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As planet warms, one in six species face total extinction: Study

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New study shows that window of opportunity is fast closing for humanity to save planet’s ability to support life on Earth as we’ve known it

The study is the most comprehensive look yet at the impact of climate change on biodiversity loss, analysing 131 existing studies on the subject. The stresses on wildlife and their habitats from global warming is in addition to pressures such as deforestation, pollution and overfishing that have already seen the world lose half its animals in the past 40 years. (Photo: Pinterest)

The study is the most comprehensive look yet at the impact of climate change on biodiversity loss, analysing 131 existing studies on the subject. The stresses on wildlife and their habitats from global warming is in addition to pressures such as deforestation, pollution and overfishing that have already seen the world lose half its animals in the past 40 years. (Photo: Pinterest)

by Jon Queally, Common Dreams

One in six of all animal and plant species on Earth could become extinct from impacts related to climate change if human society does not dramatically reduce its emission of greenhouse gases, according to new research published in the journal Science on Thursday.

Conducted as a meta-analysis of existing research done on the possible impact of climate change on species loss, the new study—titled Accelerating Extinction Risk From Climate Change—found that the range of predicted loss went from no species loss at all (0%) to as much as 54% in extreme scenarios, but that a synthesis of the existing data and new modeling offered a clearer view of what the future may hold.

Mark Urban, professor of ecology at the University of Connecticut and lead author of the new study, says its most worrying findings are not set in stone but should come as a warning to humanity and world leaders that action on climate must come soon if the planet is to maintain its existing biodiversity and ability to support life. Though its conclusions are considered “predictive” and based on various models of what the future may look like, the study warns that as warming continues to increase in the coming decades the rate of extinctions could accelrate rapidly.

“We have the choice,” Urban told the New York Times in an interview. “The world can decide where on that curve they want the future Earth to be.”

And as Urban writes in the study:

In 1981, [NASA’s Dr. James] Hansen and colleagues predicted that the signal of global climate change would soon emerge from the stochastic noise of weather (26). Thirty years later, we are reaching a similar threshold for the effects of climate change on biodiversity. Extinction risks from climate change are expected not only to increase but to accelerate for every degree rise in global temperatures. The signal of climate change–induced extinctions will become increasingly apparent if we do not act now to limit future climate change.

As the Guardian reports:

The study is the most comprehensive look yet at the impact of climate change on biodiversity loss, analysing 131 existing studies on the subject. The stresses on wildlife and their habitats from global warming is in addition to pressures such as deforestation, pollution and overfishing that have already seen the world lose half its animals in the past 40 years. […]

The study also emphasises that even for the animals and plants that avoid extinction, climate change could bring about substantial changes in their numbers and distribution.

Jamie Carr at the climate unit of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which compiles the most authoritative list of endangered species worldwide, said: “The loss of one in six species, would be an absolute tragedy, not only because it is sad to lose any part of our rich natural world, but also because biodiversity is fundamental in providing important functions and services, including to humans.

“Such significant changes to biological systems would undoubtedly have knock-on effects, and could potentially result in the collapse of entire systems.”

Even as the study arrived at its “dire” 16 percent extinction rate by assessing available research, Professor John J. Wiens, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Arizona, was among experts who told the Times the reality could end up much worse. According to Wiens,  the number of extinctions “may well be two to three times higher.”

As the Times notes:

Dr. Urban found that the rate of extinctions would not increase steadily, but would accelerate if temperatures rose.

Richard Pearson, a biogeographer at University College London, called the new meta-analysis “an important line in the sand that tells us we know enough to see climate change as a major threat to biodiversity and ecosystems.”

But he said that Dr. Urban was likely underestimating the scale of extinctions. The latest generation of climate extinction models are more accurate, Dr. Pearson said: sadly, they also produce more dire estimates.

For his part, Urban seemed most interesting in making sure his research added to that of the broader scientific community which has called on government leaders to do act on climate. As he told the Guardian, “This isn’t just doom and gloom. We still have time. Extinctions can take a long time. There are processes that could be important in mediating these effects, for example evolution, but we really need to very quickly start to understand these risks in a much more sophisticated way.”

Mekedatu dam row: Siddaramaiah leads all-party delegation to PM

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modi-Siddaramaiah

New Delhi/Bengaluru: Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah led an all-party delegation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the Centre’s “cooperation” for implementing the Mekedatu dam project in his state, which is being opposed by neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

“We sought support from the Government of India to go ahead with the project,” Siddaramaiah told reporters outside Parliament House after meeting Modi.

