Climate change could be gradually making the world’s tropical rainforests too hot for photosynthesis to occur. According to a recent study published in Nature, by a group of scientists from countries including the US, Australia, and Brazil, some leaves in tropical forests from South America to South East Asia are getting so hot they may no longer be able to photosynthesize. This can have big potential consequences for the world’s forests. The ability of leaves to photosynthesize begins to fail when their temperature reaches around 46.7º C. Leaves can get much hotter than the air temperature. Currently, only 0.01 % of all leaves surpass this critical temperature every year. But scientists warn that air temperature rises of 4º C could push trees in tropical forests beyond a tipping point and into mass death.
What are tropical rainforests and why are they so important?
National Geographic states that “a rainforest is an area of tall, mostly evergreen trees and a high amount of rainfall. Rainforests are Earth’s oldest living ecosystems, with some surviving in their present form for at least 70 million years”.
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They are home to ancient, towering trees and a huge variety of plants, birds, insects and fascinating mammals. Rainforests are found on every continent except Antarctica. The largest rainforests on Earth surround the Amazon River in South America and the Congo River in Africa.
In a recent report, the United Nations (“UN) has told governments around the world to act urgently to protect children from climate change. The report further states that climate change is affecting children’s rights to life, survival and development, and says children’s voices aren’t being heard enough in discussions about climate change. The UN Child Rights Committee has released new recommendations for nations to follow. These recommendations have been drafted with the assistance of children. More than 16,000 children from across 121 countries provided comments, describing the effects of climate change on their lives and communities. The report has further stated that:
A baby giraffe born on July 31 at Brights Zoo in Tennessee in the US has broken with tradition! It has been born with no spots at all. Giraffes with all white fur have been born before, but a calf that’s brown all over is unheard of.
The Bright zoo has organised a naming contest event for the public to participate On 22 August.
Brights Zoo of the United States declared they were given 4 options for voting.
Kipekee, which means unique;
Firyali, which means unusual or extraordinary;
Shakiri, which means “she is most beautiful”,
Jamella, which means “one of great beauty”
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On Tuesday (September 5, 2023) Bright Zoo announced the winning name was Kipekee. Around 40,000 people from all around the world had voted to name the spotless 5-week-old giraffe.
Kipekee got 16,000 votes from all around the world.
The Group of Twenty (G20″) is a club of countries who meet every year to discuss plans for the world economy. G20 is made up of 19 of the world’s largest economies plus a representative from the European Union. The location for the summit changes every year.
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G20 Summit In New Delhi
Leaders from all over the world met up in New Delhi, for the G20 summit on September 9-10, 2023. The main purpose of the meeting is for world leaders to get together and to talk about the world’s economies and the issues countries are facing. Some of the key issues are the ongoing recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic, the cost of living crisis, the war in Ukraine and climate change.
New Delhi underwent a makeover to welcome foreign delegates for the G20 summit. The capital has been decorated with ornamental flowers and fountains at traffic roundabouts, while public buildings and pavements were given a fresh coat of paint. The summit was held at the newly inaugurated Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan. India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related to G20 were organ-ised in 60 cities across the country.
India’s G20 theme is derived from the Sanskrit phrase, “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” (or the world is a family). According to the organisers, the theme is drawn from an ancient Sanskrit text. The phrase highlights the “value of all life, human, animal, plant, and microorganisms – and their interconnectedness on the planet Earth and in the wider universe”.
G20 Leaders Who Attended The Summit
Joe Biden President, USRishi Sunak Prime Minister, UKEmmanuel Macron President, FranceYoon Suk Yeol President, South KoreaMohammed bin Salman Al Saud, Crown Prince, Saudi ArabiaJustin Trudeau Prime Minister, CanadaLi Qiang Premier, ChinaAnthony Albanese Prime Minister of AustraliaOlaf Scholz Chancellor of GermanyFumio Kishida Prime Minister of Japan Cyril Ramaphosa President of South AfricaGiorgia Meloni Prime Minister of ItalyRecep Tayyip Erdoğan President of TürkiyeAlberto Fernández President of ArgentinaJoko Widodo President of the Republic of IndonesiaLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva President of Brazil
G20 Summit 2023: Special Invitees
Bangladesh
Egypt
Mauritius
Netherlands
Nigeria
Oman
Singapore
United Arab Emirates
World leaders That Did Not Attend The G20 Summit
Xi Jinping – President, China
Vladimir Putin – President, Russia
Pedro Sánchez – President, Spain
Andrés Manuel López Obrador – President. Mexico
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also handed over the G20 presidential gavel to Brazilian President Luz Inacio Lula da Silva. Brazil will host the next G20 meeting in 2024.
Key Outcomes Of G20 Summit In Delhi
1. G20 Becomes G21
The African Union has been admitted as a new member of the G20. The African Union represents 55 African countries
2.An agreement was reached by the world leaders and the New Delhi Declaration was adopted. The New Delhi Declaration covered many aspects and also talked about points on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, global fight against corruption, global health, improvement in education, and better preparedness for future global health events like the Covid pandemic.
3.Global Biofuels Alliance has been launched. This Alliance will try to facilitate cooperation and the use of sustainable biofuels, including in the transportation sector. The Alliance has started with nine member countries – India, the US, Brazil, Argentina, Bangladesh, Italy, Mauritius, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. Canada and Singapore are observer countries.
4. The leaders also agreed to triple global renewable energy capacity by
2030. Britain has committed $2 billion to the Green Climate Fund to help developing countries cope with the climate crisis. The green climate fund is the biggest single commitment the UK has made to help the world address climate change.
Fun Facts About G20 Summit New Delhi 2023:
Delhi is home to troops of wild monkeys. To ensure the monkeys do not disturb the important guests during the G20 Summit, officials had set up cardboard cut-outs of larger langur predator monkeys in the hope it will keep the monkeys away. More than 30 voice actors were also employed to stand behind the cut-outs and make the intimidating sounds of langur monkeys screaming and hooting.
The World’s Tallest Nataraja statue was installed at the G20 Summit Venue. The 27 foot tall Natraja statue portrays Lord Shiva in his cosmic dance. It weighs 18 tons and was made by artisans from Swamimalai in Tamil Nadu.
Indian President Droupadi Murmu hosted the G20 dinner for 170 guests on September 9 at the hall of Bharat Mandapam, the venue of the summit.
On September 8, at 11:11 pm local time a powerful earthquake of magnitude 6.8 struck central Morocco, a country in North Africa. The epicenter was about 70 kms from the popular city of Marrakesh, towards the Atlas mountains.
It caused huge damage in several areas, as well as destroying large areas of the historic centre of Marrakech. Thousands of people are thought to have been killed or injured. King Mohammed VI has declared three days of national mourning. Many countries, including the UK and the US, have offered support, aid and help. The death toll from a powerful earthquake in Morocco has soared to more than 2,000, with a similar number of injured.
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It was Morocco’s deadliest earthquake since Agadir was devastated by a 6.7-magnitude quake in 1960, which killed more than 12,000.
The Moroccan government says it has accepted aid from four countries so far – Britain, Spain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
France, the US and some other countries say they are also ready to help.
