. The ice sheet in West Antarctica rests on bedrock under sea level, meaning it is much more vulnerable to the warming of the ocean. </p><p>West Antarctic ice flows into several ice shelves, including the Pine Island, Dotson, and Thwaites. These act as buffers between the ice sheet and the warming oceans.</p><p>Scientists are really concerned that Thwaites is holding on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/thwaites-doomsday-glacier-could-melt-faster-than-expected-study-2022-9">"by its fingernails."</a> This gives it its nickname — the "doomsday glacier." The ice shelf in front of Thwaites<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/antarctica-thwaites-glacier-ice-shelf-will-shatter-scientists-say-2021-12"> is crackling</a> and it is thought the shelf could collapse within the decade.</p><p>"We think that potentially if we lose Thwaites area, this whole west Antarctica ice sheet part of Antarctica could follow," said Brisbourne. </p><p>That could add <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/antarctica-sea-level-rise-could-be-higher-than-thought-study-2021-5">up to 10 feet</a> to global sea levels. </p><p>But there's still hope. </p><p>Pine Island was collapsing more quickly than Thwaites, but it slowed down, Brisbourne said. What scientists hadn't expected is that the ice sheet would catch on a small island off the coast of Antarctica, which has slowed the speed of its collapse.  </p><h4> </h4><h4>East Antarctica — Conger Ice Shelf</h4><p>The east side of Antarctica is thought to be fairly stable.</p><p>"East Antarctica is a bit more like Greenland in that it sits above sea level. So it's not been influenced much by the warming ocean and the atmosphere hasn't warmed as much," said Brisbourne. </p><p>East Antarctica has enough ice to raise sea levels by about 52 meters altogether, so if it were to collapse, it'd be fairly catastrophic. But Brisbourne says scientists don't expect that to happen for a very very long time. </p><p>Still, scientists were stunned to see an ice shelf called Conger <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/Antarctica-ice-shelf-previously-thought-stable-collapses-2022-3">collapse</a> on the east side of Antarctica earlier this year. Conger was not under surveillance by most scientists. Indeed, Brisbourne said most of his colleagues had never heard of it. </p><p>"It's a very small ice shelf and it is fed by a glacier that drains a very small area. So in terms of the contribution sea level rise, it's actually gonna be very small," he said. </p><p>"But again, it's one of these warning signs that in this area we're starting to see processes that we know have affected other parts of the continent and led to a fairly dramatic loss of ice," said Brisbourne. </p><h2><strong style="color: #000000;">Other effects of ice melt</strong></h2><p>There are more indirect effects of the melting ice on sea level rise. </p><h4> </h4><h4>Arctic sea ice</h4><p>Every winter, water in the Arctic ocean freezes over, capping our planet in white over the winter and receding over the summer. </p><p>But the expanse of that white cap in the winter has been <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-reveal-extent-of-arctic-ice-loss-2020-9">getting smaller</a> every year. </p><div type="image" title="Animation shows Arctic sea ice getting smaller year on year, from 1979 to 2022" height="358" width="716" msid="96665038" hostid="261"></div><p>Because this ice is already in the sea, it won't raise the sea level if it melts. But, like the glaciers, its declining reflective albedo contributes to more warming within the atmosphere and the ocean.</p><h4> </h4><h4>Permafrost — Russian Tundra</h4><p>Permafrost, ground that is meant to stay frozen throughout the year, doesn't directly contribute to sea level rise when it thaws. But as the ground gets warmer, pools of water called thermokarsts start forming.</p><p>These are full of methane, a potent <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/satellites-locate-source-of-methane-leaks-to-fight-climate-crisis-2022-7">climate-worsening gas</a>. It's not clear how much these pools could contribute to climate change. </p><h4> </h4><h4>Local sea level variation </h4><p>Global mean sea level rise is only a snapshot of the whole picture.</p><p>Because sea levels are influenced by the local environment, the sea level rise can be much higher locally than it is on a global scale.</p><p>The east coast of the US, for instance, is due to have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/day-after-tomorrow-was-right-and-wrong-about-climate-shifts-2019-3">higher sea levels</a> than the west coast, in part because of the slowing gulf stream.  </p><h4> </h4><h4>Local gravity variation — Antarctica's gravity pull</h4><p>Gravity is another important consideration when it comes to sea level rise.</p><p>Ice sheets are so big that they can <a href="https://www.antarcticglaciers.org/question/antarctic-ice-sheet-gravitational-effect-sea-level/">pull water</a> towards them, raising sea levels locally, Brisbourne said. </p><p>If Greenland melts, "sea-level rise will be greatest in the southern hemisphere, and if Antarctica melts then sea-level rise will be greatest in the northern hemisphere," wrote Pippa Whitehouse, a glaciologist from Durham University, <a href="https://www.antarcticglaciers.org/question/antarctic-ice-sheet-gravitational-effect-sea-level/">in a blog post. </a></p><p>The glaciers are also weighing down the planet, squishing the Earth's crust at the poles.</p><p>That pressure will disappear when the ice sheets melt, which will influence the rotation, shape, and gravity of the Earth. This effect, called <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/glacial-rebound-the-not-so-solid-earth">post-glacial rebound</a>, has already started to appear. A study published in 2021 found that melting glaciers had already led to a small wobble of the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/earth-axis-shifted-melting-ice-climate-change-2021-4">Earth's axis.</a></p><p><strong><em>Correction: January 12, 2023</em></strong><em> — An earlier version of the story misstated the amount of sea level rise were ice on Antarctica to melt away completely. This is 58 meters (190 feet), not 58 feet. The earlier version also misspelled the name of an ice shelf, which is Dotson, not Dodson. Glaciers, ice shelves, and ice sheets were not always given the right designation. These have been corrected throughout.</em></p>

