[dragracer567]

An excellent video by wendover on carbon offsets and it pretty much explains the issues I have with carbon offsets and trading:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW3gaelBypY

I am infact working on a carbon offset project using microalgae though our modeling is much more accurate and truthful!

[SKC-auto]

Worst floods of Bangladesh in 20years.

Linking climate change to a single flood event requires extensive scientific analysis. But climate change, which is already causing heavier rainfall in many storms, is an increasingly important part of the mix. Warmer atmosphere holds, and releases, more water.

Scientists have determined that global warming made the record rainfall that led to devastating floods in Germany and Belgium last summer much more likely. In South Asia, recent research has strengthened the theory that climate change is disrupting the annual monsoon.

India and Bangladesh are particularly vulnerable to climate change because they sit near the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal. In 2020, torrential rains left at least a quarter of Bangladesh submerged. Last year, extreme rainfall and landslides washed away a sprawling Rohingya refugee camp overnight.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/24/w...sh-floods.html

[V.Narayan]

The northern hemisphere is baking in record heat as fires rip through Europe and US, China temperatures soar

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/07/20/e...ntl/index.html

Five separate high-pressure weather systems across the northern hemisphere, which are linked by atmospheric waves, have led to unprecedented temperatures on multiple continents. The UK smashed its all-time heat mark on Tuesday, as did several cities in the Texas and Oklahoma, including Wichita Falls, which reached a broiling 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46.1 degrees Celsius) on Tuesday. As Europe's heat wave moves eastwards, wildfires have forced tens of thousands of people from their homes, blanketing parts of Italy, Greece and France in smoke. Germany, Hungary and Italy have been hit with high temperatures of around 100 F (nearly 38C) in places.

China endures summer of extreme weather as record rainfall and scorching heat wave cause havoc

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/07/20/c...mic/index.html

Scientists have been warning for years that the climate crisis would amplify extreme weather, making it deadlier and more frequent. Now, like much of the world, China is reeling from its impact. Since the country's rainy season started in May, heavy rainstorms have brought severe flooding and landslides to large swathes of southern China, killing dozens of people, displacing millions and causing economic losses running into billions of yuan. In June, extreme rainfall broke "historical records" in coastal Fujian province, and parts of Guangdong and Guangxi provinces. At the same time, a heat wave began to envelop northern China, pushing temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).

Temperate latitudes are enduring temperatures in the forties centigrade. The temperatures in the London, UK, Northern Europe as high as 38 to 40 degrees centigrade are unheard of. At 51 degrees North latitude London that city lies north of the whole of the US outside Alaska. That is a seriously north latitude to be on. Unprecedented once in thousand year weather occurrences are being experienced in the last few years with increasing frequency. we can wait and watch.

[PGA]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

The northern hemisphere is baking in record heat as fires rip through Europe and US, China temperatures soar

Unprecedented once in thousand year weather occurrences are being experienced in the last few years with increasing frequency. we can wait and watch.

Awareness about climate change is slowly percolating among the masses, my farming community is now well aware of it. But almost no one knows what to do with it, everyone thinks that its something for Govts to act upon. Even the efforts of NGOs etc towards reforestation and conservation do not convey the message that these will help in a really big cause, so these drives remain fire and forget kind of episodes and not much effort is put in to ensure their success by the local community.

While Govts can keep on arguing about developed/ non developed nations and the energy needs of the economy, there is one thing they can agree on is planting trees, especially native ones on a humongous scale to capture carbon from the air and put it back in the soil. A message could also go to the masses that this is kind of a war effort, so max involvement can be obtained from the population towards upkeep of trees for initial few years.

The present human race has normally acted at the brink, so there is hope, otherwise sixth mass extinction is well on its way.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by PGA

While Govts can keep on arguing about developed/ non developed nations and the energy needs of the economy, there is one thing they can agree on is planting trees, especially native ones on a humongous scale to capture carbon from the air and put it back in the soil. A message could also go to the masses that this is kind of a war effort, so max involvement can be obtained from the population towards upkeep of trees for initial few years.

Wise words from a man on the ground who knows what he is talking about.

