The €750 billion plan will help member states address the COVID-19 pandemic whilst ensuring that their economies undertake green and digital transitions. Climate goals, research and innovation, Horizon Europe, fair climate and digital transitions: all you need to know about the largest stimulus package ever to be advanced through the EU budget.
Both weigh on the health systems, both aggravate existing inequalities, both have huge economic impacts. COVID-19 and climate change are crisis that need to be tackled together, because “we do not have the luxury of taking one crisis at a time”. The 2020 Lancet Countdown Report on Health and Climate Change told by one of its authors.
Air pollution causes premature deaths from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and Covid induced lockdowns have provided a unique opportunity to study air quality, with some surprising results: “We were struck by the fact that air quality wasn’t as good as we were anticipating. On some days in Lombardy it was even above the EU required level for safety”, explains Valentina Bosetti, senior scientist at the RFF-CMCC European Institute on Economics and the Environment.
Collaborations, connections, community, engagement, concerted efforts. For a sustainable and climate-resilient future, what needs to shift is human behaviour and human perception. Kirsten Dunlop, CEO at EIT Climate-KIC, on the benefits of linking human and planetary health when designing systemic change through innovation that leads us out of the current crisis. Dealing with “climate change is not about finding and implementing the right solutions”.
Horizon scanning, risk awareness, preparedness. Environmental disclosure can become a lever for companies to exit the current crisis and get ready for future ones. A discussion with Pietro Bertazzi, the Global Director – Policy Engagement at CDP, about what the business and policy spheres can learn from the pandemic so that they aren’t taken by surprise in dealing with climate change.
Low prices for oil and other fossil fuels, the Covid-19 crisis, the recovery package, and the opportunity to combine an urgent response to social needs with long-term sustainable strategies. A vision of the future that combines investments and climate resilience. International experts discuss perspectives and solutions for green finance, in the name of the “do no significant harm” principle.
Many words are the same. Many words are very similar. Many of them are recurring when journalists deal with both the pandemic and the climate crisis. Some examples? Infodemic, misinformation, disinformation. But also risk management, environmental issues, deniers, data journalism, and the young generations. An expert in science communication and journalism helps us understand more about the media and the nexus between climate change and coronavirus.
The COVID-19 pandemic is making us rethink our link with nature and the way conservation efforts are carried out, just as reverse migrations to rural
Countries are still coming together to discuss climate action notwithstanding delays to climate negotiations. Green recovery packages emerge as a top priority with policymakers signaling them as a key instrument with which to both kickstart the economy and avoid environmental breakdown. From the Land of the Rising Sun comes a wake-up call and a set of new initiatives to facilitate international dialogue and build momentum for climate action.
“We have lost our innocence”. Cities are threatened by climate change and play a central role in the transition towards sustainable development. One of the
The COVID-19 pandemic will continue to impact the global monitoring and forecasting capacity of the earth system. Partially suspended activities are causing a large loss
Glaciers are a symbol, they portray climate change in the collective imaginary and represent the balance of nature. Photographer Fabiano Ventura describes the iconic power
