Climate crisis linked to rising domestic violence in South Asia, study finds
Rising temperatures are linked to a significant increase in domestic violence against women, according to recent research, which comes as lethal heatwaves hit cities in India, China, the US, and Europe during the climate crisis. In three South Asian nations, a 1C rise in average annual temperature was linked to an increase of more than 6.3% in instances of physical and sexual domestic abuse, according to a study published in JAMA Psychiatry. Between 2010 and 2018, the study followed 194,871 girls and women from India, Pakistan, and Nepal, ages 15 to 49, to learn about their experiences with emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. It compared that information to variations in temperature over the same time period. With a 1C increase in heat, physical violence increased by 8%, and sexual violence increased by 7.3%, in India, which already had the highest reported rates of intimate partner violence of the three. Acute heat exposure is linked to increased adrenaline production, which may trigger higher aggression and the brain regions responsible for emotion control. The consequences of mental illnesses, such as anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, are also known to exacerbate during heat waves.
Thousands of dead fish have washed up on a Thai beach. Experts say climate change may be to blame
A plankton bloom that resulted in thousands of dead fish washing up along a 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) stretch of beach in Thailand’s southern Chumphon province may have been triggered by climate change. Plankton blooms last two to three days on average and are said to occur once or twice a year, according to local officials. According to the British Met Office, the arrival of the natural climate phenomenon El Nino, which has a warming effect on the entire planet, as well as human-caused climate change, which results in higher temperatures for oceans and land, are both contributing factors to the global sea surface temperatures for April and May being the highest on record for those months. Experts are warning of algae blooms along the British coast as a result of rising water temperatures after millions of dead fish washed up on Texas beaches this month. In Southern California, a poisonous algal bloom has caused hundreds of dolphins and sea lions to wash up on beaches dead or sick. While significant coastal upwelling rather than high temperatures was more of a contributor to California’s algal blooms, scientists believe that climate change would likely result in an increase in harmful algal blooms as some thrive in warm water.
Climate change: China’s green power Surge offers hope on warming
According to this new study, China is rapidly increasing its ability to produce electricity from solar and wind energy, which might significantly lessen the effects of global warming. The study was conducted by Global Energy Monitor (GEM), a non-profit research organization whose findings are frequently cited by the World Bank, the International Energy Agency, and governments. The paper examines China’s established green energy capacity and gives predictions for what has been declared and is now being built over the next two years. It reveals that more solar panels are currently deployed in large-scale projects in China than in the entire rest of the world. Since 2017, the nation’s capacity for wind energy has doubled. GEM estimates that by the end of 2025, China’s capacity for wind and solar will have more than doubled. China is expanding this industry quickly. China’s contribution would result in an 85% increase in large-scale solar installations worldwide and a 50% rise in the world’s fleet of large-scale wind turbines. Plans that go back more than 20 years produced this current surge. China has overtaken other countries as the world’s top solar panel supplier at that time, which has reduced costs throughout the entire supply chain. China contributed for 55% of the over half a trillion dollars invested globally on wind and solar energy last year.
Women suffer disproportionately from ravages of drought, desertification
Nearly half of all agricultural workers worldwide are women, yet discriminatory practices in relation to land tenure, credit access, equitable pay, and decision-making frequently prevent them from actively contributing to maintaining land health. The UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) estimates that less than one in five landowners globally are women today. Prior to International Desertification and Drought Day, UNCCD started the #HerLand campaign to raise awareness about the problems facing women today and how they are making a difference. According to UNCCD, women and girls can boost agricultural productivity, rehabilitating land, and develop drought resistance when given equitable access. According to Csaba Krösi, president of the UN General Assembly, “Women farmers grow more when they have access to own land, and so do their nations.” In order to promote food security and decrease malnutrition, women’s land and property rights must be strengthened.
References
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/06/23/asia/fish-die-off-thailand-climate-change-intl/index.html