Half the world's pollution & climate change issues would be substantially addressed by planting a 5000 crore trees. I mean 5000 crores as an actual number and not metaphorically. I've been associated at various levels with several grass root NGOs i.e. the one's working at ground zero and not the high visibility fund aggregators. In the tree planting and reafforestation arena the most competent and most sincere I have found is called Farmers for Forests. Their beat is Maharashtra. Their web site is https://www.farmersforforests.org/

But how important the youth of today consider climate change, its causes and its consequences is indicated by the paltry readership of this thread compared to say the killing fields thread on the Russian-Ukraine war. Unless the young who will rule this nation, this world tomorrow own this it ain't happening.

[PGA]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Wise words from a man on the ground who knows what he is talking about.

Half the world's pollution & climate change issues would be substantially addressed by planting a 5000 crore trees. I mean 5000 crores as an actual number and not metaphorically. I've been associated at various levels with several grass root NGOs i.e. the one's working at ground zero and not the high visibility fund aggregators. In the tree planting and reafforestation arena the most competent and most sincere I have found is called Farmers for Forests. Their beat is Maharashtra. Their web site is https://www.farmersforforests.org/

But how important the youth of today consider climate change, its causes and its consequences is indicated by the paltry readership of this thread compared to say the killing fields thread on the Russian-Ukraine war. Unless the young who will rule this nation, this world tomorrow own this it ain't happening.

Sir, Iam very grateful and humbled with these words coming from you.

As you are aware that every inch of land in Punjab and Haryana have been put to use mainly cultivation, that too mechanized cultivation. Trees are a hindrance to movement of machines, so the solution has been to knock them off from the farms, resulting in severely reduced forest cover. Three years ago I started reforestation on my farm and planted about 500 trees, and its resulted in a fantastic change in my small area and for a change lesser parrots eating my ripe mustard.

https://ecosikh.org/

These guys are working in our area but did not meet much success till lately, Now they have started appealing to NRIs whose lands are being tilled by locals here and that is likely to catch on.

[rrsteer]

Originally Posted by PGA

Three years ago I started reforestation on my farm and planted about 500 trees, and its resulted in a fantastic change in my small area and for a change lesser parrots eating my ripe mustard.

https://ecosikh.org/

These guys are working in our area but did not meet much success till lately, Now they have started appealing to NRIs whose lands are being tilled by locals here and that is likely to catch on.

Hi PGA, what a timely post. I am supposed to go to Chandigarh tomorrow to hunt for some native growing trees of Punjab. I have collected a few names, e.g. from articles such as these: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/ar...medium%20sized.

Problem is, no horticulture department or local nursery in Punjab is growing these trees. I also contacted ecosikh. I laud their purpose, but they were charging me around 3lacs to plant a forest of the size I requested. I then asked them if they can atleast sell me the saplings, but they denied. Now I am going to some government nurseries in Chandigarh to collect some of these native saplings.

I will be grateful if you can provide some leads as to where I can procure saplings of native trees.

PS: The Gurudwara in Khadur Sahib also does a similar service as Eco-Sikh, but for free. I got them to plant a forest in the piece of land I own, but unfortunately almost 60%-70% of the trees couldn't survive. They really put in a lot of effort to plant the forest and didn't charge a pie. But I am just hesitant reaching out to them for a second time, I feel there may be other places more deserving of their service.

[PGA]

Originally Posted by rrsteer

Hi PGA, what a timely post. I am supposed to go to Chandigarh tomorrow to hunt for some native growing trees of Punjab. I have collected a few names, e.g. from articles such as these: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/ar...medium%20sized.

Problem is, no horticulture department or local nursery in Punjab is growing these trees. I also contacted ecosikh. I laud their purpose, but they were charging me around 3lacs to plant a forest of the size I requested. I then asked them if they can atleast sell me the saplings, but they denied. Now I am going to some government nurseries in Chandigarh to collect some of these native saplings.

I will be grateful if you can provide some leads as to where I can procure saplings of native trees.

PS: The Gurudwara in Khadur Sahib also does a similar service as Eco-Sikh, but for free. I got them to plant a forest in the piece of land I own, but unfortunately almost 60%-70% of the trees couldn't survive. They really put in a lot of effort to plant the forest and didn't charge a pie. But I am just hesitant reaching out to them for a second time, I feel there may be other places more deserving of their service.

I agree with your comments about ecosikhs and that's one of the reason of their lack of success.

