International

Climate tipping points in Amazon, Tibet ‘linked’: scientists

Published

10 months ago

January 28, 2023

Climate extremes in the Amazon rainforest are directly affecting those in the Tibetan Plateau, scientists said Thursday, warning that the Himalayan region crucial for the water security of millions was close to a potentially disastrous “tipping point”.

Planet-heating pollution from human activities is raising global temperatures and scientists have said this is pushing crucial ecosystems and whole regions towards often irreversible changes.

Vulnerable areas include melting polar ice sheets that could cause metres of sea-level rise, as well as the Amazon basin, where tropical forests are at risk of turning into savannah.

But can one tipping point have a domino effect on another region? Recent research suggests this is already happening.

Climate-driven changes in the Amazon basin have knock-on effects on the Tibetan Plateau 20,000 kilometres (12,500 miles) away, scientists in China, Europe and Israel reported in Nature Climate Change earlier this month.

“We’ve been surprised to see how strongly climate extremes in the Amazon are connected to climate extremes in Tibet,” said co-author Jurgen Kurths from Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.

The researchers used global near-surface temperature data over the last 40 years to map out a pathway of climate links. They stretched from South America to Southern Africa, on to the Middle East and finally into the Tibetan Plateau.

In their study, the researchers then used computer simulations to track how global warming might change these long-distance link-ups out to 2100.

They found that when it gets warmer in the Amazon, temperatures also rise in Tibet. But when rain increases in the South American rainforest, snowfall decreases in the Himalayan region, sometimes called the “third pole”.

‘Tipping cascades’

Using snow cover data, the scientists also detected what they say are early warnings the Tibetan Plateau has been approaching a tipping point of its own since 2008.

The Tibetan Plateau supplies a substantial proportion of the water needs of almost two billion people across South Asia, Southeast Asia and China.

Research published in Nature Climate Change last year said climate change could deplete terrestrial water storage over the Tibetan Plateau, which may ultimately threaten water availability downstream.

Other studies have shown a warming trend in recent decades in the region which — like the Arctic region — is warming two to three times faster than the global average.

But Kurths said the proximity to a potential point-of-no-return transition had been “overlooked so far”.

The researchers said that while their study suggests a heightened risk of “tipping cascades” it was unlikely that the climate system as a whole would flip into a new state.

“Yet, over time, sub-continental tipping events can severely affect entire societies and threaten important parts of the biosphere,” said co-author Hans Joachim Schellnhuber from PIK.

“This is a risk we should rather avoid.”

To avoid the worst impacts of warming, countries have agreed to keep temperatures from rising above the limit of well below two degrees Celsius since the mid-1900s, and preferably below 1.5C.

For that to be achieved, planet-heating greenhouse gas emissions, mainly from fossil fuels, must decline some 45 percent compared to 2020 levels by the end of this decade, and to net zero by mid-century, according to the UN’s climate science advisory body.

Planet-heating pollution from human activities is raising global temperatures and scientists have said this is pushing crucial ecosystems and whole regions towards often irreversible changes.

Vulnerable areas include melting polar ice sheets that could cause metres of sea-level rise, as well as the Amazon basin, where tropical forests are at risk of turning into savannah.

But can one tipping point have a domino effect on another region? Recent research suggests this is already happening.

In their study, the researchers then used computer simulations to track how global warming might change these long-distance link-ups out to 2100.

‘Tipping cascades’

Using snow cover data, the scientists also detected what they say are early warnings the Tibetan Plateau has been approaching a tipping point of its own since 2008.

The Tibetan Plateau supplies a substantial proportion of the water needs of almost two billion people across South Asia, Southeast Asia and China.

Other studies have shown a warming trend in recent decades in the region which — like the Arctic region — is warming two to three times faster than the global average.

But Kurths said the proximity to a potential point-of-no-return transition had been “overlooked so far”.

The researchers said that while their study suggests a heightened risk of “tipping cascades” it was unlikely that the climate system as a whole would flip into a new state.

“Yet, over time, sub-continental tipping events can severely affect entire societies and threaten important parts of the biosphere,” said co-author Hans Joachim Schellnhuber from PIK.

“This is a risk we should rather avoid.”

To avoid the worst impacts of warming, countries have agreed to keep temperatures from rising above the limit of well below two degrees Celsius since the mid-1900s, and preferably below 1.5C.

Source: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/international/20230127/climate-tipping-points-in-amazon-tibet-linked-scientists/71143.html

International

Japan PM Kishida evacuated unhurt after explosion at speech – media

Published

7 months ago

May 1, 2023

TienphongNews

TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was evacuated unhurt after a suspect threw what appeared to be a smoke bomb at an outdoor speech in western Japan on Saturday, domestic media reported.

A loud explosion was heard, but the premier took cover and was unharmed while police subdued a man at the scene, public broadcaster NHK said. There were no injuries, NHK said, citing police.

