A 1987 global deal to protect the ozone layer is delaying the first ice-free Arctic summer by up to 15 years, new research shows.
Tag: Climate Policy
Drones detect moss beds and changes to Antarctica climate
Researchers have been using drones to map large areas of Antarctica this summer in efforts to monitor the effects on vegetation due to climate change with the support of the Federal Government’s Australian Antarctic Division.
Rationing: A fairer way to fight climate change?
World War II-style rationing could be an effective way to reduce carbon emissions, according to new research from the University of Leeds.
The unnecessary burden of war
Governments could help millions of people and save a lot of money with targeted energy subsidies.
What makes people care about the environment?
A new study analyzes the factors that drive environmental concern among Europeans in an effort to understand how we can bolster popular support for combatting climate change.
Going for an immediate transition to a green economy pays off, even if such transition is very unlikely to happen, a study finds
Nicola Botta of PIK Potsdam, Germany, and colleagues have developed a new method for assessing how much decisions matter in situations in which the consequences of such decisions are highly uncertain.
Paris Agreement temperature targets may worsen climate injustice for many island states
While the world focuses on limiting the rise in global temperature to 1.5 or 2 degrees Celsius over the preindustrial average, increasing meltwater from ice sheets presents an existential threat to the viability of island and coastal nations throughout the world.
Reliable planning tool for the emissions path to achieving the Paris temperature goal
The central aim of the Paris climate agreement is clear: Limiting man-made global warming to well below 2°C. This limit requires a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions to net zero.
New report assesses global anti-deforestation measures
Reducing deforestation and forest degradation and their associated carbon emissions (REDD+) is part of the solution to climate change.
Desperate for change, island nations explore suing polluters
Facing an increasing amount of extreme weather and ever-rising sea levels, two island nations raised the possibility of claiming damages from major polluting countries through judicial means. The Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda and the Pacific nation of Tuvalu…
‘No excuse now’: Biden methane regulation comes tech ready
The Biden administration announced Tuesday that it would limit methane emissions from oil and gas rigs — part of a global effort to cut methane levels at least 30% by 2030. John Albertson is a professor of civil and environmental engineering…
How recovery from COVID-19 and climate policies might affect the use of “clean” cooking fuels
A group of IIASA researchers shows how recovery from the pandemic and climate mitigation policies might affect access to clean fuels.
No ‘silver bullet’ for UK reaching net zero carbon emissions for electricity
CO2 emissions from electricity in the UK fell by two thirds in the last decade due to several factors working together, rather than a single panacea.
Uncertainty for farmers after water pollution rule scrapped
A federal judge on Monday scrapped a Trump administration rule that limited federal protections for streams, marshes and wetlands across the United States. The Biden administration had already sought to undo the policy and this ruling will allow for new…
Achieving equitable access to energy in a changing climate
IIASA researchers used a novel bottom-up approach to analyze how access to energy services may evolve over time under different scenarios of socioeconomic growth and policy scenarios that meet climate mitigation goals.
Dealing with global carbon debt
IIASA researchers and international colleagues are calling for immediate action to establish responsibility for carbon debt by implementing carbon removal obligations.
New framework to enhance national climate action and achieve global goals
A novel systematic and independent scenario framework could help policymakers assess and compare climate policies and long-term strategies across countries to support coordinated global climate action.
People prefer ‘natural’ strategies to reduce atmospheric carbon
A cross-disciplinary collaboration led by Jonathon Schuldt, associate professor of communication at Cornell University, found that a majority of the U.S. public is supportive of soil carbon storage as a climate change mitigation strategy, particularly when that and similar approaches are seen as “natural” strategies.
Accounting for finance is key for climate mitigation pathways
A new study highlights the opportunity to complement climate mitigation scenarios with scenarios that capture the interdependence among investors’ perception of future climate risk, the credibility of climate policies, and the allocation of investments across low- and high-carbon assets in the economy.
Biden’s EV pitch gives auto industry a vital boost to all-electric goal
President Biden is pitching a $174 billion investment in electric vehicles on Tuesday during a visit to a Ford EV plant in Michigan. The administration aims to incentivize sales of EVs through consumer rebates, while sparking new battery production facilities…
Empowering citizens for successful energy transitions
A new study explored options for empowering citizens as a driver for moving from awareness about the need to transform energy systems to action and participation.
Experts list: Momentous shift to clean energy future?
The Biden administration has advanced a significant shift in U.S. climate policy that prioritizes clean energy jobs and reductions in carbon emissions as well as an effort to protect communities against inevitable climate-related events. Industry, too, from energy to auto,…
Biden’s $10B climate adaptation move vital, but ‘a drop in the bucket’
Amidst a titanic shift in U.S. climate policy that prioritizes clean energy jobs and reductions in carbon emissions, lies an effort to protect communities against very real and inevitable climate events — including hurricanes, droughts and floods — before they…
Society for Risk Analysis Inducts Three Visionaries to the Pantheon of Risk Analysis
The Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) inducted Eula Bingham, Steve Rayner and Martin Weitzman to the Pantheon of Risk Analysis. The Pantheon, established in 2008, recognizes luminaries and visionaries in risk analysis and serves to illustrate how the field contributes to the advancement of knowledge and public good.
Achieving clean air for all is possible
A new study shows that it is possible to achieve clean air worldwide with fundamental transformations of today’s practices in many sectors, supported by strong political will.
Climate risk management takes bigger role in business and markets
Climate change is a systemic threat to the U.S. financial system, according to a new report from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission advisory panel. All of the group’s 35 members approved the report, which recommends a price on carbon…
Trump rollback of methane regulations ‘dangerously reckless’
The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to adopt new rules this week that would rollback regulations for methane-gas emissions — rescinding requirements that oil and gas companies have systems for detecting methane leaks. Robert Howarth is professor of ecology and…
Humanity’s best hope for confronting the looming climate crisis rests with the new science of complexity. Roland Kupers offers insights in his new book, A Climate Policy Revolution: What the Science of Complexity Reveals about Saving Our Planet
Roland Kupers offers insights in his new book, A Climate Policy Revolution: What the Science of Complexity Reveals about Saving Our Planet Humanity’s best hope for confronting the looming climate crisis rests with the new science of complexity. The sheer…

Former EPA Administrator Available to Comment on US Withdrawal from Paris Climate Agreement
On Nov. 4, the Trump Administration formally notified the United Nations of its intent to withdraw the US from the Paris Climate Accord, the first step in a year-long process to leave the international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.…