Intempéries

Le débat sur les nouveaux OGM est biaisé par les lobbies qui défendent toute une série d’intérêts économiques. A la faveur de sa présidence européenne, la Belgique doit se positionner dans ce dossier en facilitant l’élaboration d’une politique européenne qui donne la priorité à l’équité, à l’autonomie des agriculteur.e.s, à la santé publique et à l’environnement.

En une de son premier numéro de 2024, la revue américaine “Foreign Policy” donne le ton de l’année électorale à venir. Des scrutins d’importance se tiennent partout dans le monde, à commencer par les États-Unis. Et “dans de nombreux pays, la démocratie atteint un point critique”.

Ahead of the UN’s SDG Summit (18-19 September), ground-breaking analyses shows how by enacting five ‘extraordinary turnarounds’ SDGs implementation can be accelerated.

When attempting to quantify future harms caused by carbon emissions and to set appropriate energy policies, it has been argued that the most important metric is the number of human deaths caused by climate change. Several studies have attempted to overcome the uncertainties associated with such forecasting. In this article, approaches to estimating future human death tolls from climate change relevant at any scale or location are compared and synthesized, and implications for energy policy are considered. Several studies are consistent with the “1000-ton rule,” according to which a future person is killed every time 1000 tons of fossil carbon are burned (order-of-magnitude estimate). If warming reaches or exceeds 2 °C this century, mainly richer humans will be responsible for killing roughly 1 billion mainly poorer humans through anthropogenic global warming, which is comparable with involuntary or negligent manslaughter. On this basis, relatively aggressive energy policies are summarized that would enable im

More than two decades on from the protocol, country shows enthusiasm for nuclear restarts over renewables

Planetary Boundaries - summary and implications for policymakers 05.12.2022 Respecting planetary boundaries is essential to preserve the stability of ecosystems and human societies, including in Switzerland. Incorporating this principle into our legal system is consistent with the pursuit of our ...

Eleven of the 20 largest economies got a C or worse on a renewable energy report card, which assessed their plans to reach net zero and their targets for producing and using renewable energy

Gezonde ecosystemen met een rijke biodiversiteit zijn de basis voor ons leven. Dit wetenschappelijk feit vindt gelukkig steeds meer weerklank in de maatschappij. Meer en meer burgers ondernemen acties voor meer biodiversiteit in eigen tuin of als vrijwilliger bij Natuurpunt of andere verenigingen. Jammer genoeg blijft het moeilijk voor beleidsmakers om dit ecosysteemdenken als leidraad te gebruiken bij beslissingen, zeker op zee. Op zee is er weinig tot geen publiek protest tegen de soms grootschalige uitbreiding van commerciële activiteiten. Bovendien lijkt er nog enorm veel vrije ruimte op zee doordat er (voorlopig) weinig vaste infrastructuur is. De Noordzee dreigt de spreekwoordelijke vuilbak te worden voor activiteiten die op land moeilijker uit te rollen zijn. Daarom kan de afbakening van een marien reservaat niet langer wachten.

A new database of extreme weather studies makes clear how far policymaking is lagging behind the reality of climate chaos

Researchers call for recognition of latest online strategies used to derail climate action

Alors que resurgit le spectre des bombes nucléaires, on oublie qu’il en existe d’autres, moins expéditives mais tout aussi meurtrières. On les appelle les « bombes carbone » et elles se révèlent particulièrement pernicieuses. Cerise sur le gâteau, elles agissent en toute impunité si l’on en croit une enquête menée durant 5 mois et publiée le 11 mai dernier dans la revue Energy policy et la très sérieuse rédaction britannique du Guardian.

The IPBES #PandemicsReport is one of the most scientifically robust examinations of the evidence and knowledge about links between pandemic risk and nature since the COVID-19 pandemic began - with 22 of the world's leading experts from fields as diverse as epidemiology, zoology, public health, disease ecology, comparative pathology, veterinary medicine, pharmacology, wildlife health, mathematical modelling, economics, law, and public policy as authors of the report. The expertise of the 22 authors was further augmented by contributions and knowledge resources from the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, and the World Health Organization - as well as a peer review process.

Corporations and politicians edited the Policy Summary to omit the scientists’ most powerful conclusions

le profil carbone de la France: In this country profile, Carbon Brief examines the state of climate and energy policies in France, a major emitter that nevertheless relies on fossil fuels less than any other industrialised nation.

It’s time for US and European foreign policy to be reframed in the context of addressing climate change. People around the world must better understand that a healthier world where all forms of energy are appropriately utilized requires a world that focuses first on peace. Without working toward peace as the first step, international efforts to tackle global climate change and promote renewable energy and sustainable development cannot progress.

A Russian former foreign minister has joined a call for all sides in the Ukrainian war to return to diplomacy and so reduce “the dramatically elevated risk” of a nuclear conflict. The appeal co-authored by Prof Igor Ivanov, now the president of the Russian International Affairs Council, may be a sign that some in the Russian foreign policy establishment believe that pursuing a purely military solution in Ukraine is a strategic mistake.

The war in Ukraine and surging oil prices are other factors that could prompt PBOC action when it announces its policy loan rates Tuesday, as the nation aims to achieve a growth target of 5.5% for the year. The Hong Kong and China stocks sold off Monday, led by losses in technology shares, due to risks from Beijing’s close relationship with Russia and regulatory concerns.

Russia’s military offensive against Ukraine is an act of aggression that will make already worrisome tensions between Nato and Moscow even more dangerous. The west’s new cold war with Russia has turned hot. Vladimir Putin bears primary responsibility for this latest development, but Nato’s arrogant, tone‐​deaf policy toward Russia over the past quarter‐​century deserves a large share as well. Analysts committed to a US foreign policy of realism and restraint have warned for more than a quarter‐​century that continuing to expand the most powerful military alliance in history toward another major power would not end well. The war in Ukraine provides definitive confirmation that it did not.

The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, ambushed his own party and coalition partners when he announced a historic 180-degree policy turn on defence spending and exporting lethal weapons, but for now he seems to be riding a wave of broad public support.

Only rarely does a book truly change the world. In the nineteenth century, such a book was Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species. For the twentieth century, it was The Limits to Growth. Not only did this best-selling 1972 publication help spur the environmental movement, but it showed that the underlying dynamics of the modern industrial world are unsustainable on the timescale of a couple of human lifetimes. This was profoundly important information, and it was delivered credibly and clearly, so that every policy maker could understand it.