“Police are investigating the details of the loud explosive sound at the previous speech venue,” Kishida said when he resumed his campaign speeches, in video broadcast by NHK. “I am sorry for causing many people to be concerned. We are in the middle of an important election for our country. We must carry this on together.”

Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the longest-serving leader of modern Japan, was assassinated with a homemade gun last July while campaigning for a parliamentary election, shocking the nation and prompting a review of security for politicians, who routinely press the flesh with the public.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends his outdoor speech at Saikazaki fishing port in Wakayama,Wakayama Prefecture, south-western Japan April 15, 2023, in this photo released by Kyodo. Photo: Reuters

By-elections in various regions for the lower house of Japan’s parliament are to be held on April 23.

The incident late on Saturday morning incident occurred at the Saikazaki fishing harbour in Wakayama prefecture, some 65 km (40 miles) southwest of Osaka city.

Kishida was being served local speciality seafood just before the explosion, media reported. News video showed Kishida looking behind him in surprise as shouts filled the area.

A man, believed to be a suspect who threw a pipe-like object near Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during his outdoor speech, is held by police officers at Saikazaki fishing port in Wakayama, Wakayama Prefecture, south-western Japan April 15, 2023, in this photo released by Kyodo. Photo: Reuters

A man identified by the Asahi newspaper as a staffer of the fishery cooperative grabbed a young man in a headlock as police swarmed the suspect and dragged him to the ground. Moments later, an explosion and cloud of smoke could be seen near where Kishida had been standing.

NHK video showed the thrown object, which appeared to be a metal cylinder.

NHK footage showed crowds running away as several police officers appeared to pin a man to the ground before removing him from the scene. The man appeared to be in his 20s or 30s, media said.

A representative of Wakayama’s prefectural police headquarters told Reuters he could not answer questions about the incident. Police arrested a 24-year old male suspect from Kawanishi city, Kyodo reported.

A woman on the scene told NHK that she saw an object flying overhead and “it gave me a bad feeling, so we ran away unbelievably fast. Then we heard a really loud noise. It made my daughter cry.”

Kishida is to host a Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima next month. Japan’s foreign ministry said after the incident there would be no change to the security plan for a G7 foreign ministers’ meeting starting on Sunday in the resort city of Karuizawa.

A loud explosion was heard, but the premier took cover and was unharmed while police subdued a man at the scene, public broadcaster NHK said. There were no injuries, NHK said, citing police.

By-elections in various regions for the lower house of Japan’s parliament are to be held on April 23.

The incident late on Saturday morning incident occurred at the Saikazaki fishing harbour in Wakayama prefecture, some 65 km (40 miles) southwest of Osaka city.

Kishida was being served local speciality seafood just before the explosion, media reported. News video showed Kishida looking behind him in surprise as shouts filled the area.

NHK video showed the thrown object, which appeared to be a metal cylinder.

NHK footage showed crowds running away as several police officers appeared to pin a man to the ground before removing him from the scene. The man appeared to be in his 20s or 30s, media said.

A woman on the scene told NHK that she saw an object flying overhead and “it gave me a bad feeling, so we ran away unbelievably fast. Then we heard a really loud noise. It made my daughter cry.”

Source: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/international/20230415/japan-pm-kishida-evacuated-unhurt-after-explosion-at-speech-media/72648.html

International

Fire in a children’s shelter in Brazil leaves at least 4 dead, 13 injured

Published

7 months ago

April 30, 2023

TienphongNews

At least four people died and 13 were injured in a fire at a shelter for children and adolescents in Northeastern Brazil on Friday, the local fire department said.

Firemen were called to fight a fire at the Lar Paulo de Tarso charity institution in Recife, capital of the Pernambuco state, at around 4:20 a.m.

A mattress is seen behind a civil defence tape outside Lar Paulo de Tarso shelter for children, after a deadly fire in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil April 14, 2023. Photo: Reuters

A boy and a woman died at the site of the fire, the firemen said, while the other two victims died on the way to the hospital.

Recife Mayor Joao Campos offered his condolences on social media.

Lar Paulo de Tarso shelter for children is seen with civil defence tape after a deadly fire in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil April 14, 2023. Photo: Reuters

“The moment is one of pain and solidarity. … The NGO has been providing shelter to children and adolescents in situations of social risk for more than 30 years. We remain mobilized to provide full support in this very difficult time,” he said on Twitter.

A burned area is seen after a deadly fire at Lar Paulo de Tarso shelter for children in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil April 14, 2023. Photo: Reuters

Governor of Pernambuco Raquel Lyra also took to Twitter to mourn the tragedy.

A burned area is seen after a deadly fire at Lar Paulo de Tarso shelter for children in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil April 14, 2023. Photo: Reuters

“Pernambuco is in mourning with what happened this early morning in Recife. … Firefighters and police are already working, as well as our health teams. I leave here my condolences to the families of the victims in this moment of pain,” Lyra said.