Climate-neutral and fully adapted to climate change by 2050. This is the (not so distant) future outlined for Europe in their new adaptation strategy. With 30 years left to enact this process, it is no longer just an ambition: with “deals”, strategies, and laws, the EU policy context is moving rapidly to make change a reality just as civil society is demanding action and the private sector is stepping up its game.
On the policy side, the latest step forward is the new EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change, adopted by the European Commission on February 24, 2021. It…
From early childhood we learn that around 70% of planet Earth is made up of water. This amounts to around 1,390 billion km3 of which 97.5% is the saltwater contained in our seas and oceans. Only around 2.5% of Earth’s water is freshwater which is the essential building blocks for life as we know it.
The majority of freshwater is stored in the polar ice caps and glaciers. In fact, humanity only has direct access to around 0.5% of the planet’s fresh water, of which only a part is clean and safe for drinking.
Water security is essential to sustainable…
Conservationists and environment officials hope new UN standards that also account for the value of natural capital can help governments slow the rapid decline of plant and animal species worldwide.
The UN has adopted a new system that takes the contributions of nature into account when analysing economic development. …
Not only is gender equality a fundamental human right but it is also a pillar of creating a sustainable global system. Enshrined in the UN’s SDG 5 — Gender Equality — is a recognition that investing in environmental sustainability goes hand in hand with achieving global goals related to gender equality and vice-versa.
Overall, climate change has a greater impact on those members of society that are the most vulnerable and poor. …
By consulting researchers and digging into fields related to climate change Future Earth, The Earth League and the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) — a network of scientists, researchers and institutions that collaborate to address some of the planet’s most pressing issues — put together the 10 new insights in climate science for 2020 with the participation of 57 leading researchers from 21 countries.
Presented on 27 January 2021 to Patricia Espinosa, UNFCCC Executive Secretary, the authors shed light on some of 2020’s most important findings regarding climate science. …
“The climate crisis is not gender neutral” claim Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Dr. Katharine K. Wilkinson, two women and climate leaders who know about science and care for the future of the planet.
There is an overwhelming belief that climate change is a global emergency. This is the conclusion reached by The Peoples’ Climate Vote, the largest survey ever taken of public opinion on climate change recently published by the United Nations Development Programme — UNDP.
“This is an unprecedented moment: even during a COVID-19 pandemic two-thirds of people around the world are seeing climate change as an emergency that must be addressed”, commented Cassie Flynn, the UNDP’s strategic adviser on climate change while illustrating the results of the survey. “The poll cuts across 50 countries in 17 languages. It has a…
Just one week after Biden’s inauguration the effort to roll-back Trump’s environmental legacy is already in full swing. On his very first day in office, President Biden proceeded to sign a multitude of executive orders of which two specifically targeting environmental issues. Whether these directives make a meaningful difference remains to be seen but what is certain is that they have sent a clear message on the new administrations climate intentions.
Furthermore, in a testament to the seriousness with which the new administration regards climate change, on January 27, Biden signed more climate-related executive orders, this time targeting new oil…
Volatility in oil prices, mixed with increasingly aggressive legislation that makes fossil fuels less attractive for investors, is driving the transition to a new energy paradigm. Long accused of being too expensive and non-competitive, the global market is finally opening its doors to renewables as an economically viable solution to our climate related predicaments. …
Ever since 1995 policymakers, researchers, business leaders, activists and journalists have gathered for the annual end of year climate summit. An opportunity to set the tone for the new year and ensure that climate objectives are on track.
This year public health concerns prevented COP26 from taking place, delaying it to November 2021. However, policymakers are not throwing in the towel when it comes to advancing climate goals, with many countries updating their NDCs and the incumbent US administration vowing to take a leading role as a climate actor.
Notwithstanding the lack of a COP in 2020, leaders have found…
Euro-Mediterranean Center on #ClimateChange: integrated, multi-disciplinary and frontier research on climate science and policy.