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August 25 - August 31, 2023

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.

Dear readers,

Welcome to the Climate Weekly newsletter by the Centre for Science and Environment’s Climate Change programme and Down to Earth.

The 15th BRICS summit, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, marked a historic expansion of the alliance, welcoming Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE as full members. With a combined GDP surpassing the G-7, this move is touted to enhance BRICS' global influence. Chinese President Xi Jinping called it a "historic" decision that would reshape the world order. Read as Khushboo Pareek, Intern with CSE’s Climate Programme, writes about the expansion and more on the outcome of the Summit.

The expansion of BRICS serves, for some, as a means for China to bolster its influence within the group and create a counterbalance to Western dominance. However, we argue that the move deserves a more worthy and weightier interpretation, especially from the point of view of the countries that are eager to join the grouping. It fulfils a key aspiration of Global South nations: providing an influential platform that grants them a global voice grounded in realism and enables them to hold the West accountable on various fronts where it has repeatedly faltered, including combating climate change and financing climate action.

In other developments, India has identified eight zones along the coasts of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu as promising offshore wind energy areas. Jay C Shiv and Binit Das, of CSE's Renewable Energy Programme, have provided insights on the strategy paper released by the government of India on the establishment of Offshore wind projects.

The UN now recognizes children's rights to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, with a specific focus on climate change. Read more on the obligation of member states with this recognition.

Finally, register for CSE’s Global Online Certificate Course: Demystifying Environment Data and Maps for Communication in the 21st Century.

By - Trishant Dev
Climate Change, CSE

EXTREME WEATHER TRACKER

After 3 years of drought, Greater Horn of Africa to get early, heavy rains, courtesy El Nino, 28 August 2023 Read More

Jharkhand may be declared drought-hit again this year, 25 August 2023

COMMENTARIES

Road to cool cities: Codes based on unique ‘urban form’ can be helpful, 25 August 2023

Urban India is a heat trap, but road orientation, building materials and zone-specific master plans can drastically enhance thermal comfort

Offshore wind energy: India set to harness coastal breezes, 29 August 2023

Eight zones off the coasts of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu have been identified as potential offshore wind energy zones

Climate change threatens the rights of children. The UN just outlined the obligations states have to protect them, 29 August 2023

Indigenous children, their communities particularly vulnerable to climate change

CLIMATE NEWS | SCIENCE| IMPACTS| POLITICS

Failed Net Zero pledges: Just 0.3% renewable energy produced by 12 European Big Oil companies in 2022, 31 August 2023

Only 7.3% ($7.09 billion) of companies’ 2022 investments went towards green energy, rest 92.7% ($87.95bn) spent on fossil fuel business: Greenpeace report

Not Cherrapunji or Mawsynram, Rishikesh was India’s wettest town for most of August 2023, 29 August 2023

Between August 1 and August 25, the town received 1,901 millimetres of rainfall

First-of-its kind UN guidance calls for climate action by States to protect children’s rights, 29 August 2023

Insufficient progress in achieving global commitments to limit global warming exposes children to hazards like rising temperatures

Growing BRICS alliance signals break in western hegemony, call for fairness in climate action, 28 August 2023

Johannesburg II Declaration called for attention to economic vulnerabilities in emerging economies

Kampala Declaration on climate change, human mobility now has 48 African countries as members, 28 August 2023

As many as 105 million people could become internal migrants within the African continent in a business-as-usual scenario

Droughts, declining cost of solar panels may hinder Africa’s hydropower expansion, 25 August 2023

Solar power can emerge as the favoured technology by most African countries in the long-term

Warming temperatures can mean mass leaf deaths in tropical forests, 25 August 2023

Some percentage of leaves from tropical forests are already exposed to such temperatures that prevent their normal functioning

G20 nations provided a record $1.4 trillion in support of fossil fuels last year, 25 August 2023

Setting a minimum carbon taxation rate between $25-75 per tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent depending on the country’s economy would raise revenues for the G20 by $927 billion per year

World’s beaches are changing because of climate change — green thinking is needed to save them, 25 August 2023

A two-metre increase in sea levels by 2100 may lead to forced migration of between 72 million and 187 million people

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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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