"With our joint efforts, the conviction has increased that for the well-being of the world it is necessary to protect the interests of all," the Indian Prime Minister expressed at the COP28 in Dubai. It is widely believed that climate change must be gender neutral. However, according to the UNDP, women and children are 14 times more likely to die in a disaster than men.

Given their social roles, responsibilities and cultural norms, women are more often at risk from the effects of climate disasters in situations of poverty. Indeed, the UN Women 2020 report on the "gender dimensions of climate change" highlights that women are disproportionately affected by climate change due to their roles in resource management and household responsibilities. (More on fortuneindia.com)

Last year's emissions under the EU's Emissions Trading System (ETS) show the most significant annual reduction in emissions since the launch of the ETS in 2005. The main driver is significant progress in the decarbonisation of the energy sector. Data reported by EU Member States as of 2 April 2024 show a 15.5 % reduction in emissions in 2023 compared to 2022 levels. With this development, ETS emissions are now around 47 % below 2005 levels and on track to reach goals by 2030 – 62 %.

The observed trend confirms the effectiveness and efficiency of the EU emission allowance trading system as the main political tool for the decarbonisation of the European economy. (More on esgnews.com)

The concurrent pressures of rising global temperatures, peace and the incidence of species decline and the emergence of infectious diseases represent an unprecedented planetary crisis. Intergovernmental reports have drawn attention to the escalating climate and biodiversity crises and their linkages, but the interactions between all three pressures have been largely overlooked. The non-linearities and the dampening and reinforcing interactions between pressures make considering the linkages essential to anticipating planetary challenges. In this review, we define and provide examples of causal pathways that link the three global pressures of climate change, biodiversity loss and infectious disease. The literature review and case studies show that the mechanisms between certain pairs of pressures are better understood than others and that the entire triad of interactions is rarely considered. ( Alaina Pfenning-Butterworth, PhD, Lauren B Buckley, PhD coll. , more on thelancet.com)

Higher temperatures caused by global warming can disrupt trees' ability to keep track of time, with potential consequences for their ability to sequester carbon or even survive. Climate change is already disrupting the timing of events in ecosystems by mixing migration, reproduction and food cycles that were historically intricately coordinated. But like humans and other animals, plants have a genetic ability to keep track of time that works independently of their ecosystems.

María Verónica Arana from the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research in Argentina… (Christie Taylor, more at newscientist.com)

Global warming and biological invasions are leading to a major reconfiguration of biogeographic provinces. Past intervals of warm climates in Earth's history provide windows into how species have responded to warming and can help predict future biogeographic configurations. We modeled the suitability of the Mediterranean for West African tropical species that occurred in the basin during the last interglacial period (135 to 116 ka) and connectivity along northwest Africa, where a large upwelling system currently delays poleward range expansion. tropical species. We show that this barrier can weaken even under moderate climate scenarios, contributing to the emergence of a new ecosystem throughout the Mediterranean, a process already initiated by biological invasion through the Suez Canal. ( Paolo G. Albano,  Lotta Schultz, Johannes Wessely, Silvia Danis, more at pnas.org)

In 2023, ten football pitches of forest will be lost per minute, suggesting that countries are not doing enough to stop deforestation. The loss of pristine tropical forests slowed last year - but the world is still far behind the global goal of ending deforestation by 2030. Findings from an analysis of satellite data released this week highlight the need to improve the protection of tropical forests. protect biodiversity and slow down climate change. (Carissa Wong, more at nature.com)

Last year's emissions under the EU's Emissions Trading System (ETS) show the most significant annual reduction in emissions since the launch of the ETS in 2005. The main driver is significant progress in the decarbonisation of the energy sector.

Data reported by EU Member States as of 2 April 2024 show a 15.5 % reduction in emissions in 2023 compared to 2022 levels. With this development, ETS emissions are now around 47 % below 2005 levels and on track to reach goals by 2030 – 62 %.

