Climate change and its effects on weather and extreme weather events are likely to negatively affect the health of people with brain disorders, according to a team of researchers led by Professor Sanjay Sisodiya (UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology). In the article Personal View, published in  The  Lancet Neurology , the team highlights the urgent need to understand the impact of climate change on people with neurological conditions – in order to preserve their health and prevent worsening inequalities. (More on ucl.ac.uk) 

Europe needs smart investments to strengthen disaster resilience, adapt to and finance response to disasters and climate risks, according to new reports on the economics of disaster prevention and preparedness, published today by the World Bank and the European Commission.

Europe is warming faster than any other continent and is highly vulnerable to the increasing risks associated with climate change. Over the past decades, Europe has experienced staggering – and growing – loss and destruction from climate-related disasters. 2023 was the warmest year on record, with disasters across Europe costing more than €77 billion. The projected costs of inaction in a high-warming scenario could reach 7 percent of EU GDP. (More on worldbank.org)

Climate change, poverty, and inequality are the defining issues of our time. The World Bank Group is the largest multilateral financier of climate investments in developing countries. And we intend to go further in helping countries reduce poverty and meet the challenges of climate change. (More on worldbank.org)

An article by Hannes Sarva has appeared on the Freedom Research subreddit, reporting on the reflections of Prof. Valentina Zharkova, a Ukrainian astrophysicist and professor at Northumbria University in Newcastle (UK), who explains – like Prof. Willie Soon – that the main factor driving climate change on Earth is the Sun, not CO2.

When it comes to CO2, it's good to consider what scientific studies have shown: human CO2 emissions could have saved life on the planet. (Angela Garofoli, more at italiaveranews.it)

The Sun serves as the primary source of energy for Earth's climate. Some of the incoming sunlight is reflected directly back into space, especially from bright surfaces such as ice and clouds, and the rest is absorbed by the surface and atmosphere. Much of this absorbed solar energy is re-radiated as heat (longwave or infrared radiation). The atmosphere in turn absorbs and re-radiates heat, some of which escapes into space. Any disruption to this balance of incoming and outgoing energy will affect the climate. For example, small changes in the energy output from the Sun will directly affect this balance. (More on royalsociety.org)

The OECD recognizes the existential threat posed by climate change and works across all member countries to help guide sustainable, equitable and resilient growth. The interconnected nature of climate change and its profound impact on human health underscore the need for integrated approaches.

Leveraging the OECD's strength in providing data- and evidence-based policy, the OECD aims to address climate change by facilitating informed decision-making and the exchange of best practices in its member countries. (More on OECD.com)

Climate mitigation is reported to benefit biodiversity worldwide. However, the impacts of mitigation measures based on large-scale land-use changes can be concentrated in the regions where they are implemented, leading to regional inconsistencies between mitigation efforts and biodiversity benefits. Here, we assess the impacts of large-scale deployment of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage and afforestation on achieving the climate stabilization goal set by the Paris Agreement on global and regional biodiversity using an integrated modeling framework. Our results highlight that climate change mitigation efforts can benefit global biodiversity regardless of the large-scale implementation of land-based mitigation measures. However, the negative impacts of mitigation measures on biodiversity are concentrated in regions with higher contributions to land-use change and carbon sequestration. The results suggest the need to consider the uneven regional distribution of benefits from climate change mitigation, as well as mitigation options that prevent regional biodiversity loss by minimizing land-use change. (Akiko Hirata, Haruka Ohashi, Tetsuya Matsui, more at nature.com)

New rules to protect the environment through criminal law will enter into force on 20 May. The new Directive on Environmental Crime will help achieve the objectives of the European Green Deal by combating the most serious environmental crimes, which can have devastating effects on both the environment and human health, through criminal law.

The new directive will provide a comprehensive and up-to-date list of environmental offences, addressing the most serious breaches of environmental obligations. Member States will have to ensure that these breaches constitute criminal offences in their national law. (More on environment.ec.europa.eu)

The surface of the world's ocean, particularly in the North Atlantic, has been warming for decades. There have been concerns that the thermohaline circulation and fundamental climate variables such as seawater temperature and salinity could undergo substantial changes in response to this surface warming. The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) has changed significantly over the past century and may have slowed in recent decades. Concerns about the future of the climate in the North Atlantic are therefore justified. A key to understanding the current climate trajectory in the North Atlantic is to identify how the decadal climate responds to ongoing surface warming. This problem is addressed using data in situ from the World Ocean Atlas covering the years 1955–1964 to 2005–2017 and from the SODA reanalysis project for the last decades 1980–2019 as fingerprints of the three-dimensional circulation in the North Atlantic and AMOC dynamics. (Alexei Mishonov, Dan Seidov, more at frontiersin.org)

Ahead of 23 May 2024, the new report reveals the Mission's progress and priorities in its work to combat climate change. The activity report presents success stories, data, insights and innovative projects from the Mission, which aim to support regional and local authorities in preparing for the impacts of climate change.

