India’s emissions rose by 6.1% in 2023: UN study

India’s greenhouse gas emissions surged by 6.1 per cent in 2023, contributing to 8 per cent of the global total but the country’s historical contribution to global CO2 emissions stands at only 3 per cent, a new UN report has revealed. While India’s per capita emission remains low at 2.9 tons of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e),

IRENA Council convenes amidst UN Secretary General’s call for urgent climate action

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) convenes its 27th Council meeting in Abu Dhabi, after United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued an urgent call for climate action recently. The two-day meetings gather representatives from 105 countries to discuss critical issues facing the energy transition. Over the next two days, IRENA members will focus on scaling

UN issues red alert on climate change

The World Meteorological Organisation, in a State of the Global Climate report released recently, ratcheted up concerns that a much-vaunted climate goal is increasingly in jeopardy. The UN weather agency is sounding a red alert about global warming, citing record-smashing increases last year in greenhouse gases, land and water temperatures and melting of glaciers and

COP28 nations agree to ‘transition away’ from fossil fuels

The 28th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), hosted by oil exporter United Arab Emirates (UAE), adopted the idea of “transitioning away from fossil fuel” in the final decision text, marking the first instance of such a decision in the three decades of COP’s existence.  This

UN climate ambition summit calls for revised netzero goals

Major emitters of planet- warming greenhouse gases are expected to ratchet up climate action and announce new plans at the United Nations Climate Ambition Summit that began recently. The New York Climate Week, organized in partnership with the UN during the general assembly, will be held on September 17-24, bringing together representatives from business, government

UNDP could expand sustainable partnerships

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) could expand its sustainable business partnerships that connect private CSR funds with government development needs, said Isabelle Tschan, UNDP’s Deputy Resident Representative in India. Tschan pointed to the Akanksha CSR Facilitation platform, which was set up in collaboration with the government of Karnataka and helps match private funds to

Start measuring harmful ship emissions

Ice caps are melting at an alarming rate. Heatwaves are hitting southern Europe, the US and Asia with a vengeance. Unusually heavy rainfall is destroying homes and infrastructure. This summer has once again highlighted the significant impacts of climate change and there is a broad consensus that everyone has a role to play in the

India succeeds in reducing 33% emissions

India’s greenhouse emissions rate dropped by a faster-than-expected 33% in 14 years as renewable energy generation rose and forest cover increased, according to two officials privy to latest assessment made for submission to the United Nations. The report’s findings showed India well on the way to meeting a commitment to the United Nations Convention on

World won’t end if it warms by more than 1.5 degrees: New IPCC head

The newly appointed head of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Jim Skea, spoke to two major German news outlets. Skea warned against laying too much value on the international community’s current nominal target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to the pre-industrial era. Surpassing that mark would lead to

UN expert group launches report on corporate greenwashing

A UN-convened group has launched a major new report at COP27 to crackdown on corporate greenwashing around net-zero claims, outlining key recommendations to ensure non-state actors are actively working towards decarbonisation. The High Level Expert Group on Net Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities was set up by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in March 2022