Adaptation Strategies

climate-smart agriculture

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.

Africa’s climate change adaptation pathway

Africa is one of the most vulnerable continents to climate change and variability, a situation which is further aggravated by its low adaptive capacity and the interaction of factors such as poverty, energy demand and rapid urbanisation.

Finance, resilience, action: Three climate keywords for Africa

Africa stands at the forefront of the disproportionate impacts of climate change despite having contributed minimally to global greenhouse gas emissions historically. In September, the first Africa Climate Summit aimed at finding common finance solutions to foster a green and sustainable growth for the continent. The results are summarized in the Nairobi declaration, highlighting the urgency of a strong climate finance strategy, throughout the continent and at an international cooperation level.

Wildfires from attribution to solutions: tools and resources

Fire has always been an integral part of human civilization and a key ecosystem process. Fires influence vegetation growth, environmental conditions, and even our climate. However, a changing climate and human interactions through land change use and forest management are having an impact on the intensity and frequency of wildfires. So, what can we do about it?

Landscape with mountains. Ramallah, Palestine

Land and climate change: a close connection

Land is a critical resource. It is under pressure from human activities and climate change, but it is also part of the solution. According to the IPCC, keeping global warming below 2°C can be possible only by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from all sectors, including land and food. The way we use land impacts climate change and, in turn, climate change deeply affects our land.

Rotterdam aerial view

The urban divide: unequal distribution of heat-related risks on city dwellers

Climate change and global warming affect humans, nature and the environment at a global scale. However, their impacts are often not equally and uniformly distributed. People living in Urban Heat Islands are more likely to experience higher levels of heat-related risks for their health, often enhancing existing social inequalities.

Yes. You can feel one degree

The human body can perceive a one-degree difference in air temperature, although most of us not aware of this sensitivity. Experiments conducted in EURAC climatic chambers contributes sheding light on the reasons why climate change awareness is so hard to reach and how psychology can offer new strategies to moderate heat stress. Because “we cannot talk about problems involving humans without understanding how humans work”. An interview with psychologist Laura Battistel.

Information saves lives

Accurate, timely, and reliable: the availability and management of information in an emergency are crucial to reduce damages and improve recovery efforts. With Chiara Menchise, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, we explore the world of information technologies applied to disaster risk reduction, including social media, remote sensing, satellite imageries and Artificial Intelligence.

The cooling solution

The rush of almost every household on the planet to buy an air-conditioning unit as soon as they can afford one is having implications on climate change mitigation. Scientific research meets photography in a project that sheds light on the reasons why air conditioning has become the leading cooling solution in a warming world, and on how we can keep cool without overheating the planet.

green premium

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.