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India: India will discuss ways to boost its ability to cope with increasing drought problems at a UN meeting in Geneva this week.
The Ministry of Earth Sciences told the Inter Press Service that the talks will look for ways to “improve early warning systems, enhance food security and reduce vulnerability”.
“Evidence suggests that the Indian economy today is ‘drought resilient’ but not ‘drought proof’, the distinction being that once drought proof, there is no negative impact on the economy,” said Jatin Singh of the forecasting firm SkyMet Weather Services. (IPS)
A drought in the Maharashtra region is thought to be the worst since 1972 and is so severe people have begun migrating from the area. (Times of India)
Combating land degradation by planting specific, robust grasses is one way to adapt to drought (Source: CIAT/International Center for Tropical Agriculture)
China: A Chinese shipping firm will take advantage of low Arctic ice levels to make the first commercial voyage across the top of the world to the US and Europe later this year. Commercial shipping firms are keen to exploit the shortcut but most trips so far have been by exploration ice breakers. (Reuters)
Brazil: The city of Sao Paolo is considering purchasing 16 million UN carbon offset credits after projections suggested it will miss its 2012 emissions target. (Reuters Point Carbon)
EU: The European Commission hopes to establish a 40% emissions reduction target for 2030 according to a draft document obtained by Bloomberg. The bloc also hopes to rekindle flagging efforts to establish Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology to reduce the impact of fossil fuels ongoing place in the EU energy mix. (RTCC)
Science: Perfecting the science behind geoengineering could generate more questions than answers, according to an academic from Oxford University. Professor Steve Rayner said an industry on the scale of the cement sector would be required to support global sulphate aerosol injections and huge political and ethical questions would also need to be addressed. (RTCC)