Heatwaves similar to those experienced in May in <keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="India" source="keywords">India</keyword> are almost 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than the warmest <keyword id="20715549" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="heat-wave" source="keywords">heat wave</keyword>s previously observed in the country, according to a new rapid attribution study by an independent group of climate scientists and researchers. The analysts at ClimaMeter said the intense and prolonged heat wave India endured in May was a result of the naturally occurring El Nino phenomenon -- unusual warming of the ocean surface in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean -- and the rapidly increasing concentration of <keyword id="20649149" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="greenhouse-gases" source="keywords">greenhouse gases</keyword> -- primarily carbon dioxide and methane -- in the atmosphere. The researchers analyzed how events similar to the high <keyword id="19929810" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="temperature" source="keywords">temperature</keyword> in India's May heatwave changed in the present (2001-2023) compared to what they would have looked like if they had occurred in the past (1979-2001). "The temperature changes show that similar events produce temperatures in the present climate at least 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than what they would have been in the past over a large area of the region analyzed. The precipitation changes do not show any significant variations," the analysis read. "ClimaMeter's findings underscore that heatwaves in India are reaching unbearable temperature thresholds because of fossil fuels burning," said Davide Faranda of French National Centre for Scientific Research. "There are no technological solutions for adapting Indian metropoles for temperatures approaching 50 degrees Celsius. We should all act now to reduce <keyword id="19909902" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="CO2-emissions" source="keywords">CO2 emissions</keyword> and avoid exceeding vital temperature thresholds in large areas of the subtropics," he said. Gianmarco Mengaldo of National University of Singapore said the findings show the complex interplay between natural variability and <keyword id="19907392" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="climate-change" source="keywords">climate change</keyword>, with the latter playing an important role in critical synoptic-weather-pattern changes in tropical and subtropical regions that may significantly aggravate heatwaves in the near future. The world is witnessing weather extremes under a combined effect of the 2023-24 El Nino and human-caused climate change. May 2024 was the warmest May ever and the last 12 consecutive months - June 2023 to May 2024 - have broken temperature records for each corresponding month, according to the European climate agency Copernicus. Northwest India and parts of the central region reeled under a punishing heatwave in May which tested India's disaster preparedness, with several states reporting heat-related deaths. There are concerns that heat waves in April and May have played a role in the lower-than-usual voter turnout during the seven-phase general elections in India that began on April 19 and ended on June 1, the second longest after the 1951-52 parliamentary elections. According to the Central Water Commission, water storage in 150 major reservoirs in India dropped to just 22 per cent of their live storage this week, exacerbating water shortages in many states and significantly affecting hydropower generation. The intense heat has already driven India's power demand to a record 246 gigawatts, with air conditioners and coolers in homes and offices running at full capacity. India recorded nearly 25,000 suspected heat stroke cases and 56 deaths due to heat-related illnesses from March to May, PTI reported earlier, citing data from the health ministry. According to data compiled by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), 46 of these deaths were recorded in May alone (till May 30). Between May 1 and 30, 19,189 suspected heat stroke cases were reported in the country, it said. The data does not include deaths from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Delhi, and the final numbers are expected to be higher, a source said. 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May heat wave in India 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than warmest heat wave

