Europe Charts a Course for Sustainable Recovery from COVID-19
On May 27, the European Union unveiled a €750 billion ($826 billion) recovery proposal as a centerpiece of its economic response to the coronavirus crisis, while also increasing its existing budget. EU officials have said that 25% of the stimulus package will be
To Unlock the Potential of Direct Air Capture, We Must Invest Now
Congress recently approved at least $35 million for research and development of direct air capture technology and $60 million overall for research into carbon dioxide removal technologies. This is the first time direct air capture — a type of technology that
5 Visible Signs of Climate Change in Antarctica
“Why did you choose to come to Antarctica?” my fellow passengers asked shortly after we exchanged names. So many answers quickly surfaced in my mind: the wildlife; the icebergs; the history of exploration. But above all, I decided to travel
Tackling Inequality in Cities is Essential for Fighting COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a disruptive new normal for everyone through shelter-in-place orders and social distancing guidelines. But for the billions of urban poor, these guidelines aren’t just burdensome; they’re essentially impossible. Social distancing is a critically important response to
Resilience After Recession: 4 Ways to Reboot the U.S. Economy
The COVID-19 pandemic is already affecting the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans; it’s poised to get worse before it gets better. Our primary concern is for the health and welfare of all those affected. In the long run,
4 Charts Explain Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Countries and Sectors
Global annual greenhouse gas emissions have grown 41% since 1990, and they are still climbing. While emissions dipped notably in 2016, recent data suggests that carbon dioxide emissions rose each year since then. Where are these emissions coming from, and who is responsible?
How and Where to Plant 60 Billion Trees in the US
The Trillion Trees Initiative has garnered support from business and political leaders around the world. U.S. President Trump highlighted the initiative as the cornerstone of his plan to protect the environment, a rare shift for an administration that has moved to withdraw
The Most Successful Air Pollution Treaty You’ve Never Heard Of
International consensus on cross-border environmental issues has been difficult to achieve, but the 40-year-old Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air-Pollution (or LRTAP as it is known to development professionals) has enjoyed great, if largely unsung, success in the fight against air pollution and
6 Barriers to Protecting and Restoring Forests — and Strategies to Overcome Them
Forests help stabilize the climate and provide many contributions to Sustainable Development Goals. And we have quite a bit of evidence about what policies and strategies are effective in conserving and restoring forests. So why haven’t such measures been adopted
Water Could Limit Our Ability to Feed the World. These 9 Graphics Explain Why
To feed the world, we need to pay more attention to water. To nourish a growing global population, we’ll need to produce 56% more calories by 2050, while dealing with increasing climate-driven water risks like droughts and competition over resources. If we don’t
Is the World on Track to Cut Food Loss and Waste in Half by 2030?
In 2015, all the member countries of the United Nations unanimously committed to Agenda 2030, including Sustainable Development Goal 12.3, which calls for the world to halve food loss and food waste by 2030. Making significant reductions in food loss
6 Ways the Climate Changed Over the Past Decade
Most scientific reports on climate look at changes that have occurred since the pre-industrial era, or since record-keeping began. But even looking back at the past decade, it’s clear that our world today is very different from the world of