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New Delhi: India's fossil fuel emissions are projected to rise by 4.6 per cent in 2024, while China could see a marginal rise of 0.2 per cent, according to new research by a group of international scientists. As the UN climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, discussed raising trillions of dollars to tackle <keyword id="19907392" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Climate-change" source="keywords">climate change</keyword>, the group of scientists known as the "Global Carbon Project" warned that emissions from fossil fuels -- the main driver of warming -- could hit a record 37.4 billion tonnes in 2024, up 0.8 percent from 2023 levels. This comes despite rapid growth in renewable energy and a landmark agreement at COP28 in Dubai last year to move away from fossil fuels. The "<keyword id="23948569" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Global-carbon-budget-2024" source="keywords">Global Carbon Budget 2024</keyword>" report said total global CO2 emissions are set to go up from 40.6 billion tons in 2023 to 41.6 billion metric tons in 2024, which is on course to become the warmest year on record. "The impacts of climate change are becoming increasingly dramatic, yet we still see no sign that burning of fossil fuels has peaked," Professor Pierre Friedlingstein of Exeter's Global Systems Institute, who led the study, said. The 'Global Carbon Project' team said India, the world's most populous country and fastest-growing major economy, may see its fossil fuel emissions rise by 4.6 percent. According to a UN report released last month, India's greenhouse gas emissions surged by 6.1 per cent in 2023, contributing to 8 per cent of the global total. However, the country's historical contribution to global CO2 emissions stands at only 3 per cent. India's per capita emissions remain low at 2.9 tons of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e), far below the global average of 6.6 tCO2e. India, the world's third-largest greenhouse gas emitter, has pledged to reach net zero emissions (balancing emissions with removals) by 2070 and aims to achieve 500 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2030. China's emissions, which make up 32 per cent of the global total, are likely to increase slightly by 0.2 per cent, though there is a chance they could decline, according to the data released on Wednesday. Emissions from the United States and the European Union, which contribute 13 per cent and 7 per cent of the global total, are both set to decline, with drops of 0.6 per cent for the US and 3.8 per cent for the EU. Emissions from the rest of the world, which together account for 38 per cent of global emissions, could see a rise of 1.1 per cent. The researchers said that in 2024, coal emissions will likely increase by 0.2 per cent, oil by 0.9 per cent, and gas by 2.4 per cent, globally. Coal, oil, and gas contribute 41 per cent, 32 per cent, and 21 per cent of global fossil CO2 emissions, respectively. However, given the uncertainty in projections, it remains possible that coal emissions could decline in 2024, they said. The report also pointed out that emissions from international aviation and shipping, which account for 3 per cent of global emissions and are tracked separately from national or regional totals, are expected to rise by 7.8 per cent in 2024. However, these emissions will still be 3.5 per cent below the 2019 pre-pandemic levels. Globally, emissions from land-use changes, like deforestation, have dropped by 20 per cent over the past decade but are expected to rise in 2024. Permanent CO2 removal through reforestation and new forest planting now offsets about half of the emissions from permanent deforestation, they added. Technology-based CO2 removal accounts for only a tiny fraction -- around one-millionth -- of CO2 emissions from fossil fuels. The report said that emissions from fires in 2024 have been above the average since the beginning of the satellite record in 2003, particularly due to the extreme 2023 wildfire season in Canada (which continued into 2024) and severe drought in Brazil. Land and ocean carbon sinks continued to absorb around half of the total carbon emissions, despite being negatively affected by climate change.

Global fossil emissions to reach record high in 2024; India's share to rise by 4.6 pc: Report