<ul><li>Human activities are not only warming the planet but also leading to unprecedented losses in biodiversity.</li><li>The situation is bound to get worse and the competition for resources such as land, food, and water will fuel socio-economic tensions and increasingly lead to <a href="http://www.internal-displacement.org/publications/disaster-displacement-a-global-review">mass displacement</a>.</li><li>So this <keyword id="14102985" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="world-sustainability-day" source="Orion">World Sustainability Day</keyword>, here’s how you can take baby steps towards living a more <keyword id="6568550" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sustainable" source="Orion">sustainable</keyword> life before it is too late.</li></ul>The <keyword id="1688940" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="summer-in-india" source="Orion">summer in India</keyword> has been brutal in the past few years. Over a billion people endured long periods of persistent power cuts and heat waves. Such episodes wreak a heavy toll on our well-being and trigger shocks for food and water security. In fact, the last seven years have been amongst the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/greenhouse-gas-sea-level-rise-and-ocean-heat-set-new-records-for-climate-change-in-2021/articleshow/91640600.cms">hottest</a> across the globe. <div type="image" title="unnamed (2)" msid="91978266" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;BI India&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> The long-term trend below shows that the top 700 meters of the oceans have become warmer since 1955. The total amount of heat stored by the oceans is called <keyword id="2791223" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ocean-heat" source="Orion">ocean heat</keyword> content, which plays an important role in the Earth’s climate system. Particularly, warmer sea surface temperature provides energy for storms and thereby triggers extreme weather events. <div type="image" title="ocean-heat-1" msid="91978435" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;BI India&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Four key climate change indicators Greenhouse gas concentrations, rise in sea levels, ocean heat and ocean acidification — the four key climate change indicators — <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/greenhouse-gas-sea-level-rise-and-ocean-heat-set-new-records-for-climate-change-in-2021/articleshow/91640600.cms">set new records</a> in 2021 with extreme weather, according to the UN's World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) State of the Global Climate in 2021 report. It added that climate change is leading to hundreds of billions of dollars in economic losses. Human activities are not only warming the planet but also leading to unprecedented losses in biodiversity. The situation is bound to get worse and the competition for resources such as land, food, and water will fuel socio-economic tensions and increasingly lead to <a href="http://www.internal-displacement.org/publications/disaster-displacement-a-global-review">mass displacement</a>. Rise in sea levels, forest fires, melting of glaciers, extreme weather events, ocean heat and acidification will also continue for years to come and the only way we can minimise the impact is if we start now, before it is too late. With World Environment Day 2022 (June 5) around the corner, we decided to get back to the basics and help you transition to living a sustainable life. You can take these baby steps to live a better, sustainable life. How to reduce your carbon footprint You probably would have heard a lot about carbon footprint. Simply put, it is like leaving your actual, unerasable footprint on earth with every resource that you consume. When you drive your car or eat something that’s grown afar, you emit substantial amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. From buying toothpaste to using your phone, every object reaches your doorstep after a long commute, which contributes to carbon emission. As modern humans, almost every activity of ours contributes to climate change in one way or the other. Being sustainable is all about limiting the resources we use and finding a way to make them last longer by causing minimal damage to the environment. Here are some ways in which you can reduce your carbon footprint: Food While buying veggies or fruits, remember to bring reusable shopping bags and avoid plastic. There’s a simple thumb rule to follow. Buy what you actually need to avoid wastage. Whatever is left over, try to repurpose it into something usable. For example, if you have bread and butter for breakfast and you like to cut the corners of your bread, instead of throwing away those corners, you can turn them into breadcrumbs which can be used in pasta gravy or for feeding birds. Use your creative skills to turn your food waste into reusable ingredients. Final kitchen scraps can be converted into compost for your plants. <div type="image" title="SIMPLY PUT: Sustainable lifestyle changes are the need of the hour! Here’s how you can take baby steps" msid="91978405" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Final kitchen scraps can be converted into compost for your plants&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> If you host a party, there’s always leftover food. This surplus can be shared with the underprivileged through <a href="https://www.thebetterindia.com/46855/where-to-donate-excess-food-to-after-party/#:~:text=Feeding%20India%20is%20a%20not,an%20app%20on%20Google%20Playstore.">NGOs</a> such as Feeding India, Robin Hood Army, Roti Bank, Mera Parivar or Shelter Don Bosco, among others. It is also important to buy your food locally. The shorter the supply chain, the easier it is on the environment before the food products finally reach your kitchen. Also, if your food reaches you from faraway places, its nutritional value decreases. Local food spends less time in transit from farm to plate. So, fruits and veggies eaten within a few days of being picked would be full of nutrients than those that are weeks old from traveling thousands of miles and being in storage. Look for loose, fresh fruits and vegetables to minimise packaging. If you are buying packaged food, you can look for products with PET packaging, which is one of the most recyclable plastics. Clothing A worn-out piece of cloth you decide to throw, even as simple as a plain t-shirt, never really goes ‘away.’ – it all ends up in a landfill. According to an <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/india-needs-new-delhi-size-landfills-for-waste-by-2050-report-117062500411_1.html">Assocham and PwC report</a>, landfills are brimming with so much urban waste that by 2050, India is reportedly going to need a landfill that's the size of its capital, New Delhi. Buy responsibly-made clothes which are made from recycled material or with an ‘eco’ label. To support sustainable businesses, you can look for stores which include options like handloom and handcrafted, organic, natural-dyed, recyclable and eco-friendly, vegan, and cruelty-free. It’s not necessary to have all of these options available all the time, but every bit helps. Recycle and reuse your clothes to prolong its life. You can also sell and buy your clothes from thrift stores. Personal care Commonly available sanitary napkins constitute 90% plastic and India generates <a href="https://www.cseindia.org/plastic-waste-is-india-s-and-the-world-s-most-formidable-environmental-challenge-10375">3.3 million tonnes of plastic waste</a> every year, according to a Central Pollution Control Board report. So, for people who menstruate, there is a world of waste-free sanitary protection to explore. You can switch to menstrual cups or invest in a reusable tampon applicator. <div type="image" title="SIMPLY PUT: Sustainable lifestyle changes are the need of the hour! Here’s how you can take baby steps" msid="91978361" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Switch to menstrual cups or invest in a reusable tampon applicator&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> In the bathroom, you can ditch your plastic razor and opt for fully metal alternatives. You can also purchase sustainable toothbrushes made out of neem or bamboo. Today, even toothpaste comes in a jar, or you can switch to toothpaste tubes which are recyclable. Create cleaner air at home You can never have enough plants in your home. Buy plants that give <a href="https://www.floweraura.com/blog/plants-that-give-oxygen-at-night">oxygen at night</a> such as snake plant, Areca palm plant, Aloe Vera plant, Tulsi, Money plant, Gerbera plant, Christmas Cactus, Neem plant, etc. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/feb/29/50-ways-to-green-up-your-life-save-the-planet">Weeping figs</a> are known to be good for living areas because they remove formaldehyde released from carpets and furniture. <div type="image" title="SIMPLY PUT: Sustainable lifestyle changes are the need of the hour! Here’s how you can take baby steps" msid="91978379" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Invest in plants that give oxygen at night&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Transport If you cannot use public transport, regular vehicle maintenance of private vehicles is a must since it <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/feb/29/50-ways-to-green-up-your-life-save-the-planet">improves</a> fuel efficiency by as much as 10%. When driving a car, roll your windows down whenever possible because it is more efficient than using an air conditioner. Choose sustainable travel alternatives like electric or hybrid vehicles, avoiding air travel, and opt for vehicle sharing or pooling wherever feasible. Energy and waste Go desi and use a bucket and a mug instead of taking a shower so you can limit the amount of water you use. Don’t store unnecessary data in the cloud, it leaves a <a href="https://www.eib.org/en/stories/digital-footprint">digital</a> footprint. The digital sector is already responsible for <a href="https://www.eib.org/en/stories/digital-footprint">3.3% of global greenhouse gas emissions</a>, more than civil aviation. <a href="https://www.un.org/en/un75/climate-crisis-race-we-can-win">Billions of tons</a> of CO2 is released into the atmosphere every year as a result of coal, oil, and gas production. If we don’t slow global emissions, temperatures could rise to <a href="https://www.un.org/en/un75/climate-crisis-race-we-can-win">above three degrees Celsius by 2100</a>, causing further irreversible damage to our ecosystems. So, to make a difference before it is too late, it is important to take these baby steps towards sustainable living today.