Map shows the ice sheets and glaciers melting that scientists most fear will be the source of catastrophic rising sea levels

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<br /> An <keyword id="6362774" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="earthquake">earthquake</keyword> of magnitude 6.2 Richter scale has hit the Hindukush region of Afghanistan, with <keyword id="6494418" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="tremors">tremors</keyword> being felt in both Pakistan and the northern region of India. According to reports, tremors were felt across Jammu, Srinagar, adjoining areas in Kashmir, Delhi and NCR. <br />
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The tremors were also felt in Islamabad and Lahore in Pakistan. Reports have suggested that the earthquake created panic and frantic messages were exchanged on Facebook and Twitter. As of now, no casualties have been reported. The earthquake is a stark reminder of the tragic Nepal earthquakes that claimed thousands of lives. <br />
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<em>Representational Image: Indiatimes.com</em><br />

Earthquake
hits Afghanistan, tremors felt across Delhi NCR<b></b>

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Sometimes all it takes is a little perspective to see how our actions are affecting the planet.<p>And what better perspective than from space?</p><p>Climate change <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-responsible-for-climate-change-2015-7">due to human activity</a> is causing visible shifts on&#xa0;our&#xa0;planet, and NASA is uniquely positioned to observe these effects.</p><p><span>"If we continue on our current course, it's going to be <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/climate-change-is-causing-food-shortages-2015-8">hard to feed this planet</a> because it's so hot," Ellen Stofan, NASA's chief scientist, told Business Insider.</span></p><p><span>In fact, </span>p<span>hotosynthesis - the process all plants use to convert carbon dioxide into carbohydrates - declines rapidly&#xa0;at temperatures </span><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC396144/">above about 95 degrees Fahrenheit</a>, Stofan explained&#xa0;<span>during</span>&#xa0;a talk on&#xa0;Monday at a conference on the future of food sponsored by the James Beard Foundation.</p><p>And the evidence suggests we could reach too-high temperatures all too soon.</p><h2><strong>An alarming trend</strong></h2><p>Stofan has spent most of her career studying Venus, a planet with a major greenhouse effect - a fancy term for&#xa0;a&#xa0;planet's atmosphere trapping&#xa0;the sun's heat&#xa0;and warming&#xa0;its surface.</p><p>Here on Earth, NASA satellites are&#xa0;seeing&#xa0;a similar&#xa0;trend, and it's veering toward dangerous levels. This&#xa0;warming trend is bad news for our ability to grow food.&#xa0;</p><p>Here's an&#xa0;animation of global surface temperature anomalies from 1880 to 2013. Higher-than-normal temperatures are in red and lower-than-normal temps are in blue:</p><p><div></div></p><p>As you can see, the number of hotter-than-average patches has drastically increased in the last few decades.</p><p>These are actual&#xa0;data - "this is not a model," Stofan said.</p><p>This wouldn't be the first time human-caused climate change&#xa0;has affected our&#xa0;ability to grow food, Stofan pointed out. The Dust Bowl of the 1930s, which had a devastating effect on agriculture in the US and Canada, can be traced to poor farming practices and severe dro<span style="background-color: #ffffff;">ught brought on by climate change.</span></p><p class="embed-spacer">The difference today is that NASA has the tools to help farmers on Earth cope with climate change and become more resilient.</p><p class="embed-spacer">NASA and the US Agency for International Development jointly run a program called <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/servir/">SERVIR</a>&#xa0;that uses satellite monitoring, geospatial maps, and predictive models to help developing countries in eastern and southern Africa, the Hindu-Kush region of the Himalayas, and the lower Mekong River Basin in Southeast Asia make better environmental decisions.</p><p class="embed-spacer"><span>Using&#xa0;these high-tech tools, NASA is helping countries&#xa0;deal with&#xa0;everything from floods&#xa0;to superstorms. They're also helping them become more resilient to the long-term effects of&#xa0;climate change.</span></p><p class="embed-spacer">When it comes to the future of Earth, Stofan says she's&#xa0;an optimist. "People are becoming more aware of climate change," she said. "If we start giving them actionable information, changing how we grow food, and looking at how bad it's going to get, I think we will adapt."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/cargo-ship-vanishes-during-hurricane-joaquin-2015-10">A cargo ship that vanished in the Bahamas during Hurricane Joaquin is still missing</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="F5NTMyeDp0mWRV42z1oJ7S-2QZvMSqLa" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