Emissions from residential cooking and heating, power generation, and industries together contribute up to 60 per cent of India's PM2.5 pollution, with about 80 per cent of this coming from <keyword id="23824528" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="fossil-fuel-combustion" source="keywords">fossil fuel combustion</keyword>, a new study has found. The peer-reviewed study, published in MDPI's "Air" journal, suggests dividing India into 15 airsheds based on regional climate and pollution sources. An airshed is a geographic area where <keyword id="53848" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="air-quality" source="Orion">air quality</keyword> is influenced by common factors such as wind patterns and pollution sources. Since pollution can spread across regions, the <keyword id="22077484" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="airshed-approach" source="keywords">airshed approach</keyword> promotes coordinated action among states. "Residential cooking and heating, power generation, and all other industries together are responsible for 40-60 per cent of the PM2.5 pollution in all the airsheds, and approximately 80 per cent of the pollution comes from fossil fuel burning sources," said Sarath Guttikunda, lead author of the study and founder of UrbanEmissions.info. The study said biomass burning, including post-harvest crop residue burning, contributed less than 3 per cent to annual PM2.5 levels while transport accounted for 5-10 per cent in all airsheds. PM2.5 are fine particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less, about the width of a human hair. These are so small that these can penetrate deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream, posing significant health risks. An analysis of PM2.5 trends from 1998 to 2020, along with state-level data on fuel consumption, energy demand and emissions, revealed that 11 of the 15 airsheds were critical for India's air quality management and required coordinated interventions. The Indo-Gangetic Plains remain the most polluted region, with significant emissions from residential cooking and heating (especially in winter), power plants, brick kilns (driven by construction demand), waste burning, dust and vehicular movement for passengers and freight. The plateau region between the Eastern and Western Ghats, India's second most populated area, has seen the highest rise in annual PM2.5 pollution during this period, the study said. "This is an indication of the growing urbanisation and demand for transport, industrial, and commercial amenities," it said. Coastal areas, vital to India's industrial economy, have also experienced rising pollution despite the moderating effects of land-sea breezes. This increase is attributed to growing shipping emissions and overall industrial growth in cities such as Mundra, Surat, Mumbai, Goa, Mangalore, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Paradip and Haldia.

Study traces 60% PM2.5 pollution in India to residential cooking, power generation, industries

Millions of ancient fossils were discovered underneath a California high school and it's rewriting the state's history. Take a look.

Yukon gold miners are unearthing mummified ancient creatures and truckloads of fossils from the Ice Age. Take a look.

A sinkhole in South Dakota is packed with mammoth fossils that experts have been digging up for half a century. Take a look.

An amateur fossil hunter found a 7-foot-long mammoth tusk that's thousands of years old &mdash; take a look

Imagine a volcano so special that it’s been granted the same legal rights as a person. While this might sounds like something straight out of a quirky sci-fi movie, this is no fictional tale. It’s a real, living, breathing part of New Zealand’s landscape — <keyword id="24070380" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mount-Taranaki" source="keywords">Mount Taranaki</keyword>. Tucked away on the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island, Mount Taranaki is not only a towering 8,261 feet (2,518 meters) of volcanic might, but it also holds a sacred place in the hearts of local Māori tribes. In 2017, New Zealand made history by granting the volcano <keyword id="19969897" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="legal-personhood" source="keywords">legal personhood</keyword> — a first in the country. This means Mount Taranaki has the same legal rights as you, me, or any other human being. No, it can’t file taxes or sue anyone just yet, but it is now legally protected in a way that’s tied directly to the cultural significance it holds. <h2>Why does Mount Taranaki get all the attention?</h2>First, let’s talk about the volcano itself. Its snow-capped peak is stunning, poking up through a lush, dark green forest. This forest, known as Egmont National Park, forms a near-perfect circular ring around the volcano, and within it, you’ll find the curious "<keyword id="24070386" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="goblin-forest" source="keywords">Goblin Forest</keyword>." The kāmahi trees here are twisted and warped, growing around fossilized tree remains from past eruptions. The trees are also covered in hanging moss and liverworts, giving the whole place a hauntingly magical vibe. The volcano itself is a near-perfect cone, which is so symmetrical it served as the double for Mount Fuji in The Last Samurai (yes, Hollywood can’t get enough of this beauty!). But don’t let its picturesque shape fool you — Mount Taranaki has been through some serious transformations. Over the past 135,000 years, it has erupted multiple times, changing its shape dramatically and leaving behind signs of its violent past. In fact, studies suggest there have been at least 16 major shifts in the volcano’s structure. Talk about a dramatic personality! <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="115475455" title="From skin injections to swallowing a camera, here are some things Bryan Johnson has done to age in reverse" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>And yes, Mount Taranaki is an <keyword id="23386638" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="active-volcano" source="keywords">active volcano</keyword>. While its last major eruption occurred about 200 years ago, the mountain is far from dormant. Scientists estimate there’s a 30% to 50% chance of a major eruption within the next 50 years. For the 100,000+ people living nearby, this is a real concern. But don't worry — the volcano isn’t planning on exploding any time soon (hopefully), though it does occasionally spit out volcanic mudflows, also known as lahars. <h2>A sacred ancestor</h2>Now, you might wonder, why does this mountain get its own legal rights? The answer lies with the Māori people. For centuries, the Māori have considered Mount Taranaki to be more than just a mountain. They see it as a relative, even an ancestor. The relationship between the Māori people and the mountain is rooted in deep respect and cultural significance. In 2017, the New Zealand government recognized this profound connection by giving the volcano legal personhood, meaning that harming the volcano could be treated the same as harming a member of the tribe. It’s a powerful statement of the Māori worldview, where the land, mountains, rivers, and nature are seen as living, breathing entities deserving of respect and protection. By granting Mount Taranaki personhood, New Zealand is acknowledging this deep-rooted cultural connection and ensuring that the volcano’s rights are taken seriously. Having a mountain with human rights may sound like a quirky twist, but it’s part of a larger global movement towards recognizing the rights of nature. Similar legal actions have been taken in places like Ecuador and India, where rivers, forests, and even specific animals have been granted personhood to ensure their protection.