Terming Tamil Nadu’s opposition to the project as “politically motivated”, he stressed that interests of the neighbouring state would not be affected by this project.

“We are planning to construct a dam across the Cauvery river, which is in our territory. This project will not affect the interest of Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu people’s opposition to the project is politically motivated,” he said.

Siddaramaiah said that Karnataka was releasing 192 TMC of water to Tamil Nadu as per the award of the tribunal and asserted that construction of hydro electric project was “within the rights of Karnataka”.

Asked about Modi’s response, Siddaramaiah said, “Prime Minister has not given any assurance. He said that he would examine it.”

The Karnataka chief minister also urged Modi to convene a meeting of chief ministers to discuss about making respective regional languages as medium of instruction in primary schools.

Union Ministers Ananth Kumar and Sadananda Gowda, MPs including senior BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa and Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge were also present during the meeting.

The Karnataka all-party delegation’s meeting with Modi comes in the wake of Tamil Nadu chief minister O Pannerselvam and opposition parties from the state calling on the Prime Minister separately over the issue recently.

Siddaramaiah in his budget speech, presented on March 13, has proposed preparing a detailed project report for construction of balancing reservoir on the upstream of Mekedatu across the Cauvery river.

(Agencies)

Bangalore railway station to be re-named 'Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna'

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Bangalore City Railway Station

Bengaluru: The Centre approved the name change of the Bangalore city railway station as ‘Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna’ railway station on Thrusday April 30.

The decision came following a request of the Karnataka government, which sought the name change of the railway station.

In September 2014, the central government had cleared renaming 12 cities and towns of the state including Belgaum as Belagavi and Bangalore as Bengaluru.

The other cities and towns whose names were changed then include Mangalore (to Mangaluru), Bellary (to Ballari), Bijapur (to Vijapura), Chikmagalur (to Chikkamagaluru), Gulbarga (to Kalaburagi), Mysore (to Mysure), Hospet (to Hosapete), Shimoga (to Shivamogga), Hubli (to Hubballi) and Tumkur (to Tumakuru).

(Agencies)

Batsmen's over-aggression cost us game: Stephen Fleming

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kkr

Kolkata: Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming conceded that his batsmen were “too aggressive” and that eventually led his side to go down to defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens here on Thursday.

“It was high octane stuff…but it was too fast. We just lost too much resources, the run rate was great, the execution was exhilarating at times, but we just lost wickets when we would have liked to be just two wickets down for 70 runs at the end of powerplay,” Fleming said at the post match press conference.

“Today, we got it a little bit wrong by going too hard and then we had to scrap very hard to get a competitive total. The way we were going we could have ended getting up 350,” said the former New Zealand captain admitting his batsmen were “in a hurry”.

“Obviously we want to be positive and aggressive, but we certainly need to measure up. We have taken enough risks and just need to pull back our hits a little bit. That balance is something that we are always in search for,” he said.

Incidentally, skipper M.S. Dhoni dubbed the batting effort a “conservative effort” asserting his boys need to be a bit more aggressive.

“Looking at where we are in the table, I think it’s important we try to be a bit more aggressive, see what we can explore and how we can play,” Dhoni said after his side lost the game by seven wickets, but retained their pole position at the point table with 12 points from eight games.

Fleming also refused to read much into Dhoni’s bating form who has managed just 175 runs in eight games so far.

“He is okay… obviously you always want M.S. to do well in every game. Today it was unusual to see him get out so early under pressure like that,” said Fleming on the skipper who managed to score just one run in the match before being castled by leggie Piyush Chawla.

“He (Dhoni) is fine, he is practicing hard, training well. We are fine, the tournament is going at such breakneck speed that you don’t have time to over analyse, so we will just concentrate on the next match,” added Fleming.

(IANS)

Tortured in jail for 7 years, all 17 accused in 2008 'terror-link case' acquitted

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hubli_acquitted

Hubballi: The First Additional Sessions Court, Hubballi, has acquitted all 17 so called “terror suspects” accused of being part of a “sleeper cell” of the outlawed Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) including three doctors, one final year MBBS student and two engineers.

The helpless youth were facing charges of waging war against the country, sedition and manufacture and possession of huge amount of explosives. The court heard the case for seven years and recorded statements of 278 witnesses.

The Thursday’s acquittal by the court followed the prosecution’s failure to prove charges against the youths.