NASA satellites reveal something startling about the future of food on Earth

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>As world leaders convene in Paris this week at the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/paris-attacks-host-cop21-climate-talks-2015-11">United Nations Climate Summit</a> (COP21) to discuss solutions to the growing threat of climate change, we could all use a little perspective.<p>And what better perspective than from space?</p><p>Climate change <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-responsible-for-climate-change-2015-7">due to human activity</a> is causing visible shifts on our planet, and NASA is uniquely positioned to observe these effects.</p><p>"If we continue on our current course, it's going to be <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/climate-change-is-causing-food-shortages-2015-8">hard to feed this planet</a> because it's so hot," Ellen Stofan, NASA's chief scientist, told Business Insider.</p><p>In fact, photosynthesis - the process all plants use to convert carbon dioxide into carbohydrates - declines rapidly at temperatures <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC396144/">above about 95 degrees Fahrenheit</a>, Stofan explained during a talk October 16&#xa0;at The James Beard Foundation Food Conference, a meeting to discuss the future of food.</p><p>And the evidence suggests that we could reach too-high temperatures too soon.</p><h2><strong>An alarming trend</strong></h2><p>Stofan has spent most of her career studying Venus, a planet with a major greenhouse effect - a fancy term for a planet's atmosphere trapping the sun's heat and warming its surface.</p><p>Here on Earth, NASA satellites are seeing a similar trend, and it's veering toward dangerous levels. This warming trend is bad news for our ability to grow food.</p><p>Here's an animation of global surface temperature anomalies from 1880 to 2013. Higher-than-normal temperatures are in red and lower-than-normal temps are in blue:</p><p><div></div></p><p>As you can see, the number of hotter-than-average patches has drastically increased in the last few decades.</p><p>This is actual data - "this is not a model," Stofan said.</p><p>This wouldn't be the first time human-caused climate change has affected our ability to grow food, Stofan pointed out. The Dust Bowl of the 1930s, which had a devastating effect on agriculture in the US and Canada, can be traced to poor farming practices and severe drought brought on by climate change.</p><p class="embed-spacer">The difference today is that NASA has the tools to help farmers on Earth cope with climate change and become more resilient.</p><p class="embed-spacer"></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>NASA and the US Agency for International Development jointly run a program called <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/servir/">SERVIR</a> that uses satellite monitoring, geospatial maps, and predictive models to help developing countries in eastern and southern Africa, the Hindu-Kush region of the Himalayas, and the lower Mekong River Basin in Southeast Asia make better environmental decisions.<p class="embed-spacer">Using these high-tech tools, NASA is helping countries deal with everything from floods to superstorms. They're also helping them become more resilient to the long-term effects of climate change.</p><p class="embed-spacer">When it comes to the future of Earth, Stofan says she's an optimist.</p><p class="embed-spacer">"People are becoming more aware of climate change," she said. "If we start giving them actionable information, changing how we grow food, and looking at how bad it's going to get, I think we will adapt."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/cern-large-hadron-collider-explained-physics-2015-10">How scientists uncovered a completely new world inside the tunnels of the most powerful physics machine on Earth</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="t3aW5rdTq-jFCHUh9x0g5L9BhJT24FCY" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

