Faith in progress through new technologies has been a driving force since the industrial revolution, but countries have come to realize the finiteness of natural resources: can we really resolve problems that were caused by the rise of industrial and technological progress with the same processes? Philippe Bihouix advocates for a development model in which “low technologies” would replace today’s “high-tech” world.
A new study investigated how changes in water balance and tree canopies may impact the creation and maintenance of microclimates. Climate change may profoundly modify the ability of western U.S. forests to face climate extremes.
The end of 2018 is a crucial date for the implementation of the climate agreement adopted in Paris in 2015 and currently ratified by 178 countries. At COP24 in Katowice, Poland, countries are due to finalized and adopt the operational guidelines of the treaty, also known as “the Paris rulebook”.
How do we meet the hunger, poverty, energy, growth goals while meeting the environmental goals? What are the synergies and trade-offs? What are the costs
European institutions and member states in the mid-June session agreed on the revision of the Renewable Energy Directive and the Energy Efficiency Directive, the laws which set out the overall policy for the production of energy from renewable sources and the promotion of energy efficiency measures in the 28-bloc.
OECD cities are increasingly fragmented and more people are moving to low-density suburbs. A new set of urban sprawl indicators applied in 1,156 urban areas
Over the last few years, an ever-increasing number of lawsuits have seen citizens and associations bringing their governments to the courts to enforce climate change commitments or to push for more ambitious policy goals to reduce emissions and adapt to impacts of the changing climate.
Courtney Mattison is an internationally recognized artist and ocean advocate working to inspire policymakers and the public to conserve our changing seas.
Ocean plastic pollution is not only a global problem, but something that we are extremely affected by in the Mediterranean Sea region. With the devastating effects of plastic pollution realized, action is being taken to study, quantify, and better understand where discarded plastic is ending up and how this is harming nature, ecosystems, and ultimately humans. The realization of the downside to our societal dependence on this material has even lead to a social movement to address this problem and communicate change.
From immediate emergencies to slower onset problems, Small Island States are those most affected by the combined impacts of climate change and the degradation of oceans’ health. Sitting at the international negotiations they claim the keywords for the future: consistency, ambition. And urgency.
Oceans are facing increasing pressures: biodiversity loss, pollution, over-exploitation and illegal activities; and diverse impacts of climate change, such as ocean warming, acidification and rising sea level, are increasingly alarming. From the headquarters of international organizations as well as in the most vulnerable and ocean dependent countries, it is acknowledged that it is time to change the way we manage oceans and their resources in order to keep them healthy, productive, safe, secure and resilient.
Twenty-four million new jobs will be created globally by 2030 if the right policies to promote a greener economy are put in place, a new
