Category: climate change
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Green Climate Fund 2023: Driving Transformative Climate Finance for Developing Nations
As we are at the #ClimateWeekNYC and #UNGA, read our 2023 Annual Report demonstrating its growing impact. The Green Climate Fund has now committed $13.5 billion to 243 projects across 129 developing countries, leveraging over $50 billion in co-financing for climate action. In 2023 alone, GCF approved $2.1 billion for 34 new transformative projects. The Fund is…
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Emerging Atlantic Nina and La Niña: Implications for Global Climate Patterns
We have observed a rapid cooling in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean in the past three months. This is happening at a record speed. This emerging “Atlantic Nina” pattern and an expected La Nina in the Pacific Ocean present a complex interaction of climate forces that could have far-reaching impacts on weather patterns worldwide. According to…
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Scaling Effective Climate Policies
A comprehensive analysis of climate policies implemented across 41 countries from 1998 to 2022 has identified 63 successful interventions that reduced emissions by 0.6 to 1.8 billion metric tonnes of CO2. The study highlights the effectiveness of well-designed policy mixes, particularly those incorporating price-based instruments, in addressing the emissions gap. Findings indicate that successful policy…
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Clean Air for All: Tackling Air Pollution in a Warming World
Despite its known devastating impacts, air pollution is a problem. Many countries still have weak air quality regimes, which is alarming, especially as climate change threatens to worsen air pollution. Air pollution is a major risk factor for death and disease globally, causing premature deaths from heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, and respiratory illnesses. Yet,…
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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…
Bapon (SHM) Fakhruddin, PhD 