Researched & collated by: Vagda Galhotra & Nivedita Bobal
A dire new climate change report
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released the second of its three major climate review reports. Written by 270 authors from 67 countries, it is being described as “an atlas of human suffering.” While none of the findings are new, the information is more detailed:
- The world’s 150 biggest cities have seen a 500% increase in extreme heat since 1980.
- It found that climate change is increasing vector-borne and water-borne diseases such as malaria or dengue, particularly in sub-tropical regions of Asia.
- Deaths each year from climate-related illnesses such as extreme heat exposure, diarrheal disease and childhood malnutrition will increase by 250,000 within the next 30 years.
- As much as 14% of species are facing a “very high risk of extinction” due to climate change: “In less than a century, the losses would equal the number of species driven to extinction by human activities over the last 12,000 years.”
- Washington Post and Indian Express have the key takeaways. Also read our Big Story on the first IPCC report.
As for India: Looking at mega-cities around the world, it shows that Mumbai is at high risk of sea-level rise and flooding, while Ahmedabad faces serious danger of becoming an urban heat-island. Patna and Lucknow are expected to exceed wet-bulb temperatures of 35°C—a life-threatening mix of heat and humidity—most of the Indian states and cities could reach dangerous levels by the end of the century. By 2050, around 35 million people in India could face annual coastal flooding—and 40% of the population will live with water scarcity. Indian Express and Quint have more on the India predictions.
Indian economy slows down
The economy lost momentum in the final quarter of 2021—slowing from the previous two quarters. The GDP rose 5.4% year-on-year in October-December—far below the 8.5% growth in July-September and 20.3% in April-June. The big worry moving forward: soaring oil prices triggered by the war in Ukraine. According to expert estimates, a 10% rise in oil prices could shave 0.2 percentage points off India's GDP growth—and add 0.3 to 0.4 percentage points to retail inflation. (Reuters)
Hong Kong struggles with Covid spike
The city’s mortuaries are packed to capacity as it grapples with a new wave. It recorded a daily high of 34,466 new cases and 87 deaths on Monday. Around 400 have died in the past week—the majority being unvaccinated residents. Locals rushed to stock up as the government considered a city-wide lockdown. (Reuters)
Toyota got hacked!
The world’s largest automaker suspended all production in Japan after a major supplier of its automotive parts was hacked. The company decided to shut down its computer network to prevent the issue from spreading to customers. Toyota is not sure when it will resume production. (New York Times)
Alarming news about concussions
Australian researchers studied 21 donated brains of athletes—footballers, rugby players and others who participated in team sports with risks of repetitive head injury. Twelve were found to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy lesions—and all but one exhibited some form of neurodegeneration. FYI:
“CTE, which can only be definitively diagnosed at autopsy, is a neurodegenerative condition linked to repeated head traumas. Symptoms experienced during life include cognitive impairment, impulsive behaviour, depression, suicidal thoughts, short-term memory loss and emotional instability.”
Point to note: These signs of damage were found across age groups and in both professionals and amateurs. (ABC News)
The SAG award goes to…
The list of winners is filled with surprises. The top award went to ‘CODA’—the Apple dramedy about a young woman’s relationship with her deaf family. It beat out ‘Don't Look Up’ and ‘King Richard'. Totally snubbed: ‘The Power of the Dog’ and ‘House of Gucci’. Will Smith won best actor for ‘King Richard’, while Jessica Chastain won best actress for ‘The Eyes of Tammy Faye’. ‘Squid Game’ became the first foreign language series to win a SAG—with Lee Jung-Jae and Jung Ho-Yeon scoring in the best male and female actor in a drama series. The Guardian has more on the winners and their speeches. (Hollywood Reporter)
Speaking of the movies: INOX theatres in India plan to host esports tournaments at the cinemas—and give fans “the thrill of a live stadium.” PVR has already struck a deal to do the same. (Mint)
Three key environmental stories
Mopping is bad: A new study found that a few minutes of mopping indoors with a fresh-scented cleaning product can generate as many airborne particles as vehicles on a busy city street. The reason: lemon-scented limonene, which is commonly added to cleaners and furniture polish to help remove oil and grease. And here’s why it is bad for you:
“When ozone wafts into buildings, it reacts with limonene and similar molecules called monoterpenes, turning them into peroxides, alcohols, and other molecules that grow into airborne particles. Small particles can lodge deep in the lungs, irritating cells and—at high enough exposure—leading to health problems, such as asthma. In vulnerable people, particulate air pollution can cause heart attacks and strokes.”
Antarctic snow: A recent study has revealed a black carbon layer blanketing the snow in Antarctica—surrounding research facilities and popular tourist-landing sites. The dark layer is especially bad since it makes the snow and ice less reflective–and more likely to melt. Data point to note: 74,000 people visited the continent in the summer of 2019-2020, a whopping 32% increase from the year before. (Futurism)
Humpbacks are back: Humpback whales have been removed from the endangered animal list thanks to an amazing recovery in their numbers—increasing from 1500 to 40,000 in the last 60 years. But they are not entirely out of the woods as yet since global warming is expected to have a significant impact on krill populations in Antarctica—which is a major feeding ground for humpback whales. (The Guardian)
Dogs are an excellent anti-aging drug
A new study reveals that dog owners have a significantly reduced risk of becoming disabled compared to individuals who have never owned a dog. The reason: “Dog walking is a moderate-intensity physical activity that appears to have a protective effect in reducing the risk of disability onset through decreased frailty risk.” Researchers say policymakers should, in fact, recommend the “daily care, companionship, and exercise” of a pet dog as a healthy ageing measure. Sadly, owning cats offers no such benefit. (Inverse)
Two things to see
One: Get ready for a whole new wave of Pokémon mania. The company has announced that it will release two new games—Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet—later this year on Nintendo Switch. If you care, this is what the cryptic description says:
“Trainers can explore an open world where various towns with no borders blend seamlessly into the wilderness. Pokémon can be seen everywhere in this wide-open world—in the skies, in the sea, and on the streets…Trainers will then choose either Sprigatito, the grass cat pokémon, Fuecoco, the fire croc pokémon, or Quaxly, the duckling pokémon to be their first partner pokémon before setting off on their journey.”
Two: Of the many anti-war protests, this one caught our eye. That’s a butt-naked Ukrainian-Russian artist Aljoscha holding two pink things made of acrylic, plastic and fibreglass—in front of The Motherland Monument in Kyiv. She doesn’t look impressed. (The Art Newspaper)