Do you know about the volcano that has the same rights as a human person?

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Three boys found a young Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton while hiking in North Dakota in 2022.</li><li>The discovery, dubbed Teen Rex, was made in the Hell Creek Formation of the Badlands.</li></ul>Three boys in North Dakota were out on a family hike when they came across something many adventurous kids only dream of finding: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/man-finds-dinosaur-skeleton-on-walk-could-get-millions-auction-2024-5">dinosaur bones</a>.And not just any dinosaur, but a young <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tyrannosaurus-rex-teenage-growth-spurt-2019-12">Tyrannosaurus rex</a>.The T. rex skeleton was discovered in 2022, when brothers Jessin and Liam Fisher, their dad, and their cousin Kaiden Madsen, were hiking in the Badlands near Marmarth and looking for fossils, according to a statement issued Monday by the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.dmns.org/press-room/press-releases/teen-rex-discovery-highlighted-in-experience-and-film-at-the-denver-museum-of-nature-science/">Denver Museum of Nature &amp; Science</a>, which is set to display the skeleton this summer.The boys, who were aged 10, 9, and 7 at the time of the discovery, said in a press conference they had been going out to look for fossils for years. This time they were exploring the Hell Creek Formation, a rocky area that dates back 65.5 million years and is known for fossil formations, when they found some large bones sticking out of a rock.<div type="image" title="Three tooth emerging from the sandstone." height="3024" width="4032" msid="110717820" hostid="261" sizebytes="3032934"></div>Sam Fisher, the father of Cession and Liam, took photos of the bones and contacted an old high school classmate, Tyler Lyson, the curator of paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature &amp; Science, to identify them.In the summer of 2023, the fossil finders and Lyson returned to the site to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/man-finds-70-million-year-old-titanosaur-fossil-walking-dog-2024-3">excavate the skeleton</a>, which was located on federal lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management. About 30% of the skeleton was preserved, the museum said. The initial dig lasted 11 days, and the paleontologists plan to return this summer to look for any additional segments of the skeleton.The museum said the finding was significant because very few juvenile T. rex skeletons have ever been discovered.<div type="image" title="Illustration of what bones were found (highlighted in blue) during the excavation of Teen Rex. Museum scientists are hopeful more of the skeleton is preserved." height="539" width="1280" msid="110717822" hostid="261" sizebytes="29836"></div>"By going outside and embracing their passions and the thrill of discovery, these boys have made an incredible dinosaur discovery that advances science and deepens our understanding of the natural world," Lyson said in a statement.Teen Rex, as scientists are calling the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/la-brea-tar-pits-uncover-mammoths-saber-tooth-cats-2024-4">fossil</a>, would have been 10 feet tall and 25 feet long, and weighed in at an estimated 3,500 pounds, according to the museum. By comparison, a fully grown T. rex could be 40 feet long and up to 8,000 pounds.The museum said the discovery of Teen Rex gives scientists an opportunity to study the growth and development of the species and how the animals matured.The fossil and a documentary that recounts the story are set to be temporarily displayed at the Denver Museum of Nature &amp; Science starting June 21.

3 boys hunting for fossils made the ultimate discovery: a young T-rex skeleton that scientists have dubbed Teen Rex