Sustainable lifestyle changes are the need of the hour! Here’s how you can take baby steps

If anything, <keyword id="6361617" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="climate-change" source="Orion">climate change</keyword> has certainly made conversations about the weather much more interesting. The topic has quickly shifted from effortless small talk to genuine concerns about coping with the growing summer heat every passing year. While most of these discussions may remain casual and based on 'feel', extensive scientific evidence actually supports their legitimacy as well. In addition to being a behemoth of a greenhouse gas emitter, many studies have shown that <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> is also one of the most vulnerable countries to projected climate change. And make no mistake, the change is already underway. These assessments keep refining over time, revealing the true extent of our climate worries. And now, a new study has shown that current climate vulnerability assessments thus far may have been severely lacking in disclosing the actual impacts of climate change-induced heatwaves on India. Tragically enough, the newly calibrated research showed that nearly 90% of the country is in the danger zone from severe <keyword id="6371478" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="heatwave" source="Orion">heatwave</keyword> impacts. Not only does this place an enormous burden on human health (such as the dozen disastrous deaths we just witnessed at Maharashtra's <keyword id="1348913" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="bhushan-award" source="Orion">Bhushan Award</keyword> ceremony earlier this week), but it also significantly impedes progress towards the fundamental Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) laid down by the United Nations. The study also revealed that the nation's capital is exceedingly ill-placed for the future. Severe heat wave impacts threaten almost all of <keyword id="66" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="delhi" source="Orion">Delhi</keyword>, a region no stranger to excruciating 40°C+ mercury readings. Furthermore, even Delhi's updated state action plans for climate change fail to account for these conditions, meaning we could be looking at an immense burden on human health in the coming years. "This study shows that heat waves make more Indian states vulnerable to climate change than previously estimated with the CVI," the study notes. CVI, or the <keyword id="12395157" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="climate-vulnerability-index" source="Orion">Climate Vulnerability Index</keyword>, is a composite indicator of how much a place can stand to be affected by climate change. The study analysed and updated this and India's Heat Index (HI) to reveal the growing dangers of climate change in our country. "Heat waves are getting more intense in India, putting 80% of the country's people in danger, which remains unaccounted for in its current climate vulnerability assessment," the study goes on to note. "If this impact is not addressed immediately, India can slow its progress towards sustainable development goals." This is worrying even without acknowledging the sorry state of progress. While significant steps have indeed been taken towards achieving our SDGs — a blueprint of objectives that will help our planet and inhabitants achieve peace and prosperity — a <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lansea/article/PIIS2772-3682%2823%2900015-X/fulltext#%20" data-type="tilCustomLink">recent Harvard study</a> published in The Lancet showed that we're already behind on more than half of them. "[As] the heat waves in India and the Indian subcontinent become recurrent and long-lasting, it is high time that climate experts and policymakers reevaluate the metrics for assessing the country's climate vulnerability. This offers a scope for developing a holistic vulnerability measure through international cooperation and partnership," the study's authors stress. The findings of this study have been published in PLOS Climate and can be accessed <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pclm.0000156" data-type="tilCustomLink">here</a>. <h2>Recommended stories:</h2> <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="99561012" title="Many companies are looking into carbon dioxide removal to achieve their net zero emission targets. But will it help?" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>

90% of India, most of Delhi in danger from heatwaves; new climate study reveals stark reality of Indian climate scenario

