Alessandra Mazzai

The most powerful weapon of change

Is generating more energy with less emissions a farfetched utopia? Far from it, international expert Pia Løvengreen Alessi shows us the faces behind the emerging technical, organisational, and behavioural revolution that has the force to change the world. A revolution involving younger generations, over a billion people without access to energy, as well as present and future global leaders. A revolution that is being carried forward with what Nelson Mandela called the most powerful weapon of change.

Carbon market

Giving a price to carbon means innovation, technological deployment, and profound changes in the economic system. However, the costs of a low-carbon transition will not be felt equally by all. Trading emissions in a carbon market allows us to start cutting emissions where it is cheapest whilst leaving room for the most virtuous to make gains. Origins and evolutions of a flexible and cost-effective policy with almost 20 years of history.

Ashley Cooper: Framing the climate with the power of imagery

14 years of expeditions, 30 countries, 7 continents, 50,000 images. Environmental photographer and author of “Images From a Warming Planet” brings a wealth of experience to the art of capturing climate change. Yet, it isn’t just about taking pictures of the impacts and destruction. It’s also about highlighting the science and solutions that motivate climate action.

Decoupling (emissions from economic growth)

Is it possible to build a zero-carbon world and, at the same time, guarantee sustainable development and well-being prospects? The answer depends on how capable we are of building development models in which economic growth does not go hand in hand with growth in greenhouse gas emissions.

Time to adapt: Making our life immune to climate impacts

The new IPCC report highlights the urgency for our societies to adapt to the unavoidable and rising impacts of climate change. Decision-makers worldwide recognize this need. However, when the time comes to act they are called to find their way through the plethora of tools and models designed by scientists to support decision making. Now there is a compass, calibrated by the main EU experts on climate adaptation modelling.

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.

Climate is made of weather

A history of how science provides climate variability forecasting on seasonal and multi-annual time scales, thus delivering essential information to various economic sectors and reducing future uncertainties due to climate change. A tale of how the Italian scientific community produces actionable knowledge for decision-makers worldwide and how the CMCC Foundation gained recognition as a Global Producing Centre for Long-Range Forecasts by the World Meteorological Organization.

Bringing the future into the present

Scenarios are the language through which climate models tell how the future might unfold. How can we give life to these futures through mathematics and ingenuity? Massimo Tavoni, lead author of the IPCC and director of the RFF-CMCC European Institute on Economics and the Environment, discusses how science designs scenarios, and how they help communicate the climate challenge and guide decisions.

Carbon budget

Almost 200 players, a common goal and a limited budget with which to reach it. Tackling climate change is no easy feat. Can the Carbon Budget concept guide decision makers towards the right choices when trying to cut emissions?

Social media and misinformation at COP26

The conversation around climate change has never been more intense on social media, where influencers have the power to inspire and even persuade their followers. An international multidisciplinary team has developed a dashboard that allows us to navigate tweets and hashtags providing some answers to this question. So, to what extent are social media users at the mercy of climate change deniers?

Walking through the future

It builds relationships across different disciplines, looking for a shared vocabulary. It engages emotions and boosts personal responsibility. Combining art and science, the installation FutureSHORELINE –

The era of climate opportunity

How important is listening to science when facing climate risks: renewable energy, advances in technology, an active financial sector and carbon pricing. It is “A perfect storm of climate opportunity”.