Thu Nov 20 00:30:00 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary of the text, followed by a news article based on it:
Summary:
The article from The Hindu on November 20, 2025, explores the emerging field of “climate attribution science.” It details recent environmental disasters in India, including Delhi’s severe air pollution, acidic rainwater, and flash floods in the Himalayas. The article questions whether these events can be definitively linked to human-induced climate change. Experts explain that while it’s certain the Earth has warmed, attributing specific events to climate change is complex. The article discusses methods used in climate attribution, highlighting the greater accuracy in attributing heatwaves compared to extreme rain events. It also looks at attributing emissions to specific sources (like power plants vs. vehicles). The piece emphasizes that climate attribution science is still developing, but advancements in modeling and satellite observations are improving accuracy. The article touches on the potential for using climate attribution to assign responsibility for climate damage and examines India’s role in global emissions. Finally, it mentions a recent paper exploring the possibility of suing companies for climate-related damages.
News Article:
Climate Attribution Science Gains Traction in India Amidst Mounting Environmental Crises
Bengaluru, November 20, 2025 – As India grapples with a series of environmental disasters, from choking smog in Delhi to devastating flash floods in the Himalayas and changing rain acidity, a new field of science is gaining prominence: climate attribution. Experts are increasingly trying to determine the extent to which these events can be definitively linked to human-induced climate change.
A recent article in The Hindu highlights the complexities of attributing specific weather events to global warming. While the rise in global temperatures is irrefutable, directly connecting that to individual instances of extreme weather requires sophisticated modeling and data analysis.
“Models try to create a world where climate change didn’t happen and look at the real world where events happened,” explained earth system scientist Raghu Murtugudde to The Hindu.
Scientists have had more success attributing heatwaves to climate change than rainfall events. In the case of local factors, like air pollution in Delhi, researchers point to specific sources such as vehicle emissions and crop burning. Advances in chemical transport modeling and satellite technology are improving the accuracy of these attributions.
The article also raises the contentious issue of assigning responsibility for climate damage. Some experts argue that developed nations, with their historically higher emissions, should bear the financial burden of climate-related losses in developing countries. One paper published in Nature even suggests the possibility of suing fossil fuel companies for climate damages.
While India’s historical contribution to global CO2 emissions is relatively low, its future actions are crucial, particularly in the development and deployment of sustainable energy sources. As climate attribution science evolves, it may hold the key to not only understanding the impacts of climate change but also to holding polluters accountable and forging a path towards a more just and sustainable future.
First Piper 