The CID had investigated the case and chargesheeted all the 17 youth during BJP rule in Karnataka. The agency alleged that the accused had links with SIMI and possessed “jihadi” literature.

The CID charge sheet ran into 1,624 pages. The CID probe was headed by then DIG and current Bengaluru additional commissioner of police Alok Kumar. DA Bandekar, public prosecutor said that he is waiting for the judgment copy. “After going through it, I will file an appeal in the high court,” he said.

Syed Sadiq, one of the 17 accused, is out on bail already. Two of the accused, Yahya Kammukutty and Allah Baksh, will walk out of jail once the procedures of acquittal are formalized. The remaining 14 have been charged in various other cases by police from other states.

In the two cases registered in 2008, three charge sheets were filed against 18 persons, including medical students and professionals. Apart from Section 121 (waging, or attempting to wage war against the Government of India.) of the IPC, the accused were charged under Section 122, 124, 153, 379, 465, 471, 201, Section 10(B) of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Section 5 of the Explosive Substances Act.

Of the 18 accused, the name of accused no. 11, Sayyad Nayeem of Gurppanapalya, Bengaluru, was dropped subsequently citing lack of evidence, while Syed Sadiq of Gurappanapalya, Bengaluru, was granted bail four years ego. The rest were in prison for the last seven years.

At the time of arrest, Mohammad Asif of Raichur, Mirza Ahmed Baig of Humnabad and Allabaksh Yadwad of Hubballi were pursuing medicine at the Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) in Hubballi. The other arrested were from Vijayapura, Dharwad, Bengaluru, Belagavi, Kalaburagi and Udupi in Karnataka, and from different places in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh.

After the verdict, the lawyers for the accused, K.M. Shiralli and Ismail Jalagar, said “justice has prevailed”, while Additional Public Prosecutor D.A. Bhandekar said he would study the verdict after getting the certified copy, and give his opinion to his superiors. “The State government will decide on going for an appeal after consulting legal experts,” he said.

In the wake of the “busting” of the sleeper cell, activists of right-wing organizations had set on fire the Hubballi office of the lawyer, who was defending some of the accused.

(Agencies)

Earthquake in Andaman and Nicobar, no danger of Tsunami, say experts

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earthquake-andaman-nicobar

Port Blair: An earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale hit the Andaman and Nicobar Islands this afternoon at 2.30 pm. There is no tsunami warning, said experts.

The small chain of islands lie hundreds of miles east of India in the Indian Ocean.

Today’s quake comes as Nepal is struggling with relief operations after more than 6,200 people were killed after the capital of Kathmandu was devastated last weekend by an earthquake of 7.9 magnitude.

A massive quake in the Indian Ocean in 2004 caused a tsunami that killed some 228,000 people, the majority in the Indonesian province of Aceh on the northern tip of Sumatra island.

In 2012, a few thousand people were evacuated to higher ground from parts of Andaman and Nicobar Islands following earthquakes in Indonesia, as the islands prepared for tsunami waves of up to 3.9 metres high. The warning was later cancelled.

The ecologically fragile islands, known for their sparkling beaches, tropical forests, coral reefs, tribal cultures and emerald Indian Ocean waters, are 1,200 km from the mainland, and are closer to south-east Asia than India.

Tourism, farming and fishing are the main sources of income for the islands, which can be reached only by air or a three-day ship journey from the mainland.

The 2004 tsunami hit the isles badly, killing about 3,500 people, and displacing 40,000.

(Agencies)

Pakistani court sentences 10 to life imprisonment in Malala attack case

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AFP PHOTO / PAUL ELLIS

AFP PHOTO / PAUL ELLIS

by Ali Akbar & Mohammad Zubair Khan, Dawn

Swat: An anti-terrorism court of Swat on Thursday sentenced ten men to 25 years imprisonment in the case related to the 2012 attack on child activist Malala Yousufzai.

The ten convicts were identified as Bilal, Shaukat, Salman, Zafar Iqbal, Israrullah, Zafar Ali, Irfan, Izhar, Adnan and Ikram.

The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had claimed the attack on Malala in October 2012 as the then 14-year-old was returning from her school in the Mingora town of Swat valley. Two schoolmates of the educationist, Kainat and Shazia, were also wounded in the attack.

Malala survived after being airlifted to Britain for treatment and recovered from her life-threatening wounds.

Her courage was recognised and praised worldwide and she was nominated for several international peace awards. She became the youngest Nobel peace prize winner in October 2014.

