Land

soil texture

Unearthing perspectives: the new European soil health law

The wellbeing of our planet also rests on the health of our soil. With over 60% of European soil believed to be in an unhealthy state many see the Union’s soil monitoring, health and resilience proposal as too little too late. Media and experts reactions to the new European Soil Health Law.

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.

green city

The cities of the future

Skyscrapers made of bamboo. Green roofs. Smart glass. Houses that are cool in summer and warm in winter without burning through loads of energy. All around the world, the future of cities and urbanization looks to bring smarter, more energy-efficient, healthier buildings to the urban environment. An unattainable utopia or simply a necessity in a rapidly urbanizing world that needs to find sustainable solutions to the cities of the future?

dry tree on dry land

The future of droughts: living on a drier planet

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) defines drought as “a period of abnormally dry weather long enough to cause a serious hydrological imbalance.” The definition is however flexible, as drought is a complex and multidimensional phenomenon, whose impacts are influenced by social, economic, and environmental factors.

Future food is an ecosystem

Who’s afraid of lab-grown meat? From the cradle of one of the world’s most celebrated food cultures, Sara Roversi, entrepreneur and president of the Future Food Institute, talks about how tradition and innovation in the food sector interact to reveal “the profound interconnection between political, economic, human, environmental, social and cultural pillars.”

vertical farming

Is the future of farming vertical?

Efficient, resilient and future proof or wasteful, energy intensive and prohibitively expensive? To some the future of food production lies in indoor vertical farms, where food is grown locally and in controlled environments that are resilient to the fast changing outside world. Others are not buying into the hype.

COP15_biodiversity

“Now the hard work begins”: Environmental leaders on the COP15 Biodiversity Framework

Global leaders agreed to halt biodiversity loss by protecting 30% of the world’s land and ocean by 2030. Leaders from environmental organizations around the world react to the deal, highlighting its merits and the potential issues that come with it. From “a watershed moment” to “we don’t need people to tell us what to do”, the consensus is that governments need to treat the Kuming-Montreal Biodiversity framework “as a floor, not a ceiling”.

Now is the time for action: The COP15 on biodiversity

“Paris moment for nature”, is the phrase being used to raise expectations: the COP15, due to be held in Canada, must play a crucial role in halting biodiversity loss and restoring nature over the next decade. However, according to global media predictions, there is something that may undermine the impact of the event before it has even begun.