protecting public property
Article

Brick by brick: A multi-dimensional approach to protecting public property

Climate scientists worked together with state property administrators and technicians towards understanding and assessing key climate hazards for buildings in Italy. A one-of-its-kind collaboration, it resulted in a step-by-step methodology to support efforts in evaluating the impacts of climate change on built heritage. The process involved examining prevalent tools in architectural and urban design, analyzing common policy frameworks, and exploring emerging trends at the community level.

Tetsu Kubota
Interview

More comfort, less carbon: Climate resilient housing in the Global South

The Global South is both home to over 75% of the world’s urban population and at the same time urbanizing faster than anywhere else in the world. “Building low carbon, climate resilient and affordable housing is therefore a priority if we are to meet climate goals in these areas,” says Building Science expert and Professor at Hiroshima University, Tetsu Kubota.

houses with solar panels
Interview

John Weyant: Integrated Assessment Modelling informing future climate policy

“Whether or not we keep up with the needs of policymakers will be determined by how much they trust the results from models and how relevant they are to their needs.” Professor John Weyant of Stanford University discusses the evolution of Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs), emphasizing the importance of incorporating growing datasets to meet policymakers’ needs. The Integrated Assessment Modeling Consortium (IAMC) gathers leading climate modeling experts, facilitating crucial advancements in scenario development for climate policy. Its contributions, including defining concepts like Net-Zero, are crucial in informing international climate agreements and shaping future strategies for combating climate change.

Article

What if AI could save lives? A paradigm shift in weather forecasting

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is showing an ability to provide faster and more accurate medium-range weather forecasts at a global level using fewer computational resources. Remi Lam presents GraphCast, the open-source machine-learning model produced by the AI firm Google DeepMind. Delivering 10-day weather predictions in less than one minute, the model could benefit people’s everyday lives across the globe, as well as providing better warnings for extreme events. 

Article

Beyond forecasting: Machine Learning exploring climate impacts

Machine learning has emerged as a transformative tool in climate research, evolving from theory to practice over the past few decades. In this context, CMCC is expanding its focus beyond traditional climate modeling to include the study of environmental, social and economic impacts of climate change through data-driven approaches. This transformation is expected to involve all-encompassing capacity building, with substantial infrastructure investments alongside efforts to enhance the knowledge base of scientists.

Article

The AI revolution in weather forecasting: Reactions and comments from the mediasphere

The accuracy and timeliness of weather forecasts can make all the difference in decision making processes. However, as private sector actors leverage artificial intelligence to develop more accurate forecasts than traditional models, experts and journalists try to identify new ethical, political, and technological challenges for the future of weather forecasting.

wind turbine transported by a truck
Article

Twice the work in half the time: EU calls for 90% cut of GHG emissions by 2040

The European Commission set an intermediate step on the path to 2050 climate neutrality. An incredibly detailed impact assessment explains how member states would concretely reach this ambitious goal.

Interview

Beyond carbon price tags: Achieving climate justice in the EU

As climate policies evolve, so too must their approach to equity: a just and equal transition is “probably the only one that’s feasible”, explains Matthias Weitzel, researcher at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre. Navigating the complexities of EU climate policies, such as the balance between regulatory standards and carbon pricing, is crucial to ensure fairness and equity across society.

Interview

Ambitious and realistic. Europe’s path to decarbonization

Linda Kalcher, Executive Director of the think tank Strategic Perspectives, outlines strengths and weaknesses of the EC recommendation of reducing 90% net EU greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 and describes opportunities and shapes of a future that is just around the corner.

pebbles labyrinth on a beach

Shifting the private sector narrative: How companies embrace sustainability

Climate change poses an array of diverse challenges for the business world, yet within the corporate sphere, a plethora of climate solutions are available. Ione Anderson, architect solutionist and associate partner at Ernst & Young, and Solitaire Townsend, co-founder and chief solutionist at Futerra, examine the dynamic relationship between the private sector and climate change, highlighting the innovative and challenging approaches that businesses are undertaking for a green transition.

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A series of dialogues involving international experts, writers, artists, journalists, scientists, innovators and entrepreneurs to discuss the role of communication in accelerating the climate transition.

Discover and join the forthcoming Foresight Dialogues, the webinar series for the CMCC Climate Change Communication Award “Rebecca Ballestra”.

A collection of words with which we hope to plant the seeds of awareness, providing in-depth definitions of some of the most pressing topics related to climate change.

Because understanding the discourse that surrounds the climate crisis is the key to a sustainable future.

Climate-smart agriculture

Growing the food of tomorrow will require ever greater technological support. From sensors and the internet of things to robotics and novel ways of analyzing data, climate-smart agriculture is emerging as a key solution to producing more with less in a rapidly changing world.

Disclosure

Transparency from companies and governments about climate-related information, risks and opportunities is crucial for building a resilient economy, empowering communities and creating an equal and fair society. In the era of climate change, a standardized disclosure framework to understand climate risk is not only helpful to investors, it’s also critical to companies for strategic planning.

Green premium

“It is a challenge to be overcome if we want to reach our climate targets,” say global experts, investors and economists. The green premium concept helps measure progress on green technology deployment and, at the same time, establish what the next steps should be for a rapid low-carbon transition. A review of sources, definitions and data to understand a key factor in the climate transition. 