Pakistan Army had claimed in Sept 2014, the arrest of 10 Taliban terrorists involved in the attack on Malala Yousufzai and announced they would be tried under anti-terror laws.

The arrests were made on information provided by Israrullah, one of the alleged shooters, who was the first to be arrested.

All ten suspects hailed from Malakand division and had been arrested during several intelligence-led joint operations which involved the army’s Swat-based formation, ISI, Military Intelligence and police.

Zafar Iqbal, a furniture shop owner in Swat, was the main accused and led the group.

The key role of NGOs in bringing disaster relief in Nepal

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by Alejandro Quiroz Flores, The Conversation

On the ground experience. EPA/Palani Mohan / Red Cross and Red Crescent

On the ground experience. EPA/Palani Mohan / Red Cross and Red Crescent

The relief operation is underway in Nepal – under extremely difficult circumstances. Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) play a crucial role in disaster management in the 21st century – and this will be especially true in Nepal following the devastating recent earthquake.

In contrast to the donations of national governments that are often tied to political favours and strategic considerations, NGOs are less susceptible to political imperatives and seem to distribute aid according to sincere humanitarian needs. Moreover, NGOs such as the Red Cross and Red Crescent have long-standing disaster-prevention programmes that cover a large range of natural hazards. This places them in an ideal position to help vulnerable countries such as Nepal.

Longstanding presence

Historically, large earthquakes in Nepal account for approximately 6.5% of all natural disasters while floods and landslides account for 35% and 18% respectively. In this context, NGOs are crucial because they are able to address multiple natural hazards.

For instance, data from the Financial Tracking Service, which monitors international aid donations, show that NGOs such as CARE Nepal and Save the Children, among others, steadily donate and appeal for donations for flood and landslide emergencies in Nepal. These efforts bring millions of dollars in disaster aid. It also means that they have experience in coordinating relief efforts on the ground in Nepal.

The steady efforts of some NGOs are as important as the breadth of hazards they cover. For instance, since 2012 the British Red Cross has been working on a disaster preparedness program that identifies local hazards, provides disaster education, complements the training of emergency responders and broadcasts disaster warnings. Oxfam also has a history of work in Nepal where it contributes to reducing flood vulnerability. Clearly, NGOs also have the ability to collect significant disaster aid.

International aid has already started pouring in. EPA/ISPR

Comparative advantage

Perhaps the most important comparative advantage of NGOs in disaster relief is their relative lack of electoral incentives in the recipient country. A large body of research indicates that disaster aid is often misappropriated and channelled to political supporters. The degree of misappropriation depends on political institutions and economic conditions – and on both these counts Nepal does poorly according to the UN’s Human Development Index, Transparency International and the World Bank.

This does not mean that NGOs are free of political or administrative pressures. Neither does this mean that NGOs are completely humanitarian. They have been closely scrutinised for their misuse of funds in the past, their failure to meet their own development goals, and a system of destructive competition.

But research into these problems finds that US-based NGOs, at least, seem to distribute aid according to sincere humanitarian needs. Indeed, NGOs are not subject to the same political pressures as local politicians and therefore are in a good position to use their local knowledge to effectively distribute aid.

Challenges and obstacles

NGOs do face a number of challenges and obstacles in the provision of aid, however. Some governments are more co-operative than others – and restrictions on aid are not uncommon. For example, the government of neighbouring Myanmar placed stringent conditions on the distribution of international disaster relief in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis in 2008, including the delaying of plane landings and the issue of demands that supplies were unloaded and distributed by the government.

To give credit to the Nepalese government, it immediately requested aid this time around and aid has already started arriving. But even in the face of full government co-operation, co-ordinating relief efforts among multiple NGOs is by definition challenging. In Nepal and other countries affected by disasters the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has been successfully implementing a cluster approach to organise multiple humanitarian organisations – including NGOs. As is the case with NGOs, OCHA has maintained a presence in Nepal since 2005.

Making the response easier for them, social media now also plays a vital role. The UN have suggested it is part of a fundamental shift in disaster response whereby people in need of aid will play a more active role in disaster management by expressing their needs. Both Facebook and Google Crisis Response are being used to share information about missing (and safe) persons. And, in terms of providing relief, social media can also be used to help raise awareness and funds.

Alejandro Quiroz Flores is a Lecturer at University of Essex.

