2020 was the hottest year globally despite cooling La Niña - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

2020 was the hottest year globally despite cooling La Niña.

Matches temperature record of 2016 which began with warming weather events

The year 2020 was the joint hottest year on record globally along with 2016, according to European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). Last year was “the sixth in a series of exceptionally warm years starting in 2015 and 2011-2020 the warmest decade recorded", according to C3S.

This shows a clear imprint of global warming as this happened in a year when, in the first half, the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic had forced countries into lockdowns and the second half was dominated by La Niña conditions which have an overall cooling effect.

“It is notable that 2020 matches the 2016 record despite a cooling La Niña, whereas 2016 was a record year that began with a strong warming El Niño event," says the C3S report.

Alongside the global rise in temperatures, the European continent also witnessed its warmest year on record in 2020. It was 0.4 degree Celcius warmer than 2019, which was previously the warmest year.

The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) and C3S also reported that carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations in the atmosphere have continued to rise at a rate of approximately 2.3 parts per million (ppm) a year in 2020, reaching a maximum of 413 ppm in May, 2020. The rate of growth of CO2 was slightly less than that of 2019.

“Parts of the Arctic and northern Siberia saw some of the largest annual temperature deviations from average in 2020, with a large region seeing deviations of as much as 3°C and in some locations even over 6°C for the year as a whole,” said the report. The temperature swings for individual months were even more drastic as they regularly reached more than 8°C.

The western Siberian region witnessed an unusually warm winter and spring. The same was experienced over summer and autumn in the Siberian Arctic and over a major part of the Arctic Ocean.

To add to this, the wildfire season was also incredibly active in the Arctic. The first fires were detected in May, continuing throughout summer and well into autumn.

As a result, in the region between the beginning of the Arctic Circle and the North Pole, the wildfires emitted 244 megatonnes of CO2 in 2020 which is a record and is 33 per cent more than the 2019 record.

Arctic sea ice extent was also significantly lower in the last six months of 2020, with July and October seeing the lowest sea ice extent on record for the respective months.

“While La Niña is there, the north-south wavy pattern of the jet stream is seen as warm cold patterns in the northern hemisphere midlatitudes. When the jet stream dips south, colder Arctic air follows behind it. And when it swings north, warm subtropical air invades higher latitudes. The Siberian warming obviously dominates everything and produces a global mean warming signal that is record high," said Raghu Murtugudde, a climate scientist at the University of Maryland.

The temperatures in the northern and southern hemispheres were also in stark contrast. The northern part of the planet witnessed above-average temperatures, while the southern regions experienced cooler temperatures because of La Niña conditions.

“There is obviously a certain value in thinking of global mean temperature anomalies but as you can clearly see, the patterns are just as important for various real life issues”, said Murtugudde.

“So, it is critical to understand whether dynamic patterns induced by COVID-19 lockdowns caused many of these perturbations like Siberian warming which then got amplified by snowmelt feedback. Snowmelt would decrease the albedo and lead to absorption of more energy in spring summer months which can quickly amplify the warming," he added. Polar amplification also includes cloud and water vapour feedbacks.

So, a lot of further analysis will be needed to see if this is the sort of global warming pattern we will initially see when we clean up the environment by reducing pollution, said Murtugudde. (Source: downtoearth)

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2020 was the hottest year globally despite cooling La Niña.

When the Arctic warms, it will affect sea levels and precipitation patterns globally - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

When the Arctic warms, it will affect sea levels and precipitation patterns globally.

It is in the Arctic that global warming presents its most dramatic face; the region is warming up twice as fast as the global average. The ice cap is shrinking fast — since 1980, the volume of Arctic sea ice has declined by as much as 75 per cent.

In my school geography books, the Arctic was a frozen fastness, the distant domain of polar bears and fur-clad tribes, or the occasional intrepid explorer. But that was half a century ago.

Today the mysteries of the Arctic are literally melting away: The top of the world is falling into the sea in huge blocks, bringing with it challenges that are global in nature.

It is in the Arctic that global warming presents its most dramatic face; the region is warming up twice as fast as the global average. The ice cap is shrinking fast — since 1980, the volume of Arctic sea ice has declined by as much as 75 per cent. The Northern Sea Route (NSR) which would connect the North Atlantic to the North Pacific through a short polar arc was once the stuff of fantasy. The melting ice has now made it a reality and a trickle of commercial cargo vessels has been going through every summer since the last decade. Models predict that this route could be ice free in summer by 2050, if not earlier.

