Improvement in air quality with decline in pollution levels in India: World Air Quality Report

New Delhi, (IANS) The World Air Quality Report 2024 by Swiss air quality technology company IQAir reveals a positive trend in India’s air quality, despite ongoing challenges.According to the report, India now ranks as the fifth most polluted country globally in 2024, a notable improvement from its third-place ranking in 2023.The country also recorded a 7 per cent decline in PM2.5 concentrations, which dropped from 54.4 micrograms per cubic metre in 2023 to 50.6 micrograms per cubic metre in 2024.While 13 of the world’s 20 most polluted cities are in India, including Byrnihat, Delhi, and Faridabad, this decline signals a step in the right direction for addressing air pollution.Delhi, which remains the most polluted capital city in the world, saw little change in its air quality, with an annual PM2.5 concentration of 91.6 micrograms per cubic metre in 2024, almost identical to 92.7 in 2023.Despite these challenges, India’s progress in reducing air pollution is noteworthy. The decline in PM2.5 levels indicates that the country is making strides in combating air pollution, thanks to various...

Read More........ → March 18, 2025

The LA fires have prompted a reckoning for the insurance industry – Australian premiums could soar as a result

Paula Jarzabkowski, The University of Queensland; Katie Meissner, The University of Queensland; Rosie Gallagher, The University of Queensland, and Tyler Riordan, The University of QueenslandA series of wildfires in Los Angeles County have caused widespread devastation in California, including at least 24 deaths and the destruction of more than 12,000 homes and structures. Thousands of residents have been evacuated, and the danger isn’t over yet. Some estimates have put the cost of the damage and economic loss at between A$400 billion and A$450 billion, of which only A$32 billion is insured. This is a stark illustration of the insurance protection gap – the difference between insured and uninsured losses. As California rebuilds, it means the bill for uninsured losses will fall on the property owners themselves and public funds. These catastrophic fires should ring alarm bells in Australia, where global ripple effects are likely to force up our own insurance premiums. Most importantly, we must grapple with and prepare for the grim prospect of our own similar disaster. Uninsurable...

Read More........ → January 20, 2025

World still split over money as clock ticks on COP29

BAKU - A fresh draft of a climate pact unveiled Thursday at COP29 failed to break an impasse over money, with time running for nations to reach a long-sought trillion-dollar finance agreement.The UN climate summit in Azerbaijan is supposed to conclude on Friday but the latest draft only underlines divisions as nations return to the negotiating table."As for the text overall, I'm not going to sugarcoat it -- it is clearly unacceptable as it stands now," said EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra."I am sure there's not a single ambitious country that thinks this is nearly good enough".The nearly 200 countries in Baku are supposed to agree on a new target to replace the $100 billion a year that rich nations pledged for poorer ones to fight climate change.Many developing countries are pushing for $1.3 trillion, mostly from government coffers, though wealthy nations have balked at such demands and insisted private money helps meet any final goal.The latest draft recognises that developing countries need a commitment of at least "USD [X] trillion" per year, leaving out the crucial exact...

Read More........ → December 06, 2024