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Russia and <keyword id="11985141" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ukraine" source="Orion">Ukraine</keyword> export nearly a third of the world's wheat and barley, over 70% of sunflower oil, and also supply corn.</li><li>About 90% of Ukraine's wheat and other <keyword id="12168891" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="grains" source="Orion">grains</keyword> are being held up by Russian blockades of the Black Sea coast.</li></ul>LONDON — Russian hostilities in Ukraine are preventing grain from leaving the "breadbasket of the world" and making food more expensive across the globe, threatening to worsen shortages, hunger and political instability in developing countries.Together, Russia and Ukraine export nearly a third of the world's wheat and barley, more than 70% of its sunflower oil and are big suppliers of corn. Russia is the top global fertilizer producer.World food prices were already climbing, and the war made things worse, preventing some 20 million tons of Ukrainian grain from getting to the Middle East, North Africa and parts of Asia.Weeks of negotiations on safe corridors to get grain out of Ukraine's Black Sea ports have made little progress, with urgency rising as the summer harvest season arrives."This needs to happen in the next couple of months (or) it's going to be horrific,'' said Anna Nagurney, who studies crisis management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and is on the board of the Kyiv School of Economics. She says 400 million people worldwide rely on Ukrainian food supplies. The U.N. Food and <keyword id="11963490" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="agriculture" source="Orion">Agriculture</keyword> Organization projects up to 181 million people in 41 countries could face <keyword id="13544066" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="food-crisis" source="Orion">food crisis</keyword> or worse levels of hunger this year.Here's a look at the global food crisis:<h2>What's the situation? </h2>Typically, 90% of wheat and other grain from Ukraine's fields are shipped to world markets by sea but have been held up by Russian blockades of the Black Sea coast.Some grain is being rerouted through Europe by rail, road and river, but the amount is a drop in the bucket compared with sea routes. The shipments also are backed up because Ukraine's rail gauges don't match those of its neighbors to the west.Ukraine's deputy agriculture minister, Markian Dmytrasevych, asked European Union lawmakers for help exporting more grain, including expanding the use of a Romanian port on the Black Sea, building more cargo terminals on the Danube River and cutting red tape for freight crossing at the Polish border.But that means food is even farther from those that need it."Now you have to go all the way around Europe to come back into the Mediterranean. It really has added an incredible amount of cost to Ukrainian grain,'' said Joseph Glauber, senior research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington.Ukraine has only been able to export 1.5 million to 2 million tons of grain a month since the war, down from more than 6 million tons, said Glauber, a former chief economist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.Russian grain isn't getting out, either. Moscow argues that Western sanctions on its banking and shipping industries make it impossible for Russia to export food and fertilizer and are scaring off foreign shipping companies from carrying it. Russian officials insist sanctions be lifted to get grain to global markets.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other Western leaders say, however, that sanctions don't touch food.<h2>What are the sides saying?</h2>Ukraine has accused Russia of shelling agricultural infrastructure, burning fields, stealing grain and trying to sell it to Syria after Lebanon and Egypt refused to buy it. Satellite images taken in late May by Maxar Technologies show Russian-flagged ships in a port in Crimea being loaded with grain and then days later docked in Syria with their hatches open.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia has provoked a global food crisis. The West agrees, with officials like European Council President Charles Michel and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying Russia is weaponizing food.Russia says exports can resume once Ukraine removes mines in the Black Sea and arriving ships can be checked for weapons.Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov promised that Moscow would not "abuse" its naval advantage and would "take all necessary steps to ensure that the ships can leave there freely."Ukrainian and Western officials doubt the pledge. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said this week that it may be possible to create secure corridors without the need to clear sea mines because the location of the explosive devices are known.But other questions would still remain, such as whether insurers would provide coverage for ships. Dmytrasevych told the EU agriculture ministers this week that the only solution is defeating Russia and unblocking ports: "No other temporary measures, such as humanitarian corridors, will address the issue."<h2>How did we get here?</h2>Food prices were rising before the invasion, stemming from factors including bad weather and poor harvests cutting supplies, while global demand rebounded strongly from the COVID-19 pandemic.Glauber cited poor wheat harvests last year in the United States and Canada and a drought that hurt soybean yields in Brazil. Also exacerbated by climate change, the Horn of Africa is facing one of its worst droughts in four decades, while a record-shattering heat wave in India in March reduced wheat yields.That, along with soaring costs for fuel and fertilizer, has prevented other big grain-producing countries from filling in the gaps.