The observed trend confirms the efficiency and effectiveness of the EU emission allowance trading system as the main political tool for the decarbonisation of the European economy. (More on climate.ec.europa.eu)

The EU’s Great Green Extinction has been nothing short of spectacular. As aggressive lobbying and violent protests by farmers increased last year, Brussels killed plans to halve pesticide use, switch to organic farming practices, ban toxic chemicals “forever,” cap livestock emissions, and last week restore 20 trillion tons of Europe’s land and seas.

The aim may have been to create breathing space. Predictably, it didn’t work. The bloc’s anti-deforestation regulation seems likely to be another green reform for the move, with 20 agriculture ministers reportedly calling on Monday for its repeal and suspension, citing “administrative burden.”

Why is this happening? It is clear that the centre-right parties are worried about the expected far-right uprising in the June parliamentary elections. But experienced observers also see a strategic effort to set a “brown” agenda for the next European Commission, just as the Fridays for Future and Extinction Rebellion youth protests of 2018 set a green agenda for the current one. (Arthur Neslen, more at theguardian.com)

Environmental crime is one of Europe's biggest challenges. The third largest criminal activity after drug trafficking and counterfeiting, it is growing by five to seven percent every year. LIFE SWEAP is leading the fight against this growing threat.

From wildlife smuggling to illegal waste dumping, environmental crime has quickly become one of Europe's biggest headaches. Data from the Council of the European Unionshows that in 2022 alone, police across Europe seized almost 350,000 tonnes of illegal waste and around €15 million in property related to environmental crime

LIFE SWEAP  was set up in 2018 to strengthen training for law enforcement agencies fighting illegal waste trade across the EU. “Chemicals and waste such as pesticides, ozone-depleting substances, plastic waste and e-waste have a serious impact on our water, soil, air and ultimately our health,” says Nancy Isarin, Senior Manager for Communications and Networking at LIFE SWEAP. “Strong and capable law enforcement authorities at borders are key to preventing the negative impacts of the illegal trade in these commodities.” (More on cinea.ec.europa.eu)

Are you too young to care about the environment or are you a climate activist? Think again, because in this episode of 'The Road to Green', Euronews hears from young activists from Spain who are taking matters into their own hands. At the same time, many Europeans are taking action to address climate and environmental crises around the world as part of the EU's #For OurPlanet campaign.

Euronews takes us through Spain, starting in Barcelona. Catalonia is currently experiencing one of the worst droughts in living memory. One of the world's youngest climate activists, Francisco Vera Manzanares, explains how the climate crisis is affecting plants and animals, how people can reduce their carbon footprint and, most importantly, the power of optimism. (More on environment.ec.europa.EU)

The manufacturing sector produces one-fifth of global carbon emissions and consumes 54 % of the world’s energy. Advances in AI can use data to streamline operations, identify inefficiencies, and transition the manufacturing process away from fossil fuels quickly and economically.

In December 2023, as the 28th session of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) concluded in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, we heard ambitious promises to scale up climate finance, transition to a fair and orderly fossil-free energy decarbonization, and emphasize “focusing on people, lives and livelihoods” in the effort to keep global warming below a devastating 1.5°C.

These promises echo agreements long gone. But what is no longer the elephant in the room is a widely known and deeply troubling reality: we face unparalleled political stagnation when it comes to taking meaningful climate action in the areas that matter most.

The manufacturing sector stands out like a sore thumb, producing one-fifth of global carbon emissions and consuming 54 % of the world's energy, while producing 16 % of the world's gross domestic product (GDP).

Despite humans being on the verge of crossing the climate threshold of catastrophic warming, where “scientists have found that climate disasters will be so extreme that humans will be unable to adapt,” we still need to act. (Jason Cassidy, more at we.org)

“Climate change, ecological destruction, disease, pollution, and socioeconomic inequality are the pressing global challenges facing humanity in the 21st century,” said Chip Fletcher, lead author and interim dean of the UH Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology. “These crises are not isolated problems, but are interconnected, compounding each other, and creating reinforcing feedback loops that pose a serious threat to both the environment and human well-being.”

