At EU level, all major source sectors except transport have reduced their GHG emissions compared to 1990. Improved energy efficiency and changes in the fuel mix are important drivers of GHG reductions in the EU.

Emissions of greenhouse gases due to human activity cause anthropogenic climate change. The EU is an ambitious contributor to global efforts to combat climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and has committed to be climate neutral by 2050.

This article analyzes the main drivers of long-term trends in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the European Union (EU), based on statistics available from Eurostat.

EU greenhouse gas emissions fell by 29.2 % between 1990 and 2022 (the last reference year for which data officially reported to the UNFCCC is available). The year 2020 saw a special downturn due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, greenhouse gas emissions will increase back to the level of the long-term trend, and continued on this trajectory in 2022. The main drivers of the long-term decline in total greenhouse gas emissions are improvements in energy efficiency and the energy mix. (More on ec.europa.eu)

Over the past 150 years, we have activated the process of ocean warming, as the sea has absorbed up to 91 % of heat that was trapped by greenhouse gases. Stopping this warming is like trying to stop a speeding train; (more…)

Biological processes naturally release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. For example, carbon dioxide is produced by the decomposition of organic matter and living organisms, while bacteria found in soil and marine environments produce nitrous oxide during processes such as nitrification. Methane, another important greenhouse gas, is released by biological processes in wetlands and from animal sources, such as the digestive processes of elephants or cattle. In addition, atmospheric water vapor, which is tiny water droplets in the air, contributes to the greenhouse effect, increasing the atmosphere's ability to trap heat.

Throughout Earth's geological history, greenhouse gases have played a vital role in maintaining temperatures suitable for the development and existence of life. These gases, such as CO2 and methane, contributed to the creation of a stable climate that allowed for diverse ecosystems.

Today, however, human activities, including the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation and intensive agriculture, have caused an unprecedented increase in greenhouse gas levels. Since the industrial revolution, there has been a dramatic increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere; for example, carbon dioxide levels have increased by more than 40 % compared to pre-industrial values. This increase is also accompanied by climate change, which manifests itself in extreme weather events, rising sea levels and changes in biodiversity.

According to climate change experts, current levels of greenhouse gases are the highest they have been in 800,000 years, with serious consequences for ecosystems and human society. If effective strategies to reduce emissions and transition to more sustainable forms of energy are not implemented by climate change psychologists, we could face increasingly complicated environmental problems, including species extinction, increased food insecurity, and threats to health security. (Co2AI)

In the complex dance between our mind and the world, mental well-being is deeply connected to the health of the planet. The psychological consequences of a warming world are increasingly visible, penetrating our collective psyche.

Consider communities facing deteriorating environmental conditions. With rising seas engulfing coastlines and droughts ravaging fields, the burden on mental health is immense. The existential distress caused by environmental change is real and often leads to increased levels of anxiety, depression and even suicide. For these communities, the wounds caused by climate change are not only physical, but also deeply psychological.

Even for those who are not directly threatened by, for example, hurricanes, there are risks arising from climate change. Eco-anxiety, the chronic fear of ecological disaster, is on the rise, especially among young people. It is a generational trauma, a burden borne by those who inherit a world in chaos. This pervasive sense of fear and helplessness reflects our planet, which is in danger.

But the impact of climate change on mental health does not just involve anxiety and despair. As the frequency and severity of natural disasters increase, so do the rates of post-traumatic stress disorder. Traumatic experiences, such as wildfires or devastating hurricanes, can leave deep psychological wounds that persist even after the physical damage has been repaired. These psychological scars are a reflection of a world increasingly defined by upheaval and uncertainty. Additionally, experiencing extreme environmental stress in the womb (such as during a hurricane) can dramatically increase a child's risk of anxiety, depression, conduct disorders, and ADHD. These epigenetic effects are likely to be heritable.

