The frequency and intensity of wildfire events is on the rise due to a combination of climate and land use changes. However, the dominant approach to wildfire management, namely direct reaction and response, is starting to prove both ineffective and in some ways even contributing to megafire events. With researchers increasingly focusing on prevention and preparedness there are new solutions to creating resilient firewise communities.
In 2023 the global wind industry expanded its capacity by over 50% compared to the previous year as countries around the world ramped up investments in wind energy generation. Despite this, recent news has focused on a wind slowdown due to rising prices, supply chain issues and local opposition. What is the true state of global wind energy development?
What does it mean to be the world’s fastest warming continent toppling flooding, temperature and wildfire records as glaciers melt at unprecedented rates and communities suffer like never before? Understanding the latest trends in Europe’s climate, including progress in areas such as renewable energy generation and resilience to extreme events, is the key to effective adaptation and mitigation.
Urban environment and infrastructure design are among the intersections of local, national, and European adaptation policies. Evidence of these interactions is part of the New European Bauhaus, where architecture and creativity meet climate science and sustainable development goals.
We explore insights from the European Environment Agency (EEA) report ‘Urban Adaptation in Europe’, which analyses solutions to climate challenges.
In the pre-WWII era, the German design school set the template for beautiful, functional design with a focus on the built environment. In its modern iteration, the New European Bauhaus integrates the principles of sustainability, inclusivity, and aesthetics to propel innovation and move society towards more sustainable development.
As the global community grapples with the urgency of preserving one of the planet’s most vital resources, the Ocean Decade Conference is striving to put science at the center of the process. Has the latest conference in Barcelona shown how to deliver the science we need for the ocean we want?
Science writes stories about people, communities, and cities along the thin area that separates the sea from land, where one of the most important challenges with regards to climate change is playing out. Innovation, technology, research, local communities, and global policy meet here.
The EEA’s first ever European Climate Risk Assessment (EUCRA) identifies justice as a key component of adaptation. Yet justice is not just about measuring the equity in distribution of benefits and burdens from climate impacts, it’s also intrinsically tied to the concept of resilience.
Human health is impacted in many ways by climate change, both at the individual level and through systemic risks to the health system. The European Climate Risk Assessment identified heat stress and wildfires as the two risks for which urgent action is needed.
The Nature Restoration Law, initially a cornerstone of the European Green Deal, has undergone significant revisions due to pressure from farmer protests and the rise of populist sentiments among some EU lawmakers and governments. Despite numerous concessions, the law remains stuck in the regulatory process, with some countries taking hardline positions ahead of the upcoming bloc-wide election.
At times, climate policies are divisive and polarizing, others they do not even reach party platforms. At first glance, climate policies should carry significant weight in voters’ decisions, but the situation is much more complex. To better understand it, we reckon with political short-term goals, the parties’ ability to engage citizens in decision-making, and even the role of misinformation. A review of how climate change and electoral consensus are interlinked.
Between 6-9 June 2024, voters across the EU will decide on the next European Parliament, and in the process, set the course for the bloc’s next five years of climate policy. Polls and experts suggest that, although climate issues continue to be a key concern, the next EU Parliament may dilute climate policy. The issue however, is not with the climate policies themselves, but which climate policies are being implemented.
