Home to over 500 million people across 22 countries whose lives are closely shaped by its waters, the Mediterranean Sea is not only a vital marine ecosystem but also one of the world’s most vulnerable climate hotspots, currently warming 20% faster than the global average. July 8th marks the International Day of the Mediterranean Sea — a moment to reflect on its importance and the urgent challenges it faces.
The goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C has become a cornerstone of international climate policy. However, as greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise and the impacts of climate change intensify, surpassing this threshold is looking increasingly likely, if not inevitable. This scenario raises urgent questions about the risks involved, the feasibility of returning to safer temperature levels, and the social and economic trade-offs associated with such pathways. New tools and research, such as CMCC’s overshoot platform based on the work of an international team of scientists and design experts, can help answer these questions.
Oceans play a central role in the climate system and the way they interact with coastlines leads to both great opportunities and some of the most pressing hazards concerning climate scientists. “Rising sea levels, intensifying storms, marine pollution, and coastal erosion highlight the need to improve our understanding of coastal systems and our ability to manage risks effectively,” says CMCC Strategy Council member and co-chair of CoastPredict, Nadia Pinardi.
As 2024 comes to a close we look back at the most important climate events, meetings, negotiations and initiatives from the last twelve months. Our research and data, articles and projects reveal a year that has been rich with developments and change in both the climate itself and what we can expect from the future.
From Obama to Trump, then Biden and Trump again. The US presidents who have come and gone over the past quarter century have brought different visions and policies when it comes to climate finance. Leveraging her experience in policy analysis of international environmental and climate agreements, CMCC researcher Semercioglu Nazlicicek outlines the history of US contributions to loss and damage funding and what we can expect from a second Trump term in office.
Architects and planners are increasingly concerned with integrating green systems that ensure the well-being of urban communities into their projects. Livia Shamir, Head of the Research Department at Stefano Boeri Architetti, explains how this challenge plays out in different projects across the world and across income groups.
From sensational media narratives to conspiracy theories, the impact of misinformation on climate change discussion is pervasive, posing a threat to climate action and fostering distrust in scientific endeavors. During the “Foresight Dialogues 2023” event, hosted by the CMCC Foundation, misinformation experts John Cook and Paula Gori explored innovative approaches, such as AI-based tools and cognitive science applications, aiming to equip the public with the tools needed to discern accurate information.
The impacts of climate change on the ocean are driving more frequent and intense extreme events at our coasts. International initiatives such as the United Nations Early Warning For All and the Global Ocean Observing System’s CoastPredict aim to revolutionize access to improved early warnings.
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 matter of shifting understanding and knowledge from science to society, from data to stories, from facts to solutions.
By Carolina Aragon and Ezra Markowitz
Sculptures made of data, fluctuating structures on the water, and an exploration of the
effects that climate art can have on people’s engagement. This is an example of how the scientific approach and the artistic process can bring us to a better understanding of how the climate is perceived by public opinion. An artist and a social scientist explain the way the art installation FutureSHORELINE integrates different perspectives and provides shared knowledge.
Official press release by the IPCC on the publication of the Synthesis Report – AR6 —-
There are multiple, feasible and effective options to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to human-caused climate change, and they are available now, said scientists in the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report released March 20.
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 measures to protect people from the harms posed by climate change. From there, we start with the voices of those who experienced the Urgenda case on the front line.
We tell the story of climate litigation and why it is a crucial aspect of the future planet.