<h2>Who's hardest hit?</h2>Ukraine and Russia mainly export staples to developing countries that are most vulnerable to cost hikes and shortages.Countries like Somalia, Libya, Lebanon, Egypt and Sudan are heavily reliant on wheat, corn and sunflower oil from the two warring nations.<div type="image" title="Farmer Serhiy gestures standing near a mound of grain in his barn in the village of Ptyche in eastern Donetsk region, Ukraine, Sunday, June 12, 2022. Russian hostilities in Ukraine are preventing grain from leaving the “breadbasket of the world&quot; and making food more expensive across the globe, raising the specter of shortages, hunger and political instability in developing countries." height="5267" width="7023" msid="92308795" hostid="261"></div>"The burden is being shouldered by the very poor," Glauber said. "That's a humanitarian crisis, no question.'' Beside the threat of hunger, spiraling food prices risk political instability in such countries. They were one of the causes of the Arab Spring, and there are worries of a repeat.The governments of developing countries must either let food prices rise or subsidize costs, Glauber said. A moderately prosperous country like Egypt, the world's top wheat importer, can afford to absorb higher food costs, he said."For poor countries like Yemen or countries in the Horn of Africa — they're really going to need humanitarian aid," he said.Starvation and famine are stalking that part of Africa. Prices for staples like wheat and cooking oil in some cases are more than doubling, while millions of livestock that families use for milk and meat have died. In Sudan and Yemen, the Russia-Ukraine conflict came on top of years of domestic crises.UNICEF warned about an "explosion of child deaths" if the world focuses only on the war in Ukraine and doesn't act. U.N. agencies estimated that more than 200,000 people in Somalia face "catastrophic hunger and starvation," roughly 18 million Sudanese could experience acute hunger by September and 19 million Yemenis face food insecurity this year.Wheat prices have risen in some of those countries by as much as 750%."Generally, everything has become expensive. Be it water, be it food, it's almost becoming quite impossible," Justus Liku, a food security adviser with the aid group CARE, said after visiting Somalia recently. Liku said a vendor selling cooked food had "no vegetables or animal products. No milk, no meat. The shopkeeper was telling us she's just there for the sake of being there." In Lebanon, bakeries that used to have many types of flat bread now only sell basic white pita bread to conserve flour.<h2>What's being done? </h2>For weeks, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has been trying to secure an agreement to unblock Russian exports of grain and fertilizer and allow Ukraine to ship commodities from the key port of Odesa. But progress has been slow.A vast amount of grain is stuck in Ukrainian silos or on farms in the meantime. And there's more coming — Ukraine's harvest of winter wheat is getting underway soon, putting more stress on storage facilities even as some fields are likely to go unharvested and because of the fighting.Serhiy Hrebtsov can't sell the mountain of grain at his farm in the Donbas region because transport links have been cut off. Scarce buyers mean prices are so low that farming is unsustainable. "There are some options to sell, but it is like just throwing it away," he said.U.S. President Joe Biden says he's working with European partners on a plan to build temporary silos on Ukraine's borders, including with Poland, a solution that would also address the different rail gauges between Ukraine and Europe.The idea is that grain can be transferred into the silos, and then "into cars in Europe and get it out to the ocean and get it across the world. But it's taking time," he said in a speech Tuesday. Dmytrasevych said Ukraine's grain storage capacity has been reduced by 15 million to 60 million tons after Russian troops destroyed silos or occupied sites in the south and east.<h2>What's costing more?</h2>World production of wheat, rice and other grains is expected to reach 2.78 billion tons in 2022, down 16 million tons from the previous year — the first decline in four years, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said. Wheat prices are up 45% in the first three months of the year compared with the previous year, according to the FAO's wheat price index. Vegetable oil has jumped 41%, while sugar, meat, milk and fish prices also have risen by double digits.The increases are fueling faster inflation worldwide, making groceries more expensive and raising costs for restaurant owners, who have been forced to increase prices.<div type="image" title="Halimo Hersi, 42, right, buys wheat flour from a shopkeeper in the Hamar-Weyne market in the capital Mogadishu, Somalia Thursday, May 26, 2022." height="3800" width="5066" msid="92308796" hostid="261"></div>Some countries are reacting by trying to protect domestic supplies. India has restricted sugar and wheat exports, while Malaysia halted exports of live chickens, alarming Singapore, which gets a third of its poultry from its neighbor. The International Food Policy Research Institute says if food shortages grow more acute as the war drags on, that could lead to more export restrictions that further push up prices.Another threat is scarce and costly fertilizer, meaning fields could be less productive as farmers skimp, said Steve Mathews of Gro Intelligence, an agriculture data and analytics company. There are especially big shortfalls of two of the main chemicals in fertilizer, of which Russia is a big supplier."If we continue to have the shortage of potassium and phosphate that we have right now, we will see falling yields," Mathews said. "No question about it in the coming years."