At the end of the day, our mental health is an indicator of the health of the planet. As the surrounding world changes, so do the threads of our psychological well-being. Addressing this crisis requires a paradigm shift—one that recognizes the deep connection between mind and nature. We must realize that by healing the planet we can begin to heal ourselves. As the saying goes, there is no health without mental health – and perhaps no mental health without a healthy planet. (Co2AI )

Skepticism about the reality of climate change remains a significant global problem, despite the near-unanimous consensus among scientists that human activities are the main driver of this environmental crisis. But a new study suggests that actively exposing the extent of this scientific agreement to the public can effectively change perceptions, foster greater awareness, and strengthen belief in the severity and urgency of climate change. (Eric Ralls, more at earth.com)

Since the 1970s, several generations of marine geologists and geophysicists have confirmed the existence of a one to three kilometer thick layer of salt buried in most of the deeper parts of the Mediterranean Sea. That's nearly a million cubic kilometers of salt, indicating a brief period when the Mediterranean Sea was isolated from the rest of the world's oceans—brief in geological terms, as the episode lasted about 190,000 years. The Mediterranean basin, trapped between two continents that are now moving closer by up to two centimeters each year, was cut off from the Atlantic. Due to the dry climate in the region, its waters quickly evaporated, leaving behind a huge amount of salt. This episode, known as the Messinian Salinity Crisis (Messian is the last period of the Miocene), is the largest extinction event to hit the Earth since the meteorite that wiped out the flightless dinosaurs 65 million years ago and ended the Mesozoic Era. (Daniel García-Castellanos and Konstantin Agiadi, more at phys.org)

In the complex environment of health impacts of global warming, one of the most serious and worrying issues is the spread of neurological diseases. Rising temperatures and changing climate patterns transform ecosystems, which not only affects the landscape, but also creates new conditions for the emergence and spread of neurological diseases.

One of the main ways in which these diseases are spread are zoonotic diseases. Climate change is moving animal populations into new areas and into closer proximity to humans, increasing the risk of pathogen transmission. For example, mosquito-borne diseases such as Japanese encephalitis and Zika are entering new locations as their vectors expand their range. Warmer temperatures are often beneficial to these insect-borne diseases, allowing them to survive in previously inhospitable areas and reproduce more quickly.

Climate change is also reviving hidden dangers such as the amoeba Naegleria fowleri, known for its ability to invade the brain. In warmer waters, these microbes can thrive, enter the brain through the nasal cavity and cause severe meningoencephalitis. Although such infections are rare, they almost always result in death—a stark reminder that the stakes are high in our warming world.

Another threat is the growing amount of neurotoxins. As the frequency and geographic spread of harmful algal blooms increases, so does the reach of toxins like BMAA, which is linked to neurodegenerative diseases like ALS and Alzheimer's. These toxins can bioaccumulate in the food chain, with emerging evidence that they can also become airborne, carried by sea mist and dust. In this way, they are no longer limited to food, but become part of our atmosphere. Combined with rising levels of mercury, another potent neurotoxin released from melting permafrost, it is increasingly difficult to avoid the neurological problems associated with climate change.

Taken together, these threats paint a disturbing picture. As the planet warms, so does the risk of neurological diseases, with the most vulnerable groups often at greatest risk. Addressing this challenge requires a collaborative, interdisciplinary effort that recognizes the deep connection between the health of the planet and the health of people. This is a difficult task that we cannot afford to ignore, as our mental health can literally be in the balance. (Co2AI)

The strategy refers to this approach as "climate mainstreaming". This approach emphasizes that with growing and more frequent climate impacts and rising costs, it is essential to include adaptation factors in decision-making processes in areas such as health, social services, environment, infrastructure and the economy to ensure that our collective efforts are effective. Similar views are presented in the 2023 press release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), where IPCC Chairman Hoesung Lee states that “the implementation of effective and equitable climate measures will not only reduce loss and damage to nature and people, but will also bring wider benefits. "

To limit global warming to 1.5°C, global greenhouse gas emissions need to be reduced by 43 % between 2019 and 2030. At the COP28 climate conference in Dubai in 2023, the parties admitted that they had not met the targets of the Paris Agreement. Rapid and effective integration of climate aspects into all development programs and policies is essential to manage the urgent global climate crisis.

Why is climate mainstreaming important? Climate mainstreaming ensures that responses to climate change are systematically included in all policies and activities, not as an isolated issue. Such integration allows for more comprehensive and cost-effective solutions that address multiple issues simultaneously.

