Articles

Every breath we take

Nicole Kobosil — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:01:55 +0200

We breathe from the moment we are born until the moment we die. It is a vital and constant need, not only for us but for all life on Earth. Poor air quality affects us all: it harms our health and the health of the environment, which leads to economic losses. But what does the air we breathe consist of and where do the various air pollutants come from?

The melting Arctic

Gülcin KARADENIZ — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 10:10:00 +0100

The extent of the sea ice in the Arctic reached a new record low in September 2012. Climate change is melting the sea ice in the region at a rate much faster than estimated by earlier projections. The snow cover also shows a downward trend. The melting Arctic might impact not only the people living in the region, but also elsewhere in Europe and beyond.

Turning the urban challenge into an opportunity

Marie Jaegly — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 18:50:00 +0200

Copenhagen, 2 July 2011. Up to 150 mm of rainfall in two hours – a city record since measurements began in the mid-1800s. Homes destroyed. Citizens and emergency services struggled to cope. This is one example of how excessive extreme weather events can affect a European capital – events that are expected more often under climate change.

Forests, health and climate change

Marie Jaegly — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 14:50:00 +0100

Forests are essential to our survival and well-being. Forests clean our air, our water, our soil and they regulate our climate, amongst many other things. Trees and forests are not always associated with urban landscapes. However, there too they provide invaluable, often invisible, services. Simply by acting as 'green oasis' in our concrete jungles, they offer recreation and health services for many European citizens.

Health in a changing climate

Marie Jaegly — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 09:40:00 +0200

In August 2007, local health authorities in Italy detected a high number of cases of an unusual illness in Castiglione di Cervia and Castiglione di Ravenna, two small villages divided by a river. Almost 200 people were affected and one elderly man died (Angelini et al., 2007).

Reducing speed limits on motorways: how good is it for the environment?

Gülcin KARADENIZ — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 15:06:50 +0200

Lower speed limits on motorways are generally associated with road safety. But several European countries are now debating whether they also benefit the environment and, if so, how much. There is no simple way of measuring the environmental benefits of lower speed limits but several factors clearly play a key role.

Power to the people

Giacomo Giacomo DE'LIGUORI CARINO — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 14:00:00 +0100

In modern societies, almost everything consumes energy. It is not only electronic gadgets, household appliances or street lighting that need it. Bringing water to our homes or food products to our supermarkets also require energy. Current consumption and production patterns demand a steady and often increasing energy supply.

Tackling climate change requires a shift to a resource efficient, low carbon and green economy

Gülcin KARADENIZ — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 09:00:00 +0100

Climate change is happening. The current global average temperature is already about 0.7-0.8 degree Celsius above the pre-industrial level. Even if greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations had stabilized in the year 2000, temperatures are predicted to increase by 1.2 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial level by the end of the 21st century.

Cross border nature

Giacomo Giacomo DE'LIGUORI CARINO — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 17:15:00 +0200

In Eastern France and Western Germany there is 3000km2 of a biosphere reserve called ‘Parc Naturel Régional des Vosges du Nord – Pfälzerwald’. It is the largest uninterrupted forest area in Western Europe.

Mission Greenland – For a Cleaner Future

Giacomo Giacomo DE'LIGUORI CARINO — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 17:11:35 +0200

For the first time the waste in Greenland has been analyzed and the result is alarming. All households and industries need to get better at separating their waste. It’s a crucial mission and everyone needs to be involved, if Greenland is to have a cleaner and greener future.

City bees

Giacomo Giacomo DE'LIGUORI CARINO — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 17:11:35 +0200

It is estimated that honey bees are the most valuable pollinators of crops worldwide. But in recent years there has been a global trend of honey bees declining in numbers. The way in which they live means that they fly out and collect pollen from plants and pollinate them. In a modern world this means also bringing back pesticides, which is killing them or making them vulnerable to diseases. In the cities they are not exposed to pesticides, so The Project City Bees give bee populations a helping hand, help pollinate our world, and produce some of the cleanest honey around.

Climate change "mitigation impossible" without transport

Marie Jaegly — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 10:00:00 +0200

As the source of substantial and rapidly growing greenhouse gas emissions, transport must clearly be part of a global agreement to mitigate climate change.

Arctic — why should I care?

Marie Jaegly — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Alps — The impacts of climate change in Europe today

Marie Jaegly — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Not just hot air — global diplomacy and the search for a successor to the Kyoto Protocol

Marie Jaegly — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 09:00:00 +0200

Every winter the gates of Copenhagen's famous Tivoli Gardens, an old-world amusement park in the city centre, open to officially mark the beginning of the extended Christmas period. This December the twinkling lights of Tivoli will most likely be outshone by COP 15 — the most important global climate change meeting ever — as thousands of diplomats, politicians, business people, environmentalists, media and climate experts from around the globe flock to the Danish capital.