Climate Facts: Greenhouse gases reducing number of satellites orbiting space, study finds

The complexities of climate change and its associated jargon can prove difficult to digest.

TheCable’s quick climate facts will help demystify these concepts through easy-to-understand and straight-to-the-point explanations.

Here are some to keep at the tip of your fingers:

• A new study by Nature Sustainability says greenhouse gas emissions are altering the environment of near-earth space and reducing the number of satellites that can sustainably operate there.

• The report said carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases can cause the upper atmosphere to shrink, resulting in an atmospheric drag — a force that pulls old satellites and other debris down to altitudes where they will encounter air molecules and incinerate.

• The United Nations says about 4.7 million hectares of tropical forest are lost every year — an area the size of the Dominican Republic or Slovakia.

• The inter-governmental panel on climate change (IPCC) says developing countries will need $127 billion annually by 2030 and $295 billion per year by 2050 to adapt to climate change.

• IPPC noted that funds for adaptation hovered between $23 billion-$46 billion from 2017 to 2018, accounting for only 4 to 8 percent of tracked climate finance.

• The organisation added that proven and readily available adaptation solutions can build resilience to climate risks and deliver broader sustainable development benefits.