EXPLAINER: How did Russia-Ukraine war trigger a food crisis?

<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/59306e56b74af41b008b5cf5-2400/rtx35onw.jpg" alt="Donald Trump" />REUTERS/Yuri GripasUS President Donald Trump.US President Donald Trump announced <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-paris-agreement-climate-change-2017-6">Thursday</a> that he will pull the US out of the landmark Paris climate change agreement, following through with a key campaign promise."I don't want anything to get in our way," Trump said. "The US will withdraw from the Paris climate accord, but begin negotiations to reenter either the Paris accord, or a really entirely new transaction with terms that are fair to the United States.""We're getting out, we'll start to negotiate, and we will see if we can make a deal that's fair," he continued. "If we can, that's great. If we can't, that's fine."This decision will have ramifications not only for climate change, but also for global governance.The decision to leave the Paris accord, as well as the decision to pull out of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-signs-executive-order-on-tpp-2017-1">Trans-Pacific Partnership</a> and Trump's recent trip to Europe, "reinforces the message that [President Trump] does not value international order," Richard N. Haass, the president of the Council on Foreign Relations, said in a <a href="https://twitter.com/RichardHaass/status/869894160886751233">tweet</a>."I'd say US leadership globally is now at its weakest since the Marshall Plan," Ian Bremmer, president of Eurasia Group, told Business Insider via email. "There are many reasons for this beyond the American president [and] plenty of blame to go around: the rise of China, weakness of Europe - Brexit, Putin... But Trump's abandonment of multilateralism and, more broadly, American values - at home and abroad - drives a spike in it.""If you want a watershed moment beyond Trump's inauguration, American withdrawal from the Paris Accord is it," he added. "Pax Americana is over. Nobody else is capable or willing to take its place (China's not close). Welcome to the G-Zero."The term "G-Zero world," coined by Bremmer and political scientist David F. Gordon, <a href="http://eurasiagroup.net/pages/top-risks">refers to a power-vacuum world in which</a> "major powers set aside aspirations for global leadership - alone, coordinated, or otherwise - and look primarily inward for their policy priorities." In this kind of environment, global governance institutions become confrontational hotspots, and, as a result, economic growth and efficiency slows. The Paris Agreement, which <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/195-countries-that-signed-paris-climate-agreement-accord-deal-2017-5">195 nations</a> signed in December 2015, <a href="http://newsroom.unfccc.int/unfccc-newsroom/finale-cop21/">set a global goal</a> to keep the planet from warming by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, a threshold that scientists say could keep the planet from launching into a tailspin of irreversible consequences, including unpredictable superstorms and crippling heat waves.China, <a href="https://twitter.com/drharshvardhan/status/869550874250682368">India</a>, and the European Union <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-china-europe-take-lead-on-climate-as-world-waits-on-trump-2017-6">all doubled down</a> on their support of the deal and said they would lead the world in fighting climate change if the US wouldn't. Experts have said the US exiting the accord could lead to a weakened agreement, either by other countries leaving or by not honestly reporting their carbon emissions."It does have broader implications when it comes to climate change in general, but it also means that the United States is increasingly growing into an isolationist position," Gregory Daco, the chief US economist at Oxford Economist, told Business Insider <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/economist-explains-concerns-if-trump-pulls-out-of-the-paris-accord-climate-change-oxford-economics-gregory-daco-2017-6">ahead</a> of the announcement. "And that will have implications when it comes to relationships on a geopolitical front, on an economic front, on a trade front.""[If] you think about the climate change issue, it's very important for the United States to lead the way when it comes to climate change," he continued. "It is one of the biggest economic powers out there and if China or other major economies see the US moving in the wrong direction in terms of climate change, I think it wouldn't be a good sign for the other countries." <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/psychology-science-behind-long-happy-relationships-2017-5">Science says lasting relationships come down to 3 basic traits</a></h3> Please enable Javascript to watch this video

BREMMER: 'If you want a watershed moment beyond Trump's inauguration, American withdrawal from the Paris Accord is it'

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5567f19cdd0895110c8b45cc-1200-924/texas-flood.jpg" border="0" alt="Texas Flood">REUTERS/Tamir KalifaFlood damaged vehicles and debris are strewn across lawns throughout the length of Bogie Drive in San Marcos, Texas May 26, 2015. </img></div></div></div>Hello! Here's what you need to know for Friday.1. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/the-pressure-is-mounting-on-fifas-all-powerful-president-2015-5">FIFA President Sepp Blatter is expected to be reelected for his fifth term on Friday</a> amid a corruption scandal that involved the arrest of several senior football executives during a dawn raid at a luxury hotel in Zurich on Wednesday.2. Russia is <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/r-exclusive-russia-masses-heavy-firepower-on-border-with-ukraine---witness-2015-5">reportedly amassing soldiers and unmarked tanks near the border with Ukraine</a>, although Russia denies that the military build-up indicates it plans to invade Ukraine.3. International Monetary Fund chief <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/greeces-hopes-for-a-quick-deal-are-getting-smashed-to-pieces-2015-5">Christine Lagarde hinted Thursday that a bailout deal between Greece and is creditors is not progressing</a> as fast as Athens has suggested, while the country faces another major debt repayment on June 5. 4. A heat wave in India, where temperatures have climbed above 47 degrees C (116 degrees F), <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/afp-indian-hospitals-overwhelmed-as-heatwave-deaths-near-1500-2015-5">has killed nearly 1,500 people in one week</a>. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/pictures-of-massive-floods-in-texas-oklahoma-mexico-2015-5#"> </a>5. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/afp-putin-makes-troop-deaths-in-peacetime-operations-a-state-secret-2015-5">Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday made troop deaths during peacetime a "state secret,"</a> meaning it's a criminal offence to release information about the deaths of soldiers in "special operations." 6. Islamic State purportedly <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/r-islamic-state-photos-purport-to-show-unharmed-palmyra-ruins--2015-5">posted online photographs of the historical Syrian city of Palmyra</a> that suggest the city's ancient ruins have not been destroyed. 7. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-south-korea-to-ban-taxi-services-by-private-drivers-in-blow-to-uber-2015-5">South Korea passed a bill on Friday to ban taxi services provided by private drivers</a>, in a move that would make Uber's low-cost service, uberX, illegal.8. More than 130 people have been ordered to evacuate on the southern <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-japan-raises-alert-to-top-level-for-island-in-south-after-volcano-erupts-nhk-2015-5">Japanese island of Kuchinoerabujima</a><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-japan-raises-alert-to-top-level-for-island-in-south-after-volcano-erupts-nhk-2015-5"> after a volcano erupted suddenly on Friday</a>. 9. A rebel coalition led by Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate Al-Nusra Front on Thursday <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-qaeda-allies-take-last-regime-held-city-in-syrias-idlib-monitor-2015-5">took control of the last remaining government-held city</a> in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib. 10. Spain charged the <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/28/us-spain-judge-boko-haram-idUSKBN0OD2CD20150528">leader of Nigerian Islamist militant group Boko Haram with terrorism and crimes against humanity</a> over a 2013 attack on a Nigerian town in which a Spanish nun was assaulted. And finally ...<div id="content"><a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/the-mystery-of-swiss-cheese-and-its-disappearing-holes-has-been-solved-2015-5">Scientists have finally solved the mystery of why Swiss cheese has holes. </a></div> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/map-how-indo-european-languages-evolved-2014-12">This Animated Map Shows How European Languages Evolved </a></h3> <div> <div> <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="wwMjI2cjq9yWkT5MO7-968mt2D9V_wxN" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> <script> if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; } RunFunctions.push(function() { var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'wwMjI2cjq9yWkT5MO7-968mt2D9V_wxN',{ autoplay: 'false' }); }); </script> <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div> </div> <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script> </div>

