On the 20th October 2019, the Swiss elections came to a close with a surprising outcome: Green parties gained an unprecedented share of the vote and for the first time could get a seat in the coalition that governs Switzerland. After advances by Green parties in the European parliamentary elections, climate change continues to play a key role in politics, as public opinion is ever more influenced by the effective communication of climate science.
With urban populations continuing to grow and contributing more than their fair share of global emissions, cities must step up and fulfil their potential as sources of solutions to the climate crisis. Initiatives such as C40 smart cities can help catalyse ambitious climate action plans in line with science-based targets. The latest C40 meeting in Copenhagen shows that there is a growing drive for cities to take the lead in generating positive change.
Food loss and waste worsen the scarcity of natural resources and greenhouse gas emissions from human activities with no purpose. Reducing food loss and waste can contribute towards environmental sustainability and limit the influence of the food system on climate change, increasing economic efficiency and food security at the same time. A new FAO report suggests how.
Not only does climate change have a more significant impact on the economies of lower income countries, these also have to pay more for adaptation, recovery and redevelopment loans, leading them into the climate debt trap. With the added “cruel irony” that those less responsible for climate change are being made to pay a larger share of the price.
Extreme poverty is decreasing, but inequalities are rising; access to electricity and safe drinking water is improving, but losses in biodiversity are increasing. The Sustainable Development Goals are measuring both progress and delays. Officially launched at the SDGs Summit 2019, the new report “The Future is Now: Science for Achieving Sustainable Development” highlights six “entry points” for accelerating the progress towards the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
A new IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere claims that we still have time to avert some of the worst effects of climate change. Although painting a dire picture, which reveals the pervasive effects of global warming, the Report also highlights the significant benefits of limiting global warming by emphasising how lower emission scenarios will have reduced impacts on the wellbeing of oceans and the cryosphere.
Responding to a changing climate can be both a challenge and an opportunity. A new policy paper published in the journal Science advocates a strategic and managed climate retreat, curbing new developments in at risk areas and shifting the focus from ad hoc disaster measures to efficient and equitable retreat strategies.
The UN Climate Action Summit, one of a series of climate-related events that drew attention to climate change this month – including the largest global
Due to human activity we are currently undergoing Earth’s sixth mass extinction. Delegations from all over the world came together in Switzerland at the CITES conference to debate how to protect over 500 endangered species by regulating wildlife trade.
Official UN summits, global strikes, hundreds of events and a new IPCC Report: a summary of what is not to be missed in September, as far as climate change science and policy are concerned.
Hans von Storch and Silvio Gualdi Being trained as natural scientists, some climate scientists began in the 1990s their excursions into social sciences when it
Promoting ocean science policy and management for sustainable development is the core focus of the Ocean Decade. In the next few years, ocean stakeholders worldwide will gather behind a common framework that will ensure ocean science can fully support countries in creating improved conditions for the sustainable development of the ocean.
