Global Climate News

The United States hosted a technical program on Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) from March 3-5, 2025, at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, TX. The event featured presentations and discussions on various themes including subsurface storage, site selection, injectivity challenges, and global CCUS implementation. Companies like Net Power, ExxonMobil, and Chevron participated, highlighting advancements in CO2 storage and utilization technologies. The program also included discussions on policy innovations for CCUS in India and a model for developing oil and gas regions globally, such as the Niger Delta.

India has organized India Energy Week 2025 (IEW’25) from February 11-14 in New Delhi, focusing on decarbonization, energy equity, and low-carbon economies. The event featured 70+ CEOs from major energy companies, 20+ foreign energy ministers, and discussions on clean power pathways, grid-scale energy storage, and methane mitigation. IEW’25 also highlighted India’s advancements in renewable energy and technologies like green ammonia and hydrogen production.

The Union Minister of Coal & Mines of India will attend the Future Minerals Forum 2025 in Saudi Arabia from January 14-16, 2025. The forum will focus on mineral supply chains and energy transition.

India's renewable energy installed capacity reached 209.44 GW in December 2024, a 15.84% increase from December 2023. Solar power capacity increased by 24.54 GW (33.47%) to 97.86 GW, and wind capacity increased by 3.42 GW (7.64%) to 48.16 GW. The MNRE aims to achieve 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Discovery Channel launched a five-part video series, "Good To Know," showcasing how nuclear science addresses global challenges like microplastics, cancer, food insecurity, water scarcity, and industrial contamination. The series airs in over 30 countries, reaching 44 million households.

India’s Department of Biotechnology (DBT) held a webinar on "Biomanufacturing for Climate Resilient Agriculture," focusing on sustainable biomanufacturing solutions for agriculture under the BioE3 Policy. The webinar included discussions on leveraging bioresources, sustainable practices, and technologies like synthetic biology and AI/ML to improve plant productivity and create bio-based solutions for climate-resilient agriculture.

India launched ‘Mission Mausam’ to make the country a ‘Weather-ready and Climate-smart’ nation by developing cutting-edge weather technologies, implementing high-resolution atmospheric observations, and improving the understanding of weather and climate processes. The IMD Vision-2047 document for weather resilience and climate change adaptation was also released.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has recommended policy solutions to address the impacts of megatrends, including climate change, on labor markets in Asia and the Pacific. These solutions focus on creating a jobs-centered approach to megatrends, strengthening capacity to anticipate changing labor demand, understanding the distributional impacts of megatrends on people and jobs, and adapting to an era of uncertainty.

India reported a 7.93% reduction in GHG emissions in 2020 compared to 2019, as highlighted in its 4th Biennial Update Report (BUR-4). The energy sector contributed 75.66% of emissions. India aims for net-zero emissions by 2070 and has launched several initiatives including the "Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam" tree plantation campaign and the Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes (MISHTI) Program, with ₹12.55 crores allocated in FY 2024-25.

India's Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue focused on sustainable future with sessions on sustainable farming, and steering India towards a sustainable future. Experts from various fields shared their insights, and the event highlighted youth-focused initiatives in education, skill development, and entrepreneurship.

India's Vice President addressed Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL)'s R&D Award Function, emphasizing the need for increased research and development in crucial sectors like defense and green technologies. He highlighted the importance of import substitution, collaboration between industries and academia (IITs, IIMs), and focusing on the Green Hydrogen Mission. A fiscal allocation of 6000 crores for quantum computing was mentioned.

India faces challenges in meeting the energy demands of its AI infrastructure. By 2030, AI infrastructure could consume 100-200 terawatt-hours annually. Scaling up renewable energy is crucial, but challenges remain. Modernizing India’s power grid is necessary to ensure consistent energy supplies for data centers.

The Global Coalition for Energy Planning (GCEP), spearheaded by Brazil during its 2024 G20 presidency, aims to enhance national energy planning globally. It focuses on fostering international collaboration, building institutional capacity, and facilitating knowledge exchange, particularly to support the Global South. IRENA is hosting the GCEP secretariat. The initiative leverages insights from the Global Network of Long-term Energy Scenarios (LTES) network, which includes partnerships with key organizations such as the International Energy Agency and the World Bank. USD 2 trillion in transition-related investments were made in 2023, but these were disproportionately concentrated in advanced economies.

GIZ is advising Pakistan on a more efficient, transparent and citizen-oriented approach to governance. This also involves shaping the way that refugees and host communities live together. GIZ’s work in the country focuses on sustainable economic development, good governance and an efficient energy supply.

India's ICAR Research Complex for North-Eastern Hill Region has developed over 100 climate-resilient crop varieties, increasing food grain and horticultural crop production by 30% and 40% respectively in the last 10 years. The focus on agri-based enterprises has led to a 25% increase in agri-entrepreneurs in the last five years. The President highlighted the climate resilience of tribal farming systems and urged the conservation of germplasm resources for agricultural sustainability.

India launched the 8th edition of the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP), aiming to increase organic exports to Rs 20,000 crore in three years. The program includes simplified certification, TraceNet 2.0 for traceability, and new portals for organic promotion and Agri-exports. The initiative promotes sustainable farming to combat water scarcity and pesticide overuse.

The UK launched the Global Clean Power Alliance, bringing twelve countries together to accelerate clean energy deployment and green job creation. The UK also committed to increasing its defence spending to 2.5% of GDP and pledged continued military aid to Ukraine (\"3 billion a year\"). Further, the UK is developing legislation for a new sanctions regime targeting irregular migration, and is reforming the FCDO to better connect its work to domestic priorities.

India's ISRO plans key 2025 missions including Gaganyaan's uncrewed orbital test, two GSLV missions, a commercial LVM3 launch with AST SpaceMobile, and the NISAR Earth observation satellite collaboration with NASA. The NISAR satellite will provide data on agriculture, natural disasters, and climate monitoring.

India's Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports organized the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue from January 10-12, 2025. One of the ten identified themes was \"Steering India Towards a Sustainable Future.\" 3000 young leaders presented innovative solutions for a developed India to policymakers and the Prime Minister.

India and the USA, represented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and NASDA, respectively, held discussions to strengthen collaboration in key areas of agriculture, including Climate-Smart Agriculture, Voluntary Carbon Credit Initiatives, and Precision Agriculture using AI. The meeting also covered Cold Chain Management, Crop Insurance, and Capacity Building.