“The environment and human health are inextricably linked,” said David Karl, co-author and professor of oceanography at UH Mānoa. “Urgent and comprehensive action is needed, including rapid decarbonization, promoting a more harmonious relationship with nature, and equitable human development.” (Marcie Grabowski, University of Hawaii at Manoa, more at phys.org)

Climate change is arguably the most serious threat facing humanity today. In order to understand how humanity can manage this phenomenon for planetary health, it is essential to understand what it is. This aligns with a critical gap in the existing literature, that is, how different perceptions of climate change among learning facilitators (in this case, academics) can enable the creation of a critical consciousness framework that could support climate change education and contribute to climate change management. To this end, the study that underpins this paper set out to capture perceptions of climate change among a selection of academics at a local university in Cameroon. After a comprehensive analysis of the data, different views on the subject emerged, consistent with scientific, observational, and cultural definitions. (Marcellus Forh Mbah, more at nature.com)

According to the latest IPCC report on climate adaptation, the disasters caused by the climate crisis are already worse than scientists originally predicted. And now scientists have presented evidence that further warming is blocked. This means that the risk of disasters will increase even if the world succeeds in curbing emissions of the greenhouse gases that drive a changing climate.

Here's the thing - a natural hazard like a flood or fire doesn't have to become a disaster. By proactively taking measures to reduce the risk that hazards pose, impacts can be managed while resilience is strengthened. WWF works to integrate environmentally responsible practices into disaster response, recovery, reconstruction and risk reduction programs and policies. (Daniel Vernick, more at worldwildlife.org)

Large-scale classical dust cycle models developed more than two decades ago assume for simplicity that the Earth's surface is free of vegetation, reduce dust emission estimates by adding vegetation cover, and calibrate the estimates to the observed atmospheric dust optical depth (DOD). . As a result, these models are expected to be valid for use with dust climate projections in Earth system models. We find little spatial relationship between the DOD frequency and satellite-observed point source dust emission (DPS), and a difference of up to 2 orders of magnitude. We compare the DPS data with an exemplary traditional dust emission model (TEM) and an albedo-based dust emission model (AEM), which accounts for aerodynamic roughness in space and time. ( Adrian Chappell, Nicholas P. Webb, Mark Hennen, Charles S. Zender,  Philippe Ciais, Kerstin Schepanski,  Brandon L. Edwards, Nancy P. Ziegler,  Yves Balkanski,  Daniel Tong, John F. Leys, Stephan Heidenreich,  Robert Hynes, David Fuchs,  Zhenzhong Zeng, Matthew C. Baddock, Jeffrey A. Lee, Tarek Kandakji, more at agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com)

The European Commission has announced applications for the Scalable Cities Action Grant to support the replication of Smart Cities and Communities measures implemented through Smart Cities and Communities (SCC) projects. The European Commission has set a clear objective for SCC projects to deploy large-scale, innovative, replicable and integrated solutions in the areas of energy, transport, sustainability, inclusion, citizens and ICT.

Scalable Cities represents 18 Smart Cities and Communities projects funded by Horizon 2020 (H2020), two Horizon Europe projects and their 124 cities that are piloting innovative approaches and solutions to create more inclusive, resilient and smart cities. Scalable Cities aims to accelerate and intensify collaboration between SCC projects and supports the replication of best practices and innovative technologies and services.

The Scalable Cities Action Grant financially supports cities and ad-hoc partnerships that seek to replicate measures that have been successfully implemented through Horizon 2020 SCC projects. (More on fundsforngos.org)

The Copernicus Interactive Climate Atlas (C3S Atlas) is a web application of the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) that enables flexible exploration and analysis of past and future climate monitoring and change information from multiple lines of evidence provided by observation, reanalysis and climate change. change of projection data files available in the C3S Climate Data Store (CDS). The Atlas facilitates a global and regional in-depth assessment of past trends and future changes in key variables and (extreme) indices for different periods across emission scenarios or for different politically relevant levels of global warming (eg 1.5°, 2°, 3° and 4°). (More on atlas.climate.copernicus.eu)

According to measurements, the world's oceans are warmer than ever before. The North Atlantic extremes are particularly surprising - in the long term, climate change could also threaten the Gulf Stream. A record every day - for over a year now. Since March 2023, the average temperature of the world's oceans has been warmer than ever before. The trend continues and the warming has consequences especially for the most important ocean currents - and for our weather in Europe.