The Conversation

​Filthy foam from lake raises health concern

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Varthur Lake

Bengaluru: Varthur lake, considered one of the biggest water bodies in the city, has been filled with a pile of froth after recent rains mixed with untreated sewage were let out into it, raising health concerns among people living nearby.

Such was the effect of this piled up froth that it spilled over to a road adjacent to the lake, causing hindrance to traffic movement on the busy road even as an unbearable stench hung in the air.

Stating that the accumulation of froth is common in this lake, locals said this was the first time they were seeing it in such huge quantity and blamed authorities for letting in untreated sewage water.

“….froth has come on the road, it is troubling the localites….please save the lake as well as the citizens staying in the nearby area,” a local resident said.

Another localite said “where are all the government officials? Where are all the local bodies which are supposed to regulate, restrict and sanitise the flow of untreated water from the residential area, apartments…”

Officials stated that formation of froth was due to detergent content in the untreated sewage water let into the lake and said Bangalore Water Supply and Sewage Board’s proposed treatment plant near the lake would solve the issue.

Karnataka State Pollution Control Board Chairman Vaman Acharya said there are no industries in the area and whatever was flowing into the lake was sewage from households.

Varthur lake, the second largest in Bengaluru, is at the tail end of a chain of lakes and sewage from different localities flows into it in large quantities.

A few locals even blamed rampant encroachment along the boundaries of the lake as one of the important reason for the lake being polluted.

M A Khan Head of K K High School nearby said “We have been monitoring the lake water quality for the past 14 years. Over a period of time we have seen that the quality of water is depleting in the sense the content of salt and phosphate nutrients has increased.”

“If you see the PPM (Permissible Particulate Matter) per milliliter is 2500 here in this lake and simultaneously we have seen that the oxygen demand of the lake has gone to zero at many places. Also biological oxygen demand has also gone, simultaneously the the dissolved oxygen level has also gone down. The lake has also become a eutrophic lake.”

Another woman resident in the area said the stench was just “unbearable.” “Foul smell is emanating from the froth.”

(Agencies)

All-India transport bandh: KSRTC, BMTC buses and autos stay off roads

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transport-strike

Bengaluru: The BMTC and autorickshaw unions will be taking part in the all-India bandh, in protest against higher penalties for drivers proposed in the Road Transport & Safety Bill. Most private cabs are booked, while the autorickshaws that will ply the city roads are expected to charge you more – as they already had late Wednesday!

With Friday (Labour Day) too being a holiday, much of the city has decided to skip work on Thursday and travel out of the city on Wednesday evening, leading to a big rush at several bus-stations across Bengaluru.

The all-India transport bandh on Thursday is expected to bring life to a standstill in Bengaluru and other parts of the state, as all state-run transport corporations – BMTC, KSRTC, NWKRTC and NEKRTC – will go off the road from 6 am to 6 pm.

The bandh has been called to protest against the Road Transport & Safety Bill, which imposes higher penalties on drivers. The bill has been proposed by the Union Transport Ministry. Some autorickshaw drivers and owners unions in the city too are taking part in the bandh. With over 1.2 lakh employees of state-run corporations going on strike, daily commuters in the city and across the state will be affected.

With Friday too being a holiday for Labour Day, many employees in the city are planning a long weekend. Eager to beat Thursday’s bandh, they rushed to several bus-stations across the city on Wednesday. Passengers, who had booked their tickets in KSRTC buses for Thursday, will be refunded. “We will start plying the services from Thursday night though,” a KSRTC official said.

Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said, “As almost all the unions are participating, we have to stop the service. About 7-8 months ago, all transport ministers from South India had a meeting with Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, where he said he wanted a corruption free transport services and roadside amenities, and his suggestions were welcomed by us. He spoke about penalties for accidents as well and we were agreeable to it, but the quantum of punishment proposed in the bill is very high. It has to be redrafted reasonably.”

City Police Commissioner M.N. Reddi has urged Bengalureans not to treat Thursday’s strike as a bandh. “It is a transport strike being observed by trade unions. All KSRTC and BMTC buses will run and no one can force the strike on unwilling people. Also, essential transport services will run in the city and public can use their own transport without any fear. Bengalureans are requested not to treat this as Bandh, and try to go about their lives normally.”

Alok Kumar, Additional Commissioner of Police (West), said: “To ensure a peaceful strike, a platoon of 30 Karnataka State Reserve Police, 30 platoons of City Armed Reserve police, 500 Home Guards, 300 Civil defence personnel and other civil police officers will be deployed to ensure law and order situation on Thursday.”

(Agencies)

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