sustainability


Europe’s heatwaves and the search for effective adaptation

Despite evidence of climate-change related heatwaves, too few cities are adapting, with lethal effects. Policy Leader Fellow Alejandro Sáez Reale describes some of Europe’s successes and failures and calls for greater commitment by government and business leaders to use the resources and know-how that are available.

European transport’s Cinderella

The EU explicitly promotes bicycling for the sake of health, climate and jobs. But as Policy Leader Fellow Daiva Repečkaitė notes, poorly monitored funding schemes and incompetent route planning can do more harm than good.

COP27: No adaptation if the risk isn’t perceived

At COP27, the world’s leaders are discussing the need to speed up climate action. In this post, Policy Leader Fellows Petra Krylova and Alejandro Saez Reale examine the association between people’s perceptions of climate change risks and good governance, using the global Climate Perceptions Index.

The war in Ukraine, food crises and global uncertainties

Agronomist and Research Fellow Michele Nori describes the likely effects of disrupted cereal exports from Russia and Ukraine, particularly for dependent regions in Africa and the Middle East. Local control of agricultural systems and food supplies, he argues, remains key for coping with growing uncertainties.

Climate change: We need to talk about methane

Ambitious emissions reductions are on the agenda at the COP26 summit starting in Glasgow this weekend. In this post, Principal Investigator of the PASTRES project, Ian Scoones, points out some common misconceptions about the relationship between livestock and climate change, and why differentiating between extensive and intensive livestock production and their contrasting contributions to greenhouse gas emissions is so important.

The dark side of sustainability standards

Consumers pay more for ‘sustainable’ products, but what are they really getting? Rebecca Ravalli looks at sustainability standards and their lack of regulation, shedding light on how companies profit from the commodification of sustainable production.