The Junior Age

Menu

Category: Climate News

Code Red:  Hottest January Ever!

admin

According to European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service Copernicus, January 2025 globally was 0.09°C warmer than January 2024, the previous hottest January.

 

Subscribe To The Junior Age Click here.

 

January 2025 was also 1.75°C warmer than it was before industrial times. It was the 18th month of the last 19 that the world hit or passed the internationally agreed upon warming limit of 1.5°C above pre-industrial times. The record heat of January has come as a surprise to many scientists.

 

Get Know everything about India, Buy This Amazing Exploring India Flashcards.

Image Credit-wmo.int

There are two important weather patterns that usually cause big temperature changes worldwide – El Niño and La Niña. The patterns are driven by changes in water temperature in the Pacific Ocean near the Equator. El Niño years, like last year, are usually warmer. But temperatures usually drop quickly in La Niña years. A new La Niña weather pattern began in January of this year, but so far, it hasn’t cooled things down. That’s what has scientists puzzled.

 

 Watch the full video on What is the United Nations?

Last Coal Power Plant Shuts Down!

admin

On September 30, the UK said goodbye to coal-powered electricity when the last coal-fired power plant in the country closed down. The shutdown of Ratcliffe-on Soar Power Station ends 142 years of coal-powered electricity in Britain. Coal is the dirtiest of fossil fuels. For a long time, the UK depended on coal for energy. Around 40 years ago, coal provided 80% of the UK’s electricity. However, in 2023, it provided less than 2%. Wind and solar power have become much cheaper, and are now the main sources of electricity in the UK. Other sources of electricity, like gas and nuclear power, have also helped replace coal.

Also Read India in Top 10 Climate Performers

timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Did You Know?

England was the first country to begin burning coal in power plants. In 1882, the world’s first coal-burning power plant was built in London. Soon, coal was being used to power factories around the world. Before long, coal became the most popular fuel for creating electricity.

2024 To Be The Warmest Year

admin

According to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, 2024 is all set to be the warmest year on record and the first calendar year to cross the symbolic 1.5°C limit. The experts have also said that 2023 was 1.48°C above the pre-industrial levels and 2024 is “likely” to be more than 1.55°C.

Did You Know?

Pre-industrial refers to the benchmark period of 1850-1900. This is the time before humans started significantly heating up the planet by burning large amounts of fossil fuels.

Toxic Smog in North India

admin

Recently, New Delhi has been battling with a toxic smog. The skyrocketing and unsafe levels of the Air Quality Index were shocking. The New Delhi Air Quality Index measured at a “hazardous” level, causing the Delhi Government to launch stage IV of its Graded Response Action Plan (“GRAP Stage IV”). 

These are emergency measures to address air pollution. As on the date of printing this Issue, in accordance with the order of the Supreme Court these GRAP Stage IV will continue to be in place until December 2. Initially, the schools in New Delhi moved to online learning and then were ordered to be in hybrid mode, allowing students to attend classes either physically or online. 

Venezuela Lost All its Glaciers

admin

The last remaining glacier of Venezuela is lost, after it shrunk so much that it has been reclassified as an ice field by the scientists. Venezuela was home to six glaciers in the Sierra Nevada de Mérida mountain range, which lies at about 5,000m above sea level. Five of the glaciers had disappeared by 2011, leaving just the Humboldt glacier, also known as La Corona, close to the country’s second highest mountain, Pico Humboldt. 

Venezuela is believed to be the first country in recent history to lose all its glaciers. “The loss of La Corona marks the loss of much more than the ice itself, it also marks the loss of the many ecosystem services that glaciers provide, from unique microbial habitats to environments of significant cultural value”, said Caroline Clason, a glaciologist and assistant professor at Durham University.

Word Check

According to NASA, a glacier is a large area of thick ice that remains frozen from one year to the next. They form when lots of snow falls in one location for many years. Over time–decades or centuries–the snow on the bottom gets squished down by the weight of falling new snow. This compressed snow becomes ice, forming a glacier.

  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3