Francesco Bassetti, Author at Foresight

Shared socioeconomic pathways

Scenarios are not predictions. They are a construction of a future that looks at the consequences of given developments and actions. A future that is being sculpted by our current actions.

What is it that makes one statement more reliable than another and how can we claim that science has reached a consensus on any given issue? Increasingly, talk of climate change revolves around discussions of a “scientific consensus” and how this shapes our present and future understanding of climate issues and policymaking.

Are the Winter Olympics sustainable?

Winter Olympics should stir up images of snow-clad peaks and pristine mountains. Yet the Winter Games are increasingly held in areas with scarce snowfall and involve the development of new infrastructure which can scar the surrounding landscape and threaten nature reserves. So, what is a sustainable Olympic Games and can Beijing 2022 help change this narrative?

Finding the right colour for hydrogen

Grey, blue, green, pink, turquoise: Not all hydrogen is born the same. Although it may emit no greenhouse gases at the point of consumption how hydrogen is produced influences its true carbon footprint.

Winter sports in the grip of climate change

Ski resorts across the Alps are struggling in the face of yet another year with record-low snowfall. But it isn’t just a European phenomenon. All around the globe, researchers are studying how climate change impacts current and future snowfall patterns. And it’s bad news for snow lovers everywhere, with a significant financial burden falling on entire economic sectors.

Giorgio Parisi: Ordering chaos

Is there an order to chaos? Professor Giorgio Parisi walks us through the amazing patterns and rules that govern apparently random phenomena in his Nobel lecture on the theory of complex systems and their implications for our understanding of the world that surrounds us.

Klaus Hasselmann: The link between weather and climate

Understanding the link between weather patterns and climate change is a key part of breaking down how humans influence the environment. This year’s Nobel Prize in Physics Professor Klaus Hasselmann gives his Nobel lecture on how both weather and climate are interconnected, even though weather is inherently unpredictable. Watch the full lecture.

Syukuro Manabe: Mapping the Earth’s climate

In his Nobel lecture, Professor Syukuro Manabe explains how man influences the climate and how weather and climate modelling has allowed us to understand this relationship in more detail. Watch the full lecture.

Action for Climate Empowerment

Sustainable lifestyles, including sustainable patterns of consumption and production, are a key part of reducing harmful emissions and creating societal resilience to the inevitable effects of climate change. Success pivots on broad collaboration between government and all levels of society including young people, minorities, and disadvantaged communities and policymakers now have an “ace” up their sleeve.

Net zero

Climate science points to a clear link between greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. In response, an increasing number of countries have committed to transition to “net zero” emission economies by 2050. But, what exactly does “net zero” mean? Does it imply putting a stop to harmful climate altering gasses or simply finding ways of re-absorbing them?

From Youth4Climate to COP26: Ambition sets youth and global leaders apart

Bringing youth to the centre of climate negotiations and ensuring meaningful participation was a key concern for the joint UK-Italy Presidency of the COP26. So, how did ideas developed in Milan by 400 young climate leaders reach the negotiating tables and what elements of the Youth4Climate Manifesto made it into the Glasgow Climate Pact?

COP26 through the eyes of China, India, Brazil and Australia

These countries tend to come up when discussing obstacles and slowdowns to climate negotiations. A look at how their major national newspapers are reporting on the Glasgow Climate Pact.