These developments will have a critical impact in several sectors, most fundamentally on climate. The loss of ice and the warming waters will affect sea levels, salinity levels, and current and precipitation patterns. Already, the Tundra is returning to swamp, the permafrost is thawing, sudden storms are ravaging coastlines and wildfires are devastating interior Canada and Russia. The phenomenally rich biodiversity of the Arctic region is under serious threat. Habitat loss and degradation, the absence of year-long ice and higher temperatures are making the survival of Arctic marine life, plants and birds difficult while encouraging species from lower latitudes to move north. The Arctic is also home to about 40 different indigenous groups, whose culture, economy and way of life is in danger of being swept away. Increasing human encroachment with its attendant stresses will only aggravate this impact and upset a fragile balance.

Yet there is a flip side: The opening of the Arctic presents huge commercial and economic opportunities, particularly in shipping, energy, fisheries and mineral resources. Commercial navigation through the NSR is the most tempting: The distance from Rotterdam to Yokohama will be cut by 40 per cent compared to the Suez route. Oil and natural gas deposits, estimated to be 22 per cent of the world’s unexplored resources, mostly in the Arctic ocean, will be open to access along with mineral deposits including 25 per cent of the global reserves of rare earths, buried in Greenland.

Fortunately, none of this is easy. Navigation conditions are dangerous and restricted to the summer. Lack of deep-water ports, a need for ice-breakers, shortage of workers trained for polar conditions, and high insurance costs add to the difficulties. Mining and deep-sea drilling carry massive costs and environmental risks. These difficulties may provide the crucial window to work out norms that are focussed on balanced and sustainable development, before human greed overtakes everything. The complication is that, unlike Antarctica, the Arctic is not a global common and there is no overarching treaty that governs it, only the UN Convention of Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Large parts of it are under the sovereignty of the five littoral states — Russia, Canada, Norway, Denmark (Greenland) and the US — and exploitation of the new resources is well within their rights.

Inevitably, given the high stakes, strategic games are afoot. Russia, Canada, Norway and Denmark have put in overlapping claims for extended continental shelves, and the right to sea-bed resources; in 2007, Russia embedded a flag on the seabed below the North Pole to bolster its claim. The US, not a party to UNCLOS, is unable to put in a formal claim but is under pressure to strengthen its Arctic presence.

For the present, Russia is the dominant power, with the longest Arctic coastline, half the Arctic population, and a full-fledged strategic policy. Claiming that the NSR falls within its territorial waters (the US believes the passage lies in international waters), Russia anticipates huge dividends from commercial traffic including through the use of its ports, pilots and ice-breakers. Russia has also activated its northern military bases, refurbished its nuclear armed submarine fleet and demonstrated its capabilities, including through an exercise with China in the eastern Arctic. China, playing for economic advantage, has moved in fast, projecting the Polar Silk Road as an extension of the BRI, and has invested heavily in ports, energy, undersea infrastructure and mining projects. This limbering up of strategic postures is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

India’s interests in these developments, though distant, are not peripheral. Our extensive coastline makes us vulnerable to the impact of Arctic warming on ocean currents, weather patterns, fisheries and most importantly, our monsoon. Scientific research in Arctic developments, in which India has a good record, will contribute to our understanding of climatic changes in the Third Pole — the Himalayas. The strategic implications of an active China in the Arctic and its growing economic and strategic relationship with Russia are self-evident and need close monitoring. Fortunately, since 2013, India has had a toehold in the region. It has observer status in the Arctic Council, which is the predominant inter-governmental forum for cooperation on the environmental and development (though not the security) aspects of the Arctic. It is high time that our presence on the Arctic Council was underpinned by a strategic policy that encompassed economic, environmental, scientific and political aspects. (Source: The Indian Express)

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When the Arctic warms, it will affect sea levels and precipitation patterns globally.

India’s rank slips 7 places at 54th in terms of housing prices appreciation globally - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

India’s rank slips 7 places at 54th in terms of housing prices appreciation globally.

In its latest research report 'Global House Price Index Q3 2020', Knight Frank said that India moved 7 spots down in the global home price index to 54th rank in Q3 2020 against 47th rank in Q3 2019, with a decline of 2.4 per cent year-on-year (YoY) in home prices.

India’s rank slipped 7 places to 54th in terms of appreciation in residential prices as rates fell 2.4 per cent year-on-year during the July- September quarter, according to property consultant Knight Frank.

India is at 54th position amongst the 56 countries and territories tracked in terms of appreciation in residential real estate prices, the consultant said.

In its latest research report ‘Global House Price Index Q3 2020’, Knight Frank said that India moved 7 spots down in the global home price index to 54th rank in Q3 2020 against 47th rank in Q3 2019, with a decline of 2.4 per cent year-on-year (YoY) in home prices.

When compared with the June quarter, India’s ranking remained unchanged.

Turkey is at first position with prices up by 27.3 per cent YoY, followed by New Zealand at 15.4 per cent and Luxembourg with 13.4 per cent.

Morocco was the weakest-performing territory in Q3 2020, with home prices fallen to 3.3 per cent YoY.