The 10 most important things in the world right now

<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/59303cdbb74af40c508b54f7-2400/ap17147547901925.jpg" alt="donald trump" /><a href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Trump-US-G7/2f714f163c754743849bfbc9866222b7/136/0">AP Photo/Evan Vucci</a>Donald Trump.President Donald Trump was set to announce Thursday that he was pulling the US out of the landmark Paris climate agreement, following through with a key campaign promise, multiple sources reported on Thursday.While the decision should galvanize his base, the move goes against what <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/companies-dont-want-trump-cancel-paris-agreement-google-apple-exxon-2017-6">some of the largest American companies</a>, and many in the rest of the world were hoping for. The Paris agreement, which <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/195-countries-that-signed-paris-climate-agreement-accord-deal-2017-5">195 nations</a> signed in December 2015, <a href="http://newsroom.unfccc.int/unfccc-newsroom/finale-cop21/">set the global goal</a> to keep the planet from warming by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels - a threshold that scientists say could keep the planet from launching into a tailspin of irreversible consequences, from unpredictable superstorms to crippling heat waves.China, <a href="https://twitter.com/drharshvardhan/status/869550874250682368">India</a>, and the European Union <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-china-europe-take-lead-on-climate-as-world-waits-on-trump-2017-6">all doubled down</a> on their support of the deal, and said they would lead the world in fighting climate change if the United States wouldn't. Experts warn that the US's exit could lead to a crippled agreement, either via other countries deciding to leave or not honestly reporting their carbon emissions.Trump's desire to put "America First" on climate could be seen in the rest of the world as the US "turning its back on the international community."<h2>'International condemnation' </h2><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/592f408a5124c9b20bbef43b-800/as-us-retreats-eu-and-china-seek-climate-leadership-at-summit-2017-5.jpg" alt="FILE PHOTO: Hundreds of environmentalists arrange their bodies to form a message of hope and peace in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, December 6, 2015, as the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) continues at Le Bourget near the French capital. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo" />Thomson ReutersHundreds of environmentalists arrange their bodies to form a message of hope and peace in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris during the climate accord in 2015.Scientists say the US's weakening climate response could slow down global efforts to combat the problem.While the US today is the second biggest carbon emitter after China, it has contributed to the most emissions over time, accounting for roughly a <a href="https://www.climateinteractive.org/analysis/us-role-in-paris/">third</a> of the excess, warming carbon in the atmosphere today.Elliot Diringer, executive vice president of the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, a nonpartisan climate-focused think tank, told Business Insider that he's not too worried about about other countries abandoning the agreement, and is confident that most will remain committed to climate action."I don't think they'd want to expose themselves to the sort of international condemnation the US is likely to face," said Diringer, who has attended nearly every United Nations climate conference since the first meeting was held in Kyoto two decades ago. "But I do worry that a US withdrawal will have a corrosive effect on global ambition, in the sense that countries will not be as zealous in meeting their targets, and put forward less ambitious targets when the next round is due in 2020."The next time the United States wants the rest of the world to support one of its priorities, experts warned, other countries may not want to help.US "credibility and leverage on other foreign policy issues would take a huge hit," said Mark Tercek, president and CEO of the Nature Conservancy."The nations of the world rightfully expect US policy to be foresighted and steadfast," he <a href="https://blog.nature.org/conservancy/2017/03/10/why-the-paris-agreement-is-in-the-u-s-s-best-interest/?intc=nature.hp.sp1">wrote</a> in a blog post. "Trump has an important opportunity to show the world that the promises of the United States are durable, especially with respect to a universal threat as serious as climate change."<h2>What happens next?</h2><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/592ff30c79474c0c058b496e-2000/angela merkel li keqiang.jpg" alt="Angela Merkel Li Keqiang" />AP Photo/Michael SohnGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, and China's Premier, Li Keqiang, left, look at each other during a joint press conference as part of a meeting at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, June 1, 2017.Beyond signing the overall agreement, each country also submitted a climate-action plan laying out how it would adopt clean energy and phase out fossil fuels. This allowed each nation to individualize and edit their commitments, adding flexibility to the Paris agreement so that it could bend without breaking.The US's plan, which the Obama administration submitted in March 2015, set the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 26% to 28% by 2025. The baseline level this reduction is measured against is 2005, when the US emitted 6,132 million metric tons of carbon dioxide.Because of the way the agreement was designed, it would take years for the US to fully exit the pact. The rules state that, if Trump simply cancels Obama's pact, the <a href="https://www.c2es.org/docUploads/legal-note-could-future-president-reverse-us-approval-paris-agreement.pdf">earliest the US can say it's leaving</a> the accord is November 2019, and wouldn't officially exit until November 4, 2020 - the day after the next presidential election.While Obama agreed to the Paris accord through executive action, the US Senate approved the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/treaty-document/102nd-congress/38?