Category: climate change
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Gamifying Climate Action: Harnessing Engagement for Real-World Impact
“What if the hyper-focused state I enter when playing in virtual worlds could somehow be applied to the real one?” Today, it has become a global phenomenon, influencing various sectors from education to health, and even climate change. It is a tool; like any tool, it can be used for good or ill. It can…
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Urban Subsidence as a Growing Global Climate and Development Risk
In recent years, we have seen alarming rates of subsidence in major cities around the world. From Jakarta to Mexico City, from Venice to Shanghai, the ground beneath millions of people is literally sinking. In China alone, a systematic assessment using spaceborne synthetic aperture radar interferometry has revealed that almost half of the urban land…
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Chemodiversity in Freshwaters: A New Lens on Ecosystem Health and Water Quality
Research increasingly suggests that the health of lakes, rivers and other fresh waters is closely tied to the diversity of dissolved organic matter (DOM). DOM consists of thousands of distinct carbon-based compounds from different plant and animal sources, which make up what scientists call “chemodiversity.” There are four key ways chemodiversity influences ecosystem functioning: Nutrient…
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The Amazon on the Brink: Urgent Climate Action Needed to Protect South America’s Lifeline
The Amazon regulates weather across South America, stores carbon, and preserves biodiversity. However, unsustainable development practices worsen climate impacts, while policy gaps leave marginalized groups unsupported. The recent extreme drought in the Amazon was a preview of our climate emergency future if we fail to act decisively. Climate change made Amazon 30 times more likely,…
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Unlocking Ancient Coral Records in Vanuatu to Improve Climate Predictions
A fascinating scientific discovery is happening in the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. On the island of Espiritu Santo, ancient coral reefs that contain critical climate records from over 16,000 years ago are being uplifted from the sea. These reefs offer a unique glimpse into the ancient climate of our planet. During the last ice…
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Unlocking Large-Scale Energy Storage to Accelerate the Renewable Transition through Pumped Storage Hydropower
The climate crisis demands an urgent and sweeping transformation of our energy systems. As we rapidly scale up wind and solar to decarbonize electricity generation, the intermittency of these renewable sources poses a significant challenge. This is where pumped storage hydropower offers a proven, cost-effective solution for grid balancing and long-duration energy storage. Around the…
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Brewing a Crisis: Climate Change Threatens Global Coffee and Millions of Livelihoods
#climatechange poses a major threat to coffee production, with up to 75% of land in Brazil and 58% globally potentially becoming unsuitable by 2050. Moving to higher altitudes can help but has limitations. Agroforestry techniques like providing plant shade can also help coffee withstand higher temperatures. The coffee industry supports the livelihoods of over 125…
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Global Warming Trends and the Imperative for Urgent Climate Action
2023 was the 5th warmest globally, capping off the last nine years as the nine hottest in recorded history. And the warming trend is accelerating – the past eight years are the eight warmest. The climate models forecast this. We are now living it. On top of this human-caused warming, natural climate cycles like El…
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Tech for Climate Adaptation: Harnessing Innovation to Manage Risk and Build Resilience
The report, developed by the Tech for Climate Adaptation Working Group under the World Economic Forum’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, suggests that while technology cannot replace the need for GHG mitigation, it can help manage climate impacts and provide competitive advantages for early adopters. The document outlines how technology can assist in comprehending…
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Why Climate Liability Demands Scenario Planning Now
The potential financial impacts of emerging climate liability law present profound uncertainties for economies worldwide. Quantifying the vast array of possible legal outcomes remains deeply complex and scenario-dependent. Yet even back-of-the-envelope analyses indicate exposures in the trillions of dollars for major carbon producers. Chevron alone faces over $8.6 trillion in potential liability based on the…
Bapon (SHM) Fakhruddin, PhD 