Guest Post: As India cuts aerosol air pollution, extreme temperatures may spike making heat health adaptation plans crucial

An insightful article into India's situation with regards to the air pollution problem and extreme heatwave temperatures. This year temperatures spiked to 51C in north western India: Wet Bulb Near 35 C — Heatwave Mass Casualties Strike India Amidst Never-Before-Seen High Temperatures.

The researchers argue that aerosols from air pollution are likely to have a substantial cooling impact at the moment, even as India experiences record temperatures. With roll out of renewables and the push to electrify vehicle transport, air pollution will likely be reduced increasing health outcomes. But it may be at the expense of a spike in temperatures at this time of year which will have a large heat health impact on the population, especially poorer people who cannot afford technological adaptation measures such as air-conditioning. It is another reason why recently implemented adaptation plans in India for heat health are so important, as well as taking effective and rapid emissions reduction on a global level in accordance with the UNFCCC Paris Agreement.

What is going on with India's weather?

Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick, UNSW Australia; Andrew King, University of Melbourne, and Geert Jan van Oldenborgh

Green roof vistas can improve attention and office work productivity

Green roofs can substantially improve attention response and productivity of nearby people, according to new research published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology.

The study, conducted by University of Melbourne researchers, assessed the impact of a 40 second micro-break comparing a city green rooftop vista with one of city concrete rooftop structures. Subjects who viewed the green rooftop vista performed tasks with significantly less errors than those who viewed the concrete rooftop vista.

Study lead researcher Dr Kate Lee, of the University of Melbourne Faculty of Science, outlined in a media statement that just a moment of seeing some green nature can provide a boost for tired workers.

"We know that green roofs are great for the environment, but now we can say that they boost attention too. Imagine the impact that has for thousands of employees working in nearby offices," Dr Lee said. "This study showed us that looking at an image of nature for less than a minute was all it took to help people perform better on our task."

Moreland Council calls for greater heatwave emergency planning for Victoria

Welcome to the new normal with stinking hot summers, as heatwaves hover over and amplify the urban heat island effect in cities like Melbourne bringing the heat from central Australia. Most of Victoria is feeling the heat, which has come despite ENSO being in a neutral phase. So far the State Government lead by Premier Denis Napthine has made only Token efforts in managing heatwaves despite predictions by climate scientists that heatwaves increasing faster than average temperatures and becoming more frequent and intense. At least my local council, the City of Moreland is taking heatwaves seriously investigating what it can do and calling for greater heatwave emergency planning by the state government.

2014 started with intense heatwave in central Australia and Queensland with temperatures climbing toward 50C. It was so hot that bats were dying and falling from the trees. The extreme heat took a little whole longer to make it to the south east and Melbourne, but arrive it did causing stress to the electricity grid in Victoria and showing the importance of renewables, both solar PV and wind for moderating peak demand. Melbourne had four consecutive days of temperatures exceeding 41C, a new record for the city.

The heatwaves have continued in late January showing more action required on climate change and adaptation.

Urbanization amplifies global warming temperatures for Sydney

A new scientific study finds that Sydney faces hotter temperatures due to the interaction of expanding urbanization, climate change and the urban heat island effect

The study - Temperature response to future urbanization and climate change (abstract) - highlights the combined impact of both new urbanization and climate change on near-surface temperatures for greater Sydney, with positive feedbacks between urban expansion and global warming at the local scales. While Maximum daytime temperatures (Tmax) for Sydney are projected to only increase slightly and mostly in the winter, most of the change will be seen in substantial increases in nigt-time temperatures (Tmin), particularly in Spring and Summer months.

Urban expansion in Western Sydney is creating a multitude of new estates on Sydney's fringes expected to house more than 100,000 residents. These new urban areas are likely to experience the largest rises in temperature of up to 3.7 degrees Celsius by 2050 due to the interaction of land use change, global warming and the urban heat island effect.

The Urban Heat Island effect (UHI) is a well known and studied phenomenon which says that the built urban environment increases local temperatures, while reducing the opportunity for evapo-transpiration for cooling.