<p><div class="image-container" style="width:621px"><div class="image"></div><p class="source">Jaunted</p></div></p>
<p>When was the last time you flew in a plane piloted by a woman? What about <em>two</em> women, both pilot and co-pilot? It's possible to not even know since passengers rarely see their flight crews much anymore, but they are up there. Trust us.</p>
<p>Starting this week, travelers on <strong><a href="http://www.jaunted.com/tag/lufthansa">Lufthansa</a></strong> will get to see the very rare occurrence of two women in the cockpit...before even stepping onboard a plane. Famous Berlin-based photographer <strong>Kiki Kausch</strong> has installed her triptych, titled "<strong>A380 Female Cockpit</strong>," at the JFK Business Class lounge.</p>
<p>The three images capture two normal Lufthansa pilots, Fleur and Karin, at work in their office, which just happens to be the cockpit of one of the airline's <strong><a href="http://www.jaunted.com/tag/a380">A380</a></strong> superjumbos en route from Frankfurt to Singapore (LH 778). The photos were actually taken as the plane cruised high above Afghanistan, the ethereal light of sunrise over the Hindukush illuminating the women.</p>
<p>Kausch's subjects are typically famous men—Karl Lagerfeld, Pierce Brosnan and Leo DiCaprio to name a few—but photographing Fleur and Karin to dispel the usual stigma of a male-led flight deck proved a welcome challenge. We chatted with Kiki about this very modern image, and she divulged that not only did she pop into the cockpit for this photoshoot, but also traveled all the way back from Singapore to Frankfurt in the jumpseat.</p>
<p>"The flight was full and I'd rather be up front watching these dynamic women work," Kiki explains.</p>
<p>Fun fact: the female captain here is married to another Lufthansa A380 captain. Together they are the <strong>only husband and wife team in the world flying A380s</strong>, though they regularly alternate work months in order to care for their two young children.</p>
<p>You can view the massive, original images in <a href="http://www.jaunted.com/story/2012/11/12/145223/72/travel/Inside+the+Lufthansa+Lounge+at+New+York%27s+JFK+Airport">this lounge</a> if you're flying in Business or First Class, or if you have Star Alliance Gold or HON Circle status. Eventually the triptych will tour to other Lufthansa flagship lounges around the world.</p>
<p>This brings us to another fun tidbit, as Kiki admitted that <strong><a href="http://www.jaunted.com/tag/dxb">Dubai International Airport</a></strong> was on the brink of withholding approval for the photo (women in positions of authority not exactly being the norm there), but after a few weeks of thinking it over DXB came through with a yes.</p>
<p>Bonus history!</p>
<p>Lufthansa first welcomed a woman to the flight deck way, <em>way</em> back in the 1920s. That woman, Marga von Etzdorf, piloted a commercial Junkers F13 for the airline. In the modern jet age, however, it took a little longer for a woman to take the controls; Nicola Lisy co-piloted Boeing 737 and 747s from 1988 until 2000, when she finally added her captain's stripe and took the left seat. There are currently 27 female captains in Lufthansa's roster, and many more co-pilots.</p>

You Searched For "Hindukush" and got 7 results

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NASA satellites reveal something startling about the future of food on Earth

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Dubai Airport Nearly Refused To Hang This Photo Of Female Co-Pilots

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