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%221992%22%5D%7D&amp;r=6">original treaty</a> that was the UN's basis of the overall Paris agreement back when George H.W. Bush was president in 1992.Exiting the overall UN agreement would take a year, but <a href="https://www.c2es.org/docUploads/legal-note-could-future-president-reverse-us-approval-paris-agreement.pdf">would likely require Senate approval</a>. Obama also pledged the US would give <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-climatechange-obama-idUSKCN0IY1LD20141115">$3 billion</a> to help developing nations deal with the worst of climate change's effects, $1 billion of which the US has already sent to poorer nations. Trump can cancel that promise apart from the Paris deal.<h2>An unstoppable market</h2><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56fa64bfdd0895f3748b472f-2400/rtx13uef 1.jpg" alt="china solar panels" /><a href="http://pictures.reuters.com/archive/CLIMATE-IPCC--GM1E99M16HZ01.html">Carlos Barria/REUTERS</a>A worker inspects solar panels in Gansu Province, China on September 16, 2013.Globally, renewables like wind, solar, and hydropwer only made up about <a href="http://fs-unep-centre.org/sites/default/files/publications/globaltrendsinrenewableenergyinvestment2017.pdf">11%</a> of the energy used in 2016.Supporters of clean energy may see that as a depressing number, but companies see it as an untapped business opportunity. Investments in renewable energy surpassed those in fossil fuels in both 2015 and 2016, and <a href="http://fs-unep-centre.org/sites/default/files/publications/globaltrendsinrenewableenergyinvestment2017.pdf">analysts expect</a> that trend to continue until the carbon-burning energies like gas, coal, and oil are eventually phased out.<a href="https://www.c2es.org/newsroom/releases/major-companies-sign-full-page-ad-urging-president-stay-paris-agreement">Some of the largest American companies</a> urged Trump not to exit the Paris deal, arguing that doing so would hurt their bottom line. Not only would leaving increase uncertainty and risk, the companies argue, but it could also make them less competitive worldwide.Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, and Salesforce are just some of the major companies that asked Trump to keep the status quo in a letter that appeared as full-page ads in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal."As businesses concerned with the well-being of our customers, our investors, our communities, and our suppliers, we are strengthening our climate resilience, and we are investing in innovative technologies that can help achieve a clean energy transition," the letter read. "For this transition to succeed, however, governments must lead as well."Fossil fuel companies Exxon Mobil, Shell, PG&amp;E, and ConocoPhillips even expressed their support for the deal, arguing that it allows the US to have a seat at the table for oil negotiations.Tesla and SpaceX CEO <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-trump-advisory-councils-us-paris-agreement-2017-5">Elon Musk threatened to leave</a> Trump's advisory councils if he canceled the Paris agreement, saying if the president did so, he would have "no choice." <h3>More from Rebecca Harrington:</h3><ul><li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/195-countries-that-signed-paris-climate-agreement-accord-deal-2017-5" rel="nofollow">If Trump pulls out of the Paris climate agreement, the US will join only Syria and Nicaragua as non-signatories</a></li><li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-did-us-agree-to-paris-climate-deal-2017-5" rel="nofollow">Here's what the US actually agreed to in the Paris climate deal</a></li><li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-decides-to-withdraw-from-paris-climate-deal-2017-5" rel="nofollow">Trump has reportedly decided to withdraw from the Paris climate deal</a></li><li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-fix-sleep-problems-pain-insomnia-back-pillow-snoring-neck-health-2017-5" rel="nofollow">How to fix all of your sleep problems with science</a></li><li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-first-foreign-trip-obama-bush-clinton-2017-5" rel="nofollow">Trump just wrapped up his first trip abroad - here's where past presidents traveled in their first year</a></li></ul> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ian-bremmer-on-the-biggest-takeaways-from-trumps-first-foreign-trip-2017-5">'Melania needs to get with the program': Ian Bremmer explains the biggest takeaways from Trump's first foreign trip</a></h3> Please enable Javascript to watch this video

You Searched For "heat wave in india" and got 7 results

May heat wave in India 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than warmest heat wave

PTI

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90% of India, most of Delhi in danger from heatwaves; new climate study reveals stark reality of Indian climate scenario

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EXPLAINER: How did Russia-Ukraine war trigger a food crisis?

Associated Press

BREMMER: 'If you want a watershed moment beyond Trump's inauguration, American withdrawal from the Paris Accord is it'

Elena Holodny

The 10 most important things in the world right now

Dina Spector

TRUMP 'CANCELS' PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT

Rebecca Harrington