Pl download iHariyali app of Punjab Govt, it shows the status and availability of saplings in Govt nurseries across Punjab. Contact your local DFO ( Forest Officer) he will guide you. Its as good as free from them.

My advice will be plant fast growing or hardy ones in the start, such as neem, burma neem, mulberry, bottle brush, silver oak, amla, moringa poplars and eucalyptus on the boundary of your land, native ones like sesham, amaltas, arjun, maulsari are slow growers and need greater care.

About planting them, take tips from nursery guys, but some essential precautions are dig adequately big pits 3x3 feet preferable, must use some FYM in the pits especially if its a clay soil, use a fungicide and bactericide, such as carbendizim+streptocyline, other wise tricoderma V + pseudomonas f. After initial watering and establishment, do not water close to the stem, but only the rootzone. Drench rootzone with humic acid and mild fertilizer solution.

Regards

I have pm you my number, welcome to call me for any clarifications.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by PGA

...and eucalyptus on the boundary of your land..

Regulations must be different in rural areas, but I think in and around Bangalore we are advised against planting eucalyptus because it depletes the groundwater.

https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.c...w/58703790.cms

[PGA]

Originally Posted by am1m

Regulations must be different in rural areas, but I think in and around Bangalore we are advised against planting eucalyptus because it depletes the groundwater.

https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.c...w/58703790.cms

Eucalyptus has a long tap root and does have a high transpiration rate, it is also a little toxic to nearby flora, allelopathic, so does need some thought before planting. But it is a good choice for areas having high water table, high rainfall areas or around the ponds. It is hardy tree and good for barren areas as well

[dragracer567]

Just sharing some data that will help us grasp the severity of the challenges here. These are simple graphs that are pretty self-explanatory!

1) CO2 concentration in the atmosphere

The first graph shows the fluctuation in the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere over the centuries. The rise and fall in the concentration is cyclic but the spike in the past 40 years is clearly visible and is unlike anything we've seen - possibly since the last ice age.



Even more concerning is the amount of CO2 pumped in the past 20 years (largely thanks to the emergence of China).





2) Global average temperatures

Here we can see temperature anomalies which has increased sharply since the 80s. Anything above 2.0 C is a disaster scenario.



3) Ice and sea-levels

The minimum Arctic sea ice over the years (upto 2021)



Ice sheets present in Antarctica and Greenland respectively





Correspondingly, sea levels have increased.



Source (s): NASA

[rrsteer]

Originally Posted by PGA

Pl download iHariyali app of Punjab Govt, it shows the status and availability of saplings in Govt nurseries across Punjab. Contact your local DFO ( Forest Officer) he will guide you. Its as good as free from them.

My advice will be plant fast growing or hardy ones in the start, such as neem, burma neem, mulberry, bottle brush, silver oak, amla, moringa poplars and eucalyptus on the boundary of your land, native ones like sesham, amaltas, arjun, maulsari are slow growers and need greater care.

Hi PGA, Thank you! The app is really nice. I visited the nearest nursery which is the one just outside of Kapurthala and got most of the trees I wanted!
By the way the app said this particular nursery has a stock of over 1000 sandal wood saplings. I got greedy and thought I will get as many as I could only to find there were none

But thanks again, I have such low expectations from government bodies, especially the state government ones, but in this case it was sort of a revelation.

And very grateful to you for sharing you mobile (that too a stranger!) and piece of advice you shared on planting the trees.

[AltoLXI]

Like a boiling frog, climate change is creeping all over the planet. We are used to perennial drought and seeing related photos in our country. Guardian has compiled a collection of photos depicting effects of climate change in Europe this year.

Link

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by AltoLXI

Like a boiling frog, climate change is creeping all over the planet. We are used to perennial drought and seeing related photos in our country. Guardian has compiled a collection of photos depicting effects of climate change in Europe this year.
Link

Thank you @AltoLXI. These photographs are telling. I returned last night from a few days in the UK. Apart from work my wife and I went for a hiking holiday in the Peak District National Park which is wooded and a little hilly. And the temperatures by 11AM would reach between 33 C and 35 C and frankly too warm to hike in. And this at 53 degrees North Latitude!

[Dry Ice]

This came up on my YT feed. Heartening to see such ventures.

https://youtu.be/V7TcEnSOR3s