Down to Earth
Climate Weekly
A weekly digest on impacts, politics and science of the climate emergency; from the Global South perspective. Access our extensive coverage on climate. You can find this newsletter in the web here.
12 January – 18 January 2021
Dear readers,

The 46th President of the United States will be sworn in today, and he has the opportunity to go down in history as a climate hero. While the US has wasted four years of action on climate change during the Trump presidency, the world has continued to witness the impacts of climate change, as the fifth edition of the United Nations Adaptation Gap Report suggests - the cost of adapting to climate change is likely to escalate enormously.Another report finds that despite the extensive coronavirus lockdown, the heat content of the upper oceans was higher last year than it was in 2019.

Science has progressed as well, and we look at a new study that proves that land (forests, grasslands, etc.) cannot absorb as much carbon as we need it to, to address the climate crisis. Another group of scientists has put forward innovative ways to check on the implications of human activity and climate change on the marine ecosystem. We also look at the importance of conserving seaweed, as it plays a crucial role in thwarting climate change.

And lastly, a welcome announcement by the French President Emmanuel Macron to fund the Great Green Wall Project will be beneficial in addressing desertification in the Sahel region.

Our upcoming online training An Introduction to Climate Change: Science, Politics, and Impacts will be held from February 15 to 26, 2021. Watch this space for the registration link which will be circulated this week.
   
 
EXTREME WEATHER TRACKER
 
Upper oceans hottest in 2020 despite lower emissions due to COVID-19 lockdowns, 14 January 2021
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COMMENTARIES
From antagonist to protagonist: Is POTUS 46 the climate hero we need, 19 January 2021
US must cut emissions faster if Paris Agreement is to keep rolling
 
     
 
Why seaweeds need to be conserved urgently, 14 January 2021
Indiscriminate collection severely damages the algae which is critical for balancing marine ecosystems and plays a role in thwarting climate change
 
   
 
Huge implications for climate policy as new study confirms truth about land sink, 14 January 2021
It validates view that the prominent focus on the land sink is merely a smokescreen to mask countries’ hesitation at cutting down fossil fuel use
 
   
  CLIMATE NEWS | SCIENCE| IMPACTS| POLITICS  
   
 
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Climate change adaptation: Cost to at least quadruple for developing countries in 3 decades, 15 January 2021
The current annual adaptation costs in developing countries are around $70 billion
 
   
 
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What can a bucket of water tell us about Arctic marine life? A lot, says a new study, 13 January 2021
Scientists have proposed a new technique to monitor the impact of climate change and human activity on marine life
 
   
 
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Great Green Wall: How funding can help Sahel fight desertification again, 13 January 2021
Great Green Wall project on a slow track due to funds crunch; President of France Emmanuel Macron announces $14 billion to scale up work
 
     
This Weekly Newsletter is published by Down to Earth and the Centre for Science and Environment, a Delhi-based global think tank advocating on global south developmment issues.
We would love your feedback on this newsletter. To speak to our experts for quotes and comments on the above stories. Please email to vikas@cseindia.org
 
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