Lack of integration of climate considerations can hinder effective climate action and lead to maladaptation when development activities inadvertently exacerbate climate risks. Despite the importance of climate mainstreaming, progress remains slow and uneven, often due to institutional resistance to change. Climate action is often seen as the responsibility of just one sector, rather than a collective task. In addition, climate mainstreaming is often reduced to adding climate aspects to existing initiatives, which is known as the "add climate and mix" approach.

To overcome these obstacles, we explored how the challenges of climate mainstreaming resemble the long-term struggles to implement gender equality in politics. We ask ourselves: what can climate mainstreaming learn from gender mainstreaming?

The history of gender mainstreaming, including institutional investment since the 1990s, provides valuable lessons about political and institutional barriers. This knowledge can help overcome the challenges of climate mainstreaming. The UN system, which has clear goals for gender and climate mainstreaming, offers a suitable framework for analysis.

A study published in 2024 examined documents from UN agencies in the food and agriculture sector, which is strongly affected by climate change. They found different levels of gender and climate integration in these agencies. Key areas where the climate perspective lagged behind gender equality included strategic planning, leadership, organizational culture and accountability.

The overview suggests several steps to improve the integration of climate aspects:

1. Use different strategies: use best practices of gender mainstreaming to implement broad climate initiatives and specific interventions.

2. Build institutional accountability: create strong mechanisms to monitor climate progress. The UN Framework for Gender Mainstreaming can serve as a useful model.

3. Adopt a climate justice perspective: support the needs of those affected by climate change and prioritize collective rights over economic growth.

Responsible and integrated climate interventions are a prerequisite for a more sustainable and resilient future. However, funding remains a key factor.

Without adequate funding, mainstreaming is ineffective. The 2015 Paris Agreement calls for high-income countries to contribute $100 billion a year, which they have so far failed to meet. Existing funds are distributed unevenly. Historically disadvantaged countries are the least responsible for the climate crisis, but feel it the most. These countries are often forced to balance investment in development and climate action in an unfair international financial system.

In 2022, official development assistance reached USD 204 billion, but almost half of the humanitarian requirements remained unfulfilled. Rich countries have invested just 0.36 % of their total income in aid, up only slightly from 0.33 % in 2021, with the promised 0.7 % in 1970 still in sight.

With the necessary funding, climate mainstreaming can contribute to the achievement of global development goals and climate action. (Co2AI)

Earth's climate is intricately linked to the movement of ocean currents, which act as the planet's natural thermostat by regulating temperatures and redistributing heat. Recent scientific findings reveal the significant and often underestimated role of the interaction between Atlantic and Arctic waters in maintaining long-term climate stability through the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC).

This essential ocean system acts as a massive conveyor belt that redistributes warm water from the tropics to northern latitudes and returns cold water to the south, effectively balancing global temperatures. As a result, regions such as northern Europe, including the United Kingdom, have milder climates compared to other locations at similar latitudes.

By examining large-scale ocean data from 1979 to 2021, scientists have gained crucial insight into how these waters mix, interact and drive one of the most important mechanisms for regulating Earth's climate. (Rodielon Putol, more at earth.com)

Policies to reduce air pollution have led to improvements in air quality in Europe over the past three decades. However, in some European cities, air pollution still poses a health risk. You can use the European cities air browser to check the air quality in your city for the last two years and compare it with the air quality in other cities in Europe.

The cities are ranked from the cleanest to the most polluted,based on average concentration levels of fine particles,(or PM _2.5) for the last two calendar years.

Fine particles are the air pollutant with the greatest impact on health in terms of premature death and disease. This tool is focused on long-term air quality, aslong-term exposure to air pollution causes the most serious health consequences. (More on eea.europa.eu)

The bulletin issued by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on global warming is very harsh. In the next five years, temperatures could reach peaks not seen before and predicted to come much later, even exceeding (for limited periods of time) the dreaded 1.5°C threshold. In fact, according to the latest data, there is a 66 % chance that the temperature of the atmosphere near the Earth's surface will exceed the levels recorded in the pre-industrial era by 1.5°C for at least a year.