From research that informs smarter adaptation strategies to innovative projects that strengthen the resilience of our communities, each success story underscores the critical importance of adaptation in confronting the climate crisis. (More on climate.ec.europa.eu)

CO2 is a colorless, odorless gas. It consists of one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms. Hence the name: carbon dioxide, which occurs naturally in the Earth's atmosphere. There, it plays a central role in the so-called carbon cycle. This is the process that regulates the exchange of carbon between the atmosphere, oceans, soil, plants and animals.

Plants, in turn, absorb CO2 from the air through photosynthesis and convert it into organic compounds. Oxygen is released. This process regulates the gas balance in the atmosphere and plant life. (Fabian Peters, more at basicthinking.de)

Climate change and related weather conditions and events are also having a negative impact on brain health, according to a study led by University College London. The team in The Lancet Neurology highlights the urgent need for further monitoring, particularly in people with neurological conditions. After reviewing 332 studies published worldwide between 1968 and 2023, lead researcher Sanjay Sisodiya believes the impact of climate change on neurological conditions will be significant. (University College London, more at pressetext.com)

The Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry Regulation covers emissions and removals from land, plants and other biomass. The land sector plays a key role in achieving the EU's goal of climate neutrality, as well as in building a sustainable bioeconomy. It has the potential to provide long-term climate benefits, but also offers other vital services to society, such as biological materials, food and ecosystem services.

The revised regulation brought an extended target to increase EU net removals by an additional 42 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent (Mt CO₂ equivalent) by 2030 compared to the annual average for the period 2016-2018. This will lead to an overall net EU-level sink of -310 Mt CO₂ -eq. The target is distributed in a way that requires each member state to raise its climate ambitions in its land use policies.

Under the new regulation, member states are required to gradually achieve better reporting accuracy in line with more advanced methods in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines and use new monitoring technologies.

Carbon sequestration in the EU has been declining over the past decade and, based on NECP proposals, the EU is currently not on track to meet its 2030 net emissions reduction target, falling some 50 million tonnes CO₂-eq behind. It is essential to reverse this negative trend and increase the resilience of the EU soil sector by introducing appropriate policies to ensure stable, resilient and long-term natural carbon sinks, thereby supporting the goal of a climate-neutral sustainable bioeconomy.

The Commission will start an evaluation process in 2024 to assess the regulation against "better regulation" principles such as effectiveness, efficiency and consistency with other land sector policies. The European Commission and the European Environmental Agency also published today the LULUCF handbook to support member states in designing and implementing their policies in the area of the land sector. (Source: climate.ec.europa.eu)

Regulation (EU) 2021/1119 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 June 2021 establishing a framework for achieving climate neutrality and amending Regulation (EC) no. 401/2009 and (EU) 2018/1999 (European climate legislation) (More on data.europa.eu)

The Commission has today published reports on the functioning of several pieces of climate legislation: the European Climate Law; the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) Directive; the Effort Sharing Regulation; and the Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) Regulation. These reports are required by the legislation to provide an overview of how the different elements of climate policy are being implemented. (More on climate.ec.europa.eu)

In line with the Horizon Europe 2023-2025 work programme, the European Commission has launched three new calls for proposals under the Horizon Europe 20230 missions Adapting to Climate Change and Restoring our Oceans and Water. A total of €233.7 million of EU funding is available under these calls, which close on 18 September 2024. See the table below for further details on the calls, deadlines and where to apply. (More on cinea.ec.europa.eu)

Everyone May 15 is celebrated International Day of Families , an event through which international institutions seek to emphasize the importance of the family unit for the healthy psycho-physical growth of each individual. For the first time in the history of the UN in 1994, it is an opportunity to reflect on the very meaning of the family, which has gradually changed and adapted to the development of society over the years. (More on quotidiano.net)

It's strange that there's so much debate about a topic we should be united on, but ultimately taking sides is a human prerogative. We even advocate for peace and freedom, as we might not do for the environment, which some still consider a secondary and less important element compared to civilization. But it's the very comparison that allows us to generate new ideas, share thoughts, and explore perspectives we never would have considered; and who knows, you might even change your mind. Here are the most debated topics among people around the world about the future and the planet, and which will make you ask yourself "which side am I on?" (Gaia Canestri, more at zai.net)

The EEA report “Responding to the impacts of climate change on human health in Europe: focusing on floods, droughts and water quality” highlights the worsening water-related impacts of climate change on health and well-being that are already being felt across Europe. Rapid implementation and better coordination of efforts between governments, water authorities and healthcare providers are urgently needed to prevent and reduce health impacts. The EEA report aims to inspire action by showing a variety of examples of practical solutions implemented in EEA member and cooperating countries. (More on climate-adapt.eea.europa.eu)