Every story is a climate story – Ep. 09

We know a lot about the crisis. We know that it is time to progress from understanding the problems to solving them. However, we also know that there is no perfect solution. It is a

Climate on trial – Ep. 07

The Urgenda case was the game changer. It opened up a new dialogue between human rights law and climate science, while it marked a watershed moment for climate justice: from then on, we saw new

Interview

With great risks come opportunities: Interview with Francesco Bosello

Technological, economic, and environmental risks are on the rise, but it is precisely in these areas that the opportunities for building a better future lie. In an increasingly fragmented world, awareness of the need to act on climate risks is growing whilst priority for action is directed elsewhere. CMCC Principal Scientist Francesco Bosello comments on the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2024.

Telling stories of climate resilience

”It was clear that our narrative had to present climate change as a problem with solutions. That’s where the idea of humanising climate risks through stories of resilience came together.” Faces of Climate Resilience, the winner of the 2023 CMCC Award, is a compelling short-documentary series showcasing the voices of individuals in some of India’s most climate-vulnerable regions. In an interview with creative producer Milan George Jacob, we discuss storytelling as a tool for effective, people-focused climate communication.

Climate changing narratives: Jonathan Amos on thirty years of climate science reporting for the BBC

Three decades of progress in climate science meet the evolving landscape of climate communication, leaving space for the imperative shift towards ‘solutions journalism’, aligning with evolving audience preferences and the quest for comprehensive climate change narratives. Jonathan Amos, a science reporter with the BBC since 1994, offers profound insights into the evolution of climate change reporting.

Democratizing climate modeling for more pertinent and accurate policy insights

Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) play a pivotal role in shaping climate research and policy. “The main progress lies in democratizing modeling capabilities across different countries, ensuring more pertinent and accurate policy insights,” says Roberto Schaeffer. The need for a shift towards national-level modeling of climate impacts, the complexity of balancing immediate costs with long-term benefits at the policy level, and the representation gap between countries, are at the core of the current discussion around climate modeling.

pebbles labyrinth on a beach

Shifting the private sector narrative: How companies embrace sustainability

Climate change poses an array of diverse challenges for the business world, yet within the corporate sphere, a plethora of climate solutions are available. Ione Anderson, architect solutionist and associate partner at Ernst & Young, and Solitaire Townsend, co-founder and chief solutionist at Futerra, examine the dynamic relationship between the private sector and climate change, highlighting the innovative and challenging approaches that businesses are undertaking for a green transition.

ice

Ice’s perpetual change through the lens of photography, semiotics and science

The climate and environmental history of our planet are archived in ice. Glaciers are an invaluable resource for understanding how our climatic system operated in the past and how it operates now; witnesses of the changes that our planet is undergoing. Carlo Barbante, Director of the CNR Institute of Polar Science, Fabiano Ventura, photographer and president of the non-profit organisation Macromicro, and Valeria Burgio, postdoctoral researcher at Ca’ Foscari University in Venice, engage in dialogue on the role of glaciers as archives and sentinels of climate change.

abstract structure

Art and science for climate action

Art and science speak different languages, but when it comes to climate change, they tell the same story. Artist Carolina Aragón and climatologist Vladimir Djurdjevic join in dialogue on their unique perspectives on the intersection between climate change and the world of art and science.

Research and innovation as a harbor for public engagement

From ivory tower to harbor for trading knowledge, research and innovation can benefit from public engagement to ensure excellence in science. Annette Klinkert, Executive Director of the European Science Engagement Association (EUSEA), and Eulàlia Baulenas, postdoctoral researcher at the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre (BSC), explore the concept of public engagement, its significance for the research community, and how it can translate from theory into action.

Visualizing climate science

A participatory approach is the foundation for building solutions that empower citizens, policymakers, experts, and non-experts to make informed decisions. Co-designing data visualizations that reflect the findings made with climate science is key to reach the right audiences and foster change. Data visualization explained by Angela Morelli, the information designer that contributed to the most recent Summaries for Policymakers published by the IPCC.

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Navigating the European response to climate disinformation

The European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) serves as a hub for fact-checking by focusing on the analysis of disinformation, including recent climate disinformation narratives, to support European regulation policies. Paula Gori, Secretary-General and Coordinator at EDMO, and Tommaso Canetta, Coordinator of EDMO’s fact-checking activities, present the network’s initiatives in monitoring and addressing climate disinformation.

electrifying transport

The transport sector’s electrifying progress

Direct electrification is one of the main solutions to lowering carbon emissions and improved energy security. A series of reports and studies look at how electrification is revolutionizing the transport sector, why the transition has been slowing down and what further gains are to be expected in the future.

trucks

Untapped potential: Transportation’s sustainable future

The pivotal role of the transport sector in a changing climate reveals both its challenges and opportunities. With transport representing the largest energy consuming sector in 40% of countries worldwide, the IPCC’s 6th Assessment Report underscores the necessity of systemic changes, from electrification in land transport to innovations in aviation and shipping fuels. AR6 offers a comprehensive roadmap, emphasizing technological advancements, effective policies, and behavioral shifts to steer transportation towards a sustainable path.

Electrifying road transports in Italy

Science clearly points to the electrification of road transportation as a priority to achieve net zero emissions by mid-century. Particularly in Italy, the European country with the highest motorization rate. Three reports, with the contribution of experts from CMCC, illustrate where we stand and why electric mobility in Italy is preferable to other technological solutions.

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