Planners need to allow for Coastal wetlands migration due to sea level rise, climate change

Coastal Wetlands are under pressure. They face rising seas from climate change, but their biggest obstacle to migrate naturally inland is human development with roads, houses and other infrastructure blocking their way. And our urban planners are largely unaware of this tricky situation.

We all love to live beside the sea, but coastal urban development and rising seas will increasingly threaten sensitive coastal wetlands with no room to move and imperilling the survival of their unique plants, birds and fish.

Our urban planners have taken a stable sea level for granted with development to date, often destroying wetland environments for coastal development, agriculture and aquaculture.

More recent urban planning incorporating sea level rise predictions places an emphasis on the threat to peoples houses, roads, railway embankments and other human infrastructure. But planning also needs to encompass the coastal wetland environments that share our coastlines. These ecosystems will also need to migrate inland as the ocean rises.

See also: Mangrove Alliance | Mangrove Action Project | Mangrove Watch Australia | Coastal ecosystems suffer 100 fold decrease in capacity to store carbon mitigating climate change

Mangrove forests threatened by Climate Change in the Sundarbans of Bangladesh and India

A new study has found the Sundarban coast retreating up to 200 metres in a single year due to rapidly deteriorating health of the world's largest Mangrove forest in the Sundarbans, the Ganges delta region of India and Bangladesh.

Zoological Society of London (ZSL) researcher Dr Nathalie Pettorelli, senior author of the paper says: "Our results indicate a rapidly retreating coastline that cannot be accounted for by the regular dynamics of the Sundarbans. Degradation is happening fast, weakening this natural shield for India and Bangladesh."

In the Bengali language 'Sundarban' can be literally translated as 'beautiful forest'. The area is the largest block of continuous mangrove forest in the world, being home to almost 500 species of reptile, fish, bird and mammals, including the endangered Bengal tiger.

See Also: Mangrove Alliance | Mangrove Action Project | Mangrove Watch Australia | Planners need to allow for Coastal wetlands migration due to sea level rise, climate change

Hot change for Arabunna people of Lake Eyre facing climate change

New research from the University of Adelaide has highlighted the challenges facing the Arabunna people in the north of south Australia who face increased temperatures and a drier climate with global warming that will impact their traditional culture and lifestyle. The traditional Arabunna lands include the Lake Eyre region and also cover the giant Roxby Downs BHP uranium mine.

There will be a doubling of days above 40 degrees celsius by the 2070s with increases of 5 degrees and more. Such change will effect the fragile desert ecosystems and greatly impact the availability of bush tucker and the wellbeing of sacred sites.

IPCC scientist: Action on climate change urged by scientists since 1990

IPCC Scientist Dr Jean-Pascal van Ypersele, Vice Chair, IPCC takes Penny Wong to task about when the scientific message on climate change and the need for action become clear. He spoke shortly after Penny Wong's keynote speech at the opening plenary 2010 International Climate Change Adaptation Conference on the Gold Coast.

1.1 Opening Plenary: Jean-Pascal van Ypersele & Martin Parry from NCCARF on Vimeo. Jean-Pascal van Ypersele started with a quote which called for immediate action to stabilize carbon emissions and to reduce carbon emissions by 60 per cent by 2050. Dr van Ypersele then apologised to the audience - that he had prepared his speech in a hurry and the quote he had given was actually from the first IPCC assessment report done in 1990. He then stated to the audience and the Minister he had to slightly disagree with the Minister that scientists up until recently had not been clear with their message. He then briefly summarised the importance of both mitigation and adaptation measures. "Adaptation is clearly needed if we want to avoid some of the unavoidable impacts" said Jean-Pascal van Ypersele "the IPCC has as a whole the message that mitigation and adaptation are complementary". The small number of errors found in the last report will generate a review of the processes in the IPCC and of writing the next IPCC report to be published in 2013. Listen to the rest of his speech, or find other videos of plenary speakers at NCCARF's videos at Vimeo. PDF presentations of many of the speakers are available for download at the Conference program website