However, it is almost certain (with a probability of 98 %) that one of the next five years, as well as the five-year period 2023-2027, will be the hottest ever recorded by man. In fact, the maximum temperature recorded to date was +1.28°C. (ANGELA RUGGIERI, more at tempoitalia.it)

Current international scenarios for limiting global warming to less than 1.5 degrees by the end of the century also rely on technologies that remove CO2 from the Earth's atmosphere faster than humans release it. That means removing CO2 at a rate of 1-30 gigatons per year by 2050. But the hypotheses about how quickly these technologies – largely experimental and very expensive – appear to have no solid foundation. A new study, "Feasibility of Achieving Gigaton CO2 Storage by Mid-Century", published in Nature Communications  Yuting Zhang, Christopher Jackson and Samuel Krevor of the Department of Earth Science and Engineering at Imperial College London now demonstrate that existing projections are unlikely to be feasible at current growth rates.” (Greenreport editorial team, more at greenreport.it)

Climate change is not only caused by rising temperatures, droughts or melting glaciers. There are some unexpected effects, such as an increased number of dog bites or the shrinking of some animals. Desertification, melting of polar ice caps, more frequent and more destructive extreme weather events: these are all special phenomena that can be attributed to ongoing climate change. The situation in recent decades has been worsened by the constant increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, released by human activity (from the food industry to the fashion industry, including transport and energy production). In fact, we are the ones most responsible for climate change and how many times have you heard on Ohga about the causes and effects that this phenomenon creates on our planet, on biodiversity of animals and plants and the effects on the atmosphere.  This time, however, I will tell you about little-known effects that you might never associate with climate change, but they are all connected to it.

Animals change sex

One of the most surprising effects of climate change concerns the sex of animals. For example, the bearded dragon, a reptile native to Australia, can change sex due to high temperatures. When eggs are incubated at temperatures above 32°C, genetically determined males can develop as females.

Dogs bite more

The study published on June 15 in Scientific Reports magazine explains that as a result of rising temperatures, domestic animals tend to be more aggressive. In fact, some cases of bites that occurred in eight different cities in the United States were analyzed, and out of about 70,000 bites, there was a 11% increase of the same on warmer days. (Mattia Giangaspero, more at ohga.it)

From uncharted trenches to the Bermuda Triangle, the world's oceans are full of unsolved mysteries. But one of the strangest questions is why a vast area of the Atlantic Ocean suddenly began to cool at a record rate.

Through March, the mid-Atlantic experienced its warmest weather since 1982, reaching highs of 30° (86°F).

But this was followed by a dramatic temperature swing where the surface water temperature dropped below 25°C (72°F) – and scientists still don't know what caused it.

Michael McPhaden of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) told the Live Science : 'We are still scratching our heads on what is actually going on.' (William Hunter, more at dailymail.co.uk)

The main quantified NECP targets within the Slovak Republic by 2030 are a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions for sectors outside the emissions trading (non-ETS) by 20 % (the share was increased from the originally declared level of 12 %). The use of RES in final energy consumption is set at 19.2 % in 2030, with the required target of 14 % of RES in transport being met. The measures developed to achieve the Slovak Republic's national contribution in the field of energy efficiency show values slightly lower (30.3 %) than the European target of 32.5 %. The key sectors for achieving the targets will be the industry and buildings sectors. The interconnection of electricity systems is already above the 50 % mark and will remain so in 2030, so the target of at least 15 % will be met.

(More on Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan for 2021-2030 [pdf])

Updated integrated National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) of the Slovak Republic (pdf)

Current energy policies are not harnessing the full potential of private sector actors – investors, businesses and consumers – to effectively tackle climate change in Central and Eastern Europe, according to a major new report from the Consortium of Seven Free Markets. think tanks from Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Ukraine. (Craig Turp-Balazs, more at emerging-europe.com)

In this era of rapid human-caused climate change, setting new regional and national temperature records during heat waves happens so often that it can sometimes seem commonplace. From time to time, however, the record is broken by a wide margin – often leading to unprecedented impacts as well as alarm over what this may mean for the pace of climate change.

Researchers call it "record" or "record" heat, explains Professor Erich Fischer, a scientist in the field of climate extremes at ETH Zurich and lead author of the latest assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Says Carbon Brief:

"I would define it as a class of record-setting events where the record beats the previous one by a wide margin."

What that margin is depends on the event, he says. (DAISY DUNNE, more at carbonbrief.com)