New NASA model to help assess hange in carbon concentrations from forests - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

New NASA model to help assess hange in carbon concentrations from forests.

Tropical forests absorbed more carbon than other forest types, released more carbon into atmosphere due to deforestation, degradation, the study found.

Scientists have devised a new method to better understand the role of various forest types in the global carbon cycle. Tropical forests, for instance, are responsible for the largest component of global carbon fluctuations, according to a study published by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

A group of researchers, including NASA scientists, has created a new way to assess how the changes in forests over the past two decades impacted carbon concentrations in the atmosphere.

They found that tropical forest absorbed more carbon than other forest types and released more carbon into the atmosphere due to deforestation and degradation.

The study was published February 4, 2021. The method tapped into numerous sources, including ground, airborne and satellite data, to create the “first consistent global framework for estimating the carbon flux specifically for forests,” according to the research.

Forests around the world serve as carbon sinks: They absorbed around 15.6 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide from Earth’s atmosphere each year between 2001 and 2019. At the same time, deforestation, fires, among other disturbances released 8.1 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.

The study accentuated the lack of uniformity in data on global carbon estimates. The data varies between countries, but scientists expressed hope that the new method will help arrive at better data sets.

NASA’s Carbon Monitoring Systems Biomass Pilot is expected to further improve understanding of carbon removal rates across forest landscapes. It comprises:

• Satellite and field data to improve estimates of vegetation and carbon stocks

• NASA’s ICESat-2

• Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI), a laser-equipped instrument aboard the International Space Station that records the three-dimensional structures of the world’s temperate and tropical forests

The new approach, according to scientists, also helped identify the forest types that have higher uncertainties. The framework could help countries reduce carbon emissions for which accurate and current data is needed. (Source: Livemint)

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New NASA model to help assess hange in carbon concentrations from forests.

Longest UN climate talks end with no deal on carbon markets - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Longest UN climate talks end with no deal on carbon markets.

After getting the longest ever extension in the history of annual UN climate conferences, two weeks of talks ended on a disappointing note on Sunday with all key issues — rules on carbon markets, ‘ambition’ and long-term finance — being pushed to the next round of talks in Glasgow in 2020.

Though some progress was made in terms of putting certain references on ‘ambition’ to bridge the emission gap by next year through a ‘compromised’ and diluted text to have consensus, negotiators from 197 countries failed to frame rules for the much awaited carbon markets as no agreement was reached on contentious issues such as the fate of old credits and measures to avoid double-counting.

Issues of longterm finance (predictable and adequate) too saw a sharp divide during negotiations at the climate talks which went over 43 hours beyond the official deadline. It eventually forced the COP25 presidency to move the issue to next year’s talks.
The final declaration called on the “urgency of enhanced ambition” by all countries to cut greenhouse gases in line with the goals of the landmark 2015 Paris climate change accord. There was, however, a strong view during the negotiations that there should not be a talk only on mitigation ambition without firming up ambition on finance which has been a responsibility of rich nations.
The unsatisfactory outcome was reflected in the remarks of COP25 president Carolina Schmidt, Chile’s environment minister. “Article 6 (carbon market) would have contributed to help us move forward. It is sad to not to have reached a final agreement. We were so very close,” she said in her closing speech.
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres, who had tried to bring countries on an ambitious path of higher targets through a summit in New York two months ahead of COP25, too expressed disappointment. “I am disappointed with the results of COP25. The international community lost an important opportunity to show increased ambition on mitigation, adaptation and finance to tackle the climate crisis,” he said.


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Longest UN climate talks end with no deal on carbon markets.

'India third largest contributor to carbon emission' - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

'India third largest contributor to carbon emission'.

India, the third-highest contributor, is projected to see emissions rise by 6.3% from 2017.

Global carbon emissions are set to hit an all-time high of 37.1 billion tonnes of CO2 in 2018, according to researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the Global Carbon Project.
India, the third-highest contributor, is projected to see emissions rise by 6.3% from 2017. The 2.7% projected global rise in 2018 has been driven by appreciable growth in coal use for the second year in a row, and sustained growth in oil and gas use, according to the study that was published simultaneously Wednesday in several leading scientific journals.
This week, representatives from more than 190 countries have begun discussions at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 24) in Katowice, Poland, on ways to equitably cut carbon emissions.

Second year in a row
CO2 emissions have now risen for a second year, the study’s authors say, after three years of little to no growth from 2014 to 2016. The rise in 2017 was 1.6%.
The 10 biggest emitters in 2018 are China, U.S., India, Russia, Japan, Germany, Iran, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Canada. The EU as a region of countries ranks third. China’s emissions accounted for 27% of the global total, having grown an estimated 4.7% in 2018 and reaching a new all-time high.
Emissions in the U.S., which has withdrawn from its commitment to the Paris Agreement, account for 15% of the global total, and look set to have grown about 2.5% in 2018 after several years of decline.
Lead researcher Corinne Le Quéré, Professor of Climate Change Science and Policy at UEA, said in a statement: “We are seeing a strong growth of global CO2 emissions once again. Emissions need to peak and rapidly decrease to address climate change. With this year’s growth in emissions, it looks like the peak is not yet in sight.”
Limiting global warming to the 2015 Paris Agreement goal of keeping the global temperature increase this century to well below 2°C, would need carbon dioxide emissions to decline by 50% by 2030 and reach net zero by about 2050.
Though coal use contributed to the rise in 2018 from last year, it still remains below its historical high in 2013 but may exceed that if current growth continues, the study’s authors. (Source: The Hindu)


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'India third largest contributor to carbon emission'.