Knight Frank India Chairman and Managing Director Shishir Baijal said, “In order to combat the adverse economic implications of the pandemic, real estate developers started innovating their marketing strategies which included financial benefits, discount, and easy payment options to attract buyers.”

While the overall real estate sector dynamics continue to remain strained, he said there has been a meaningful improvement in sales in the September quarter.

“Home loan rates at a multi-decade low of sub 7 per cent, fall in residential prices, aggressive marketing of ready inventory and indirect discounts to the buyers – have helped move the demand needle in Q3 2020.

“Going forward, though the economic fundamentals continue to remain strong, economic recovery is faster than expected. The housing trend remains strong and is expected to continue in the first quarter of 2021,” Baijal said.

The average residential prices across 56 countries and territories worldwide grew by 4.5 per cent on an annual basis. (Source: The Indian Express)

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India’s rank slips 7 places at 54th in terms of housing prices appreciation globally.

India among most trusted nations globally, but Indian brands among least-trusted: Report - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

India among most trusted nations globally, but Indian brands among least-trusted: Report.

The 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer report is based on an online survey in 27 markets covering over 33,000 respondents.

Davos: India is among the most trusted nations globally when it comes to government, business, NGOs and media but the country’s brands are among the least-trusted, according to a report.

The 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer report released Monday, ahead of the the World Economic Forum (WEF) meet here, noted that the Global Trust Index witnessed a marginal increase of 3 points to 52.
China topped the Trust Index among both the informed public and the general population segments, with scores of 79 and 88 respectively.
India was at the second place in the informed public category and third place in the general population category.
The Index is the average per cent of trust in NGOs, business, government and media.
The findings are based on an online survey in 27 markets covering over 33,000 respondents. The fieldwork was conducted between October 19 and November 16, 2018.
In terms of trust in companies headquartered in each market, the most trusted are those from Switzerland, Germany and Canada. The brands from these countries have a trust score of 70 each while that of Japan is 69 per cent.
However, companies headquartered in India, Mexico and Brazil are the least trusted, followed by China and South Korea, as per the report.
While the score of India and Brazil is 40 per cent, that of Mexico and China stood at 36 per cent and 41 per cent, respectively.
The report noted that there is a growing feeling of pessimism about the future, with only one-in-three mass population respondents in the developed world believing his or her family would be better off in the next five years.
Among the mass population, just one-in-five believe the system is working for them and 70 percent desire change. And despite a full-employment economy, fear of job loss remains high among the general population.
This is based on views of respondents about global companies headquartered in specific countries and how much these firms are trusted by them ‘to do what is right’.
According to the report, globally ‘my employer’ is significantly more trusted than NGOs, business, government and media
“The last decade has seen a loss of faith in traditional authority figures and institutions,” said Richard Edelman, president and CEO of Edelman.
When it comes to reliable sources for news, search and traditional are among the most trusted. Search and traditional media have a score of 66 each, while the score of social media is 44 per cent, the report noted.
“73 per cent worry about false information or fake news being used as a weapon,” it added.
Stephen Kehoe, global chair, Reputation at Edelman said that divergent levels of confidence between the mass population and informed public about the future signal a continued underlying rot in the structure of society.
“While not everyone is taking to the streets, the data shows why protests like the Gilet Jaunes in France, the women’s marches in India and walkouts by employees at some major tech companies could become more mainstream,” Kehoe said.


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India among most trusted nations globally, but Indian brands among least-trusted: Report.

India ranks 109th globally in mobile download speeds at 9.01 mbps: Report - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis

India ranks 109th globally in mobile download speeds at 9.01 mbps: Report.

Norway is positioned at the top with an average download speed of 62.07 mbps India, the largest consumer of mobile data in the world, ranks 109th when it comes to mobile Internet download speeds, a report said on Monday.

The average download speed over the mobile increased to 9.01 mbps in February from the 8.80 mbps in November last year, but the country's rank continued to stay at 109th, Ookla's Speedtest index said.
Norway is positioned at the top with an average download speed of 62.07 mbps.
The findings of the report come amid a massive increase in data connections by the over one billion mobile phone customers in the country and an increased thrust on connectivity by policymakers.
Niti Aayog chief executive Amitabh Kant had in December claimed that the country is the highest data consumer in the world at 150 crore gigabytes, which is more than the US and China's put together.
The country, however, fared better on the fixed broadband front, according to Ookla, with its rank improving to 67 at the end of February, against 76 last year.
Singapore leads in the fixed broadband front, with a download speed of 161.53 mbps.
India last year had reported the biggest increase in fixed broadband download speeds among the world's most populous countries, it said.
The Speedtest index compares Internet speeds data from around the world monthly using data from tests taken by real people, Ookla said in a statement, adding there are 439 Speedtest servers in the country at present. (Source: The Business Standard)


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India ranks 109th globally in mobile download speeds at 9.01 mbps: Report.