Researchers at the SIPA Center on Global Energy Policy released a study this week outlining a new approach for setting carbon prices. They claim their model permits countries to price carbon in a way that allows them to meet their net-zero targets. IF researcher Melissa Bui explains
Category: Environment
Antarctica: a wilderness too close to home
Antarctica is often thought of as an unblemished wilderness – but humans no longer need a physical presence to impair the natural environment. IF Research Intern Anthony J. Piwowarski explores the global consequences of a melting Antarctic ice sheet – and how some states may seek to profit from the climate’s instability.
The unexpected impact of COVID-19 on green investment
Green investment has reached record levels this year, in spite of the pandemic. IF researcher Melissa Bui explains why investor-demand for more transparency on climate risks is rising, and how pension schemes may lead the way in fulfilling investors’ requirements
Siberia Burns: the politics of heat
The recent heat wave in Siberia poses a serious threat to Russian infrastructure – and to the planet. IF Research Intern Anthony J. Piwowarski shows how successive Russian governments have pursued a politics of ecological ruin. Even now, the current administration remains ambivalent towards its environmental obligations.
Reflections on WIFW 2020: COVID-19 edition
For a second year, the Worldwide Intergenerational Fairness Week (6–12 July 2020) has been marked by a series of blog articles from around the globe – this time focusing on the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on young people. As the world tentatively emerges, blinking, from lockdown, the international public sphere seems in agreement: this… Read more »
A Letter to Future Generations
Rebecca Freitag – Ambassador for the Stuttgart-based Foundation for the Rights for Future Generations and a former UN Youth Delegate for Sustainable Development – has asked herself this question: “How I will explain this historic, COVID-induced opportunity for a new beginning to my children and grandchildren – and how it finally turned out?” She imagines… Read more »
How will future generations remember COVID-19 – if they remember it at all?
Roman Krznaric is a public philosopher who writes about the power of ideas to change society. His new book explores the virtues of long-term thinking – essential for good intergenerational policy. Will the current COVID-19 pandemic be a critical landmark on the three possible paths that lead into the future?
COVID-19 warns us: we need global environmental law
COVID-19 is a warning to us: our behaviour risks the destruction of the planet, and the obliteration of humankind – and we need not just international environmental law but fully enforceable global law to prevent it. Sándor Fülöp is an environmental lawyer who held the office of the first Parliamentary Commissioner for future generations in… Read more »
What might a green recovery from COVID-19 look like?
As we move out of lockdown, the question of how the Government will choose to rebuild the economy looms large. IF researcher Melissa Bui explains why many climate experts and campaigners are calling for a green recovery, and she provides three examples of what that might look like
Green space inequality
With the majority of people in the UK still spending most