Impact of Renewable Energy on Fossil Fuels

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Scientists predicted how climate hazards will worsen in nearly 1,000 major cities by 2100.</li><li>Heat waves, energy demand, and mosquito-borne diseases will spike as global temperatures rise.</li></ul>Monthlong heat waves. Skyrocketing energy demand. Greater risks of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/west-nile-triple-e-mosquito-virus-diseases-us-2024-9">mosquito-borne diseases</a>.These are the climate hazards that people living in nearly 1,000 of the world's largest cities will continue to face as global average temperatures rise through the end of the century, a new analysis by the World Resources Institute, an environmental-research group, found. And the impacts won't be felt equally. People living in low-income cities in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and Indonesia face the greatest threats.The findings come as <a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://climate.copernicus.eu/copernicus-summer-2024-hottest-record-globally-and-europe">2024 is on track to be the hottest year on record</a>, and billions of people are expected to move into urban areas in the coming decades. More than half the world's population, or 4.4 billion people, lives in cities. By 2050, city dwellers are forecast to make up two-thirds of humanity, with the vast majority of that growth in Africa and Asia. Some 2 billion people currently live in the cities that WRI studied, from Seattle and Rio de Janeiro to Johannesburg and Bengaluru, India."Most climate modeling looks at hazards, exposure, and risks at a national scale because that's where a lot of policymaking and international agreements are focused," Eric Mackres, the senior manager of data and tools at the WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities and a coauthor of the study, said. "But that's disconnected from where people live. We wanted to put more localized information in the hands of those decision-makers so they're informed about the risks that they are likely to experience."<h2 id="c108ac2f-66b9-4462-bb7a-b51785a2b482">Local climate hazards</h2>To make predictions at a city level, Mackres said WRI built on global climate modeling done by hundreds of other researchers. These models contain daily information — both historical data and projections through 2100 — on air temperature, humidity, and precipitation. WRI used that data to make its own projections about the length and frequency of heat waves, how often people will need to cool their homes and workplaces, and the number of days with optimal temperatures for mosquitoes in cities with at least half a million people. WRI compared how those local hazards are expected to change as global average temperatures rise from 1.5 degrees Celsius to 3 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels — a threshold scientists say the world is likely to cross by 2100.The world has warmed by about 1.2 degrees so far compared with mid-1800s levels, and the consequences are playing out around the world.<div type="image" title="A graph shows how long heat waves will last in seven regions around the world under 1.5 degrees of global warming compared to preindustrial levels." height="1080" width="1080" msid="113493288" hostid="261" sizebytes="66672"></div>In Bengaluru, India's fifth-most-populous city, extreme heat has caused severe water shortages and surging energy demand. Under 1.5 degrees of warming, heat waves could last about 13 days on average and stretch to nearly 38 days as global temperatures rise, WRI found. Bengaluru last year <a target="_blank" href="https://wri-india.org/news/release-bengalurus-first-ever-climate-action-plan-launched">launched its first climate-action plan</a>, which includes planting trees and expanding green spaces to help cool down urban centers.An enormous outbreak of dengue fever is underway in Brazil. In Rio de Janeiro, peak days for transmission of mosquito-borne illnesses could increase from 69 to 118 a year, WRI found. The city is investing in vaccines, and community health workers are hunting down places that help mosquitoes breed, including standing water, to reduce risks.Meanwhile, places that haven't had to consider cooling strategies are now being forced to, including the US Pacific Northwest. Seattle was once the least-air-conditioned city. Now it ranks second behind San Francisco after a series of deadly heat waves prompted residents to install AC. The trend is playing out in cities that are already hot, too, like Tehran, Iran, and Marrakech, Morocco, and spiking energy demand along the way. If that demand is met with fossil fuels like oil, gas, and coal, it could exacerbate the climate crisis, WRI said.WRI noted that there are limitations to its research, in part because there are a lot of unknowns about the future. National governments and cities can slow the climate crisis and protect people from its impacts, including by shifting away from fossil fuels and investing in infrastructure that's more resilient to heat and storms."Our findings are not a foregone conclusion," Mackres said. "These are choices we have between 1.5 and 3 degrees of warming, and none are out of the realm of possibility. It's really important that national decision-makers understand the impacts on cities and the actions that cities can take to both reduce climate change and to adapt to what's coming."<a target="_blank" href="https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/19141193/">You can explore the data for your city here.</a>

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Global fossil emissions to reach record high in 2024; India's share to rise by 4.6 pc: Report

PTI

Study traces 60% PM2.5 pollution in India to residential cooking, power generation, industries

PTI

Millions of ancient fossils were discovered underneath a California high school and it's rewriting the state's history. Take a look.

Jenny McGrath

Yukon gold miners are unearthing mummified ancient creatures and truckloads of fossils from the Ice Age. Take a look.

Morgan McFall-Johnsen

A sinkhole in South Dakota is packed with mammoth fossils that experts have been digging up for half a century. Take a look.

Jenny McGrath

An amateur fossil hunter found a 7-foot-long mammoth tusk that's thousands of years old take a look

Jenny McGrath

Do you know about the volcano that has the same rights as a human person?

BI India Bureau

3 boys hunting for fossils made the ultimate discovery: a young T-rex skeleton that scientists have dubbed Teen Rex

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Impact of Renewable Energy on Fossil Fuels

A new tool shows what the climate crisis could feel like in your city

Catherine Boudreau

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