This weekly round-up brings you key climate news from the past seven days, including record heat in Northeast India and a breakthrough technology that has the potential to solve the radioactive waste dilemma in nuclear power plants.
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1. Atlantic to See Above-Average Hurricane Season, US Weather Agency Says
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts a range of 17 to 25 named storms (wind speed of 39 mph or 65 km/h) this year, eight to 13 of which are forecast to become hurricanes (wind speed of 74 mph or 119 km/h). Of these, 4 to 7 are forecast to be major hurricanes. The latter can be classified as category 3, 4, or 5 depending on wind speed, with the highest level assigned to storms with winds blowing at a speed of at least 157 mph or 252 km/h. An average year sees 14 named storms.
Hurricanes – also known as typhoons in the northwestern Pacific and cyclones in the Indian Ocean and South Pacific – are a rather common weather phenomenon, though there has been a significant increase in their intensity in recent decades, which scientific observations link to anthropogenic climate change. These abnormal trends are attributed largely to the increased ocean temperatures – warmer than normal Atlantic waters.
Read more here.
2. US Lawmakers ‘Deeply Concerned’ By Appointment of Petrostate Azerbaijan to Host COP29
In an open letter addressed to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Climate Envoy John Podesta, the 26 signatories said they were “deeply concerned” by the appointment of Azeri Ecology Minister Mukhtar Babayev to lead November’s talks in Baku, Azerbaijan, the third petrostate in a row to host the talks after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last year and Egypt in 2022.
Before his appointment as minister of ecology and natural resources in 2018, Babayev, a member of the ruling right-wing New Azerbaijan Party, worked at the state-owned oil and gas company Socar for more than two decades, during which he also briefly served as the company’s vice-president for ecology.
“Fossil fuel companies bear the largest responsibility for the climate crisis that is already harming millions of people across the globe. Yet these same companies have an oversized influence at COP,” the letter read. Indeed, the UAE last year granted access to at least 2,456 fossil fuel lobbyists, a number higher than all but one of the national delegations present in Dubai. At the 2022 COP27 in Glasgow, at least 636 people linked to the fossil fuel industry were granted access.
Read more here.
3. Breakthrough Swiss Tech Cuts Radioactive Waste in Nuclear Plants by 80%
Developed by Geneva-based start-up Transmutex, the long-sought technology could solve a dilemma that has long been cited by the anti-nuclear movement as one of the main disadvantages of atomic energy.
After reviewing Transmutex’ proposal for several months, Swiss national body managing the disposal of radioactive waste Nagra concluded that the technology – known as nuclear transmutation – could cut waste by 80%. The process converts long-lived radioactive isotopes into shorter-lived or stable isotopes, reducing the overall radioactivity and longevity of the waste, thereby minimizing its environmental impact and long-term management requirements.
While this form of electricity is emission-free and thus a better alternative to highly polluting fossil fuels – making it the second-largest source of low emissions power after hydropower – the dangers posed by highly radioactive spent fuels raise concerns about its feasibility. This hazardous waste contains highly poisonous chemicals like plutonium and uranium pellets, which remain highly radioactive for hundreds of thousands of years, posing a threat to agricultural land, fishing waters, freshwater sources, and humans.
Read more here.
4. New Delhi Swelters in Record 52.9C as Electricity Demand Peaks and Schools Shut
For nearly two weeks, parts of the country have sweltered in a severe heatwave that the India Meteorological Department (IDM) says is likely to “reduce gradually” from Thursday onwards. Temperatures ranged between 46-50C in the Northwest and between 42-46C in parts of West, Central, and East India. The latter is expected to see temperatures soar by 2-3C during the next three days, gradually falling by 3C-4C thereafter.
On Wednesday, monitoring stations across the capital recorded maximum temperatures ranging between 45.2-49.1C, though an observatory located in Mungeshpur reported a record high of 52.9C. “It could be due to error in the sensor or the local factor,” the IMD said in a press release, adding that it was examining the data and sensors. Minimum temperatures at night are only dropping to roughly 30C, providing little relief to residents.
Read more here.
5. Human-Caused Climate Change Added 26 Days of Extreme Heat in Past 12 Months: Report
A new joint analysis, carried out by Climate Central, Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, and World Weather Attribution (WWA) and published Tuesday, found that 76 extreme heatwaves occurred between May 15, 2023 and May 15, 2024 across 90 countries.
An estimated 6.3 billion people – about 78% of the global population – experienced at least 31 days of atypical warmth, which anthropogenic climate change made at least two times more likely to occur. The report classifies extreme heat days as days when the temperature exceeds 90% of the daily temperature recorded in a given place between 1991 and 2020.
Heatwaves are spreading rapidly across the world, affecting billions of people, with an increasing number of studies pointing at climate change as a driving factor. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), with further global warming, we can expect an increase in the intensity, frequency and duration of heatwaves. Extreme heat impacts human health – particularly affecting vulnerable categories including the elderly and infirm, pregnant women, infants, outdoor workers, and athletes.
Read more here.
