-The Hindu The developed countries have committed to cut their greenhouse gas emission levels by a paltry 3% between 201 and 2020, shows new data analysis by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This is less than a third of the emission reduction the rich countries have achieved between 1990 and 2011. The UNFCCC secretariat carried out a technical review of the commitments rich countries have made so far to...

-The Times of India India must discuss phasing down hydrofluorocarbons which endanger the planet. In September, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Barack Obama agreed to discuss how hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are hundreds to thousands of times more potent global warming compounds than carbon dioxide, could be phased down. They agreed, bilaterally and at the G20 summit, to use the expertise and institutions of the Montreal Protocol and report emissions under...

-AFP SYDNEY: Wildfires are "absolutely" linked to global warming and increasingly intense heatwaves, the UN climate chief has said, as bushfires burned out of control in Australia. The comments come as debate rages in Australia -- whose new Prime Minister Tony Abbott once described the science behind man-made climate change as "absolute crap" -- about whether there is a link between the infernos and global warming. Asked in an interview with CNN if...

-Reuters NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: India looks set for bumper harvests of winter crops such as wheat, chickpeas and rapeseed in the wake of a strong monsoon that has left the soil moist and topped up reservoirs. The crops will follow bountiful summer harvests of rice and soybeans due to the rains, with New Delhi looking to boost agricultural growth to cool double-digit food inflation and revive a slowing economy as manufacturing struggles. With next...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: In what appears to be another grim outcome of climate change, a study has found that forests in eastern Himalayas are gradually 'browning', with trees withering and foliage declining even during productive seasons. Similar changes were noted in tropical mountain forests across the world. Among the 47 protected areas across five biodiversity hotspots selected for the study, were Kangchendzonga national park in Sikkim and Namdapha national...