On the 20th October 2019, the Swiss elections came to a close with a surprising outcome: Green parties gained an unprecedented share of the vote and for the first time could get a seat in the coalition that governs Switzerland. After advances by Green parties in the European parliamentary elections, climate change continues to play a key role in politics, as public opinion is ever more influenced by the effective communication of climate science.
Extreme poverty is decreasing, but inequalities are rising; access to electricity and safe drinking water is improving, but losses in biodiversity are increasing. The Sustainable Development Goals are measuring both progress and delays. Officially launched at the SDGs Summit 2019, the new report “The Future is Now: Science for Achieving Sustainable Development” highlights six “entry points” for accelerating the progress towards the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The UN Climate Action Summit, one of a series of climate-related events that drew attention to climate change this month – including the largest global
Official UN summits, global strikes, hundreds of events and a new IPCC Report: a summary of what is not to be missed in September, as far as climate change science and policy are concerned.
As a record-breaking heatwave hit Europe, UN climate talks were underway in Bonn, Germany. However, things were not running smoothly: in a highly contentious move, a group of oil-producing countries led by Saudi Arabia refused to “welcome” the IPCC Special Report on 1.5C, citing “scientific gaps” in the report and therefore challenging the scientific basis of future decarbonisation plans. In response, the Alliance of Small Island States has voiced their support of the report and denounced the move as a negation of climate science.
Manchester – 27 June 2019. Economists make a plea to address climate change more effectively and to adopt the best solution we have so far:
In an unusually alarming tone, a new UN report reveals that nature’s decline has reached “unprecedented” levels, with species extinction rates increasing and global responses remaining insufficient. The erosion of the environment and its wellbeing is the most damming assessment yet of man’s impact on Planet Earth and reiterates the need for transformative change to restore and protect nature.
The IPCC special report on the impacts of global warming tells us that, although the planet is getting hotter, it is still possible to remain within the 1.5 °C mark set out in the Paris Agreement. However, for this to be achieved nothing short of reaching net zero emissions by 2050 will suffice: policymakers are looking to decarbonise the economy.
Xi Jinping’s official trip to Europe revolved around multi-billion-euro business deals including fourteen large contracts; a Chinese order for 300 Airbus planes worth 30 billion euros; transport and infrastructure plans under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI); and, surprisingly, commitments to invest in renewable energy and fight climate change by upholding the Paris Agreements.
The 2019 edition of the annual World Economic Forum flagship publication lists extreme weather events, failure of climate-change mitigation and adaptation and natural disasters among the top five threats most likely to occur in the next 10 years.
Since 2012 the number of commitments on fossil fuel divestment has increased rapidly, reaching over 1000 institutions worth 7 trillion euro.
At the U.N. climate summit in Poland, countries agreed upon the Katowice Climate Package, a set of rules for implementing the Paris Agreement. It is the outcome of a complex COP, due to technicalities and difficult international context. After two weeks and one extra day of tense negotiations, the rulebook to face and contain climate change got the green light.
