With the motive of raising perception far and wide, March 21 is the day when we celebrate International Forest Day and the emphasis is upon the desperate need for woodland restoration and educating the masses about their significance.
This day is flagged to revive the significance of forests and they also house vast and diverse wildlife and also unlock sustenance to communities globally.
History Behind The Dense Thoughts:
This was in 2012 that UNGA (United Nations General Assembly) proclaimed March 21 as the International Day of Forests and to spread the lush green word and the world across the horizon with the objective of making the horizon green and clean.
The UN website articulates, “Forest sustainable management and their use of resources are key to combating climate change, and to contributing to the prosperity and well-being of current and future generations.”
By all accounts verified widely, the lives of over 1.6 billion humans are directly linked to forests as they draw food, shelter, medicine, energy etc. On this very day, governments, NGOs, citizens and mega institutions implement campaigns and take stock of the ongoing plans too, which have forests at the centre.
For instance, campaigns to encourage tree plantation, campaigns to protect forests and so forth. Environment news updates in India to help you adopt a green lifestyle.
Further, the United Nations Forum on Forests and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) organize such drives with government assistance.
Theme: An Ode To Healthy Lungs:
The responsibility of picking up the relevant theme is to Collaborate in partnership on Forests. The theme for this year of International Forest Day is “Forest And Health”.
This year, the pledge is for giving and not simply taking as strong and healthy forests will help nurture healthy humans.
World Water Day: Environment news updates in India that matter to us.
Clearly, the world passes through a fluid situation as immense damage is reported to our environment and it becomes a collective responsibility of all of us to deal with it.
Now with the central objective of making people sensitive about freshwater management and to be concerned for healthy water sources and resources and to avoid wastage, this day is put in place.
In fact, the day has been here since 1993 and the effort is to spread awareness as water faces a crisis globally.
March 22 is the day to observe World Water Day. Environment news updates in India with a distinct approach.
Going by the UN portal, indicates the main idea is to “support the achievement of sustainable development goal (SDG) 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.
IPCC Report Slams Humans To Make Us Mend Our Ways:
Certainly, highly as well as in all likelihood, every bit of increase in global warming would augment numerous perils which would occur concurrently and in this backdrop, IPCC hints that lest we miss the 1.5 degree Celsius target, we would face grave issues which would push us to our basic survival issue.
In other words, missing the 1.5 degree Celsius target will give way to a slew of adverse impacts that would be irreversible and there would arise a question about our survival as well as natural habitats.
This is the severe climate crisis we face now and on Monday the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Crisis) has come out sternly about it. Environment news updates in India to make you think globally.
IPCC is a front-runner scientific authority which analyses climate crisis and unlocks remedial steps towards it.
IPCC has made this crystal clear that in the coming years, the 1.5 degree Celsius goal would fly far from our reach and this is despite our conscious control of emissions.
The IPCC synthesis report highlights the urgency as the soaring average temperature of our earth could be controlled again by achieving CO2 emissions in negative form around the world and by sustaining it steadfastly.
This serves as a direct blow to the fossil fuel industry as IPCC is stern on its framework that in case of unabated CO2 emissions from here, the existing carbon budget for 1.5 degrees Celsius will surpass and this would diminish the budget for 2 degrees Celsius too. Environment news updates in India to filter your actions through green perspective.
Then, the sole way forward to prevent such an overshoot is by securing a swift and broad reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in all sectors by the end of this decade.
In this regard, IPCC issued a statement, “Keeping warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels requires deep, rapid and sustained greenhouse gas emissions reductions in all sectors. Emissions should be decreasing by now and will need to be cut by almost half by 2030 if warming is to be limited to 1.5°C.”
Antonio Guitteress, UN Secretary-General revealed to the media during the launch, “Today’s IPCC report is a how-to guide to defuse the climate time-bomb. It is a survival guide for humanity. As it shows, the 1.5-degree limit is achievable. But it will take a quantum leap in climate action. This report is a clarion call to massively fast-track climate efforts by every country and every sector and on every timeframe. In short, our world needs climate action on all fronts — everything, everywhere, all at once.”
He made an addition, “I have proposed to the G20, a Climate Solidarity Pact – in which all big emitters make extra efforts to cut emissions, and wealthier countries mobilize financial and technical resources to support emerging economies in a common effort to keep 1.5 degrees alive… It starts with parties immediately hitting the fast-forward button on their net zero deadlines to get to global net zero by 2050 – in line with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in light of different national circumstances. Specifically, leaders of developed countries must commit to reaching net zero as close as possible to 2040, the limit they should all aim to respect.”
Environment news updates in India to stay ahead in time.
The IPCC report blames global warming for the rapid changes that occur in the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere and biosphere.
The report inculcates, “Human-caused climate change is already affecting many weather and climate extremes in every region across the globe. This has led to widespread adverse impacts and related losses and damages to nature and people. Vulnerable communities who have historically contributed the least to current climate change are disproportionately affected.”
Tropical cyclones are likely to intensify and so would the extratropical storms. Further, there is all likelihood of an increase in aridity and fiery weather. Environment news updates in India from verified accounts.
Prior to the release of the report at Interlaken, Switzerland, Mr Harjeet Singh who is a Head of Global Political Strategy, Climate Action Network International, also served as an observer there and shared his thoughts, The new IPCC report shows the writing clearly on the wall. Governments have no excuse to ignore the emphatic warning for this critical decade. They must act fast to reject fossil fuels and stop any new expansion of oil, gas and coal. The blueprint for climate action presented by the IPCC is not short of solutions and infused with enough hope… Every fraction of a degree of warming puts us closer to breaching the 1.5°C survival threshold. The governments must strengthen efforts to protect communities from worsening and irreversible climate impacts, such as sea-level rise and melting of glaciers, which pose an existential threat to many communities. Scaling up finance must be the key lever to make the transition to a climate stable future in a just and equitable manner.”
Apprehending Carbon: Environment news updates in India.
IPCC lays claims on the fact that CDR (Carbon dioxide removal) is critical to accomplish the mission of net-negative CO2 emissions.
If such are allowed to sustain, this would lead to a decline in the surface following a high-rise earlier. Environment news updates in India to help you put best foot forward.
At the Interlaken meeting, this was one of the contentious issues that were pushed under discussion.
Most ambitious plans which are charted out diligently and on realistic grounds would certainly lessen global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2100 but such plans are few in number. Environment news updates in India that you can trust.
The report highlights, “The larger the overshoot, the more net negative CO2 emissions would be needed to return to 1.5°C. Transitioning towards net zero CO2 emissions faster and reducing non-CO2 emissions such as methane more rapidly would limit peak warming levels and reduce the requirement for net negative CO2 emissions, thereby reducing feasibility and sustainability concerns, and social and environmental risks associated with CDR deployment at large scales.”
As for reforestation, refined forest management, soil carbon sequestration etc, the IPCC report inculcates, “However, afforestation or production of biomass crops can have adverse socio-economic and environmental impacts, including on biodiversity, food and water security, local livelihoods and the rights of Indigenous peoples, especially if implemented at large scales and where land tenure is insecure.”
