Climate change news from the ground, in a warming world Was this forwarded to you? Sign up here [[link removed]] Megan Rowling [[link removed]]

Climate correspondent

India's been feeling the heat lately, with March temperatures the highest in more than 100 years according to meteorological officials, who expect the heatwave to continue this month in much of the country.

In cities like Chennai, the sizzling temperatures have got residents thinking about how to cut their energy bills as they crank up the air-conditioning.

When popular Indian singer Chinmayi Sripaada [[link removed]] shared a photo of freshly cleaned rooftop solar panels at her in-laws' Chennai home on social media, she spotlighted how her family is tapping into clean power as energy demand rises due to the extreme heat.

In response, some of her 1 million Twitter followers wrote back, asking about the cost of solar panels, where they could get more information and how to set one up on their own houses - as government efforts to raise awareness fall short.

"I replied to everyone who had questions, sharing details of how we did ours," Sripaada told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Meanwhile, in Mumbai, we report on how the city's 40,000 women fish vendors - known as fiercely independent, witty and financially savvy - are struggling as fish catches shrink amid worsening heat and storms, pushing up prices and harming their livelihoods.

Like farmers, they want more financial help from the government. " The sea is our farm [[link removed]] - and we too are climate victims," 55-year-old vendor Nayana Patil told Roli Srivastava in the local market.

Fish vendor Nayana Bipin Patil gestures while speaking at a fish market in central Mumbai, India, March 27, 2022. Thomson Reuters Foundation/Roli Srivastava

In southern Iraq [[link removed]], where agriculture was once "as lucrative as oil", drought is a growing problem for local farmers like Qasim Abdul Wahad, who has lost 90% of his winter crops, including all of his okra and eggplant, while the region's famous date palms are caked in dust.

As harsher droughts and heat hit food production and the incomes of those dependent on farming, about one in 15 Iraqi households last year saw at least one family member migrate to seek new economic opportunities, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council, which researches the issue.

Despite the changing climate, farmers are still using centuries-old methods that are no longer suitable - and need help to adopt measures such as sowing drought-resistant crop varieties and using better drip irrigation systems, found Tessa Fox in Abu Al-Khaseeb.

Mayor James “Ooker” Eskridge drives a boat through the harbor in the Chesapeake Bay surrounding Tangier Island, Virginia, U.S., March 28, 2022. Al Drago/Thomson Reuters Foundation.

In another dispatch on how climate impacts are making it harder for people to stay put, our U.S.-based correspondent David Sherfinski visited Tangier Island, an isolated community in Virginia's Chesapeake Bay [[link removed]].

Its traditions, including crabbing and oystering in the surrounding waters, are under threat as the island gradually loses land to rising seas and stronger storms.

The population has shrunk to about 400 people who are hoping to protect their homes by building a battery of sea walls - but that will require substantial government funding and is raising issues about what land is worth protecting and at what cost.

“If you can’t save an island a mile-and-a-half long, how are you going to save the East Coast if sea level rise has become a factor?” asked Cameron Evans, a Tangier native and now a student at Virginia Wesleyan University. [[link removed]]

While the answers to such questions remain unclear, one thing is certain: they are being heard more often and more urgently as global warming bites harder around the globe...

Megan

'Ridiculous' length? How to make IPCC climate science reports an easier read [[link removed]]

An explosion of climate research has bloated the U.N. assessments that guide governments, with some experts arguing for reforms to the process

In Brazil, satellites help scientists track - and prosecute - Amazon deforestation [[link removed]]

Non-profit MapBiomas aims to end 'impunity' over illegal land clearing and hold those responsible to account

How to halt deforestation? Trust indigenous groups, funders say [[link removed]]

To channel much more funding to protect forests, donors need to shift their own demands on indigenous groups, both sides say

As G20 chair, coal-heavy Indonesia sends mixed signals on green transition [[link removed]]

As one of the world’s biggest coal exporters and carbon emitters, Indonesia's call for funding for green energy shift has upped pressure on it to cut fossil fuel use further

Iraq's farmers pushed off land as drought and heat cripple crops [[link removed]]

Climate change-related losses are squeezing Iraq's parched farmers - and driving growing migration

Mumbai heatwave leaves fewer fish in the sea for women sellers [[link removed]]

As the ocean warms and India's weather becomes more extreme, shrinking fish catches are sparking calls for aid and insurance for all workers across the industry

Indian singer sparks surge in solar panel interest on Twitter [[link removed]]

Chinmayi Sripaada has taken to social media to encourage fans to learn more about solar panels - as climate change sees hotter Indian summers and rising energy bills

As sea levels rise, can Chesapeake Bay's Tangier Island survive? [[link removed]]

Virginia's Tangier Island is seeing its land disappear in the face of climate change -and its fate could suggest how other threatened U.S. coastal islands may fare

OPINION: Efforts to heal the world need us Indigenous peoples - now [[link removed]]

New IPCC climate report urges Indigenous participation in restoring denuded land, and flags our ability to stop the deforestation fueling climate change and biodiversity loss

OPINION: To solve climate change, dive into the power of the ocean [[link removed]]

Our oceans hold as many opportunities for resilient low-carbon growth as can be found on land

OPINION: Shifting human behaviour is a massive opportunity to fight the climate crisis [[link removed]]

Governments and other institutions must make it as easy as possible for people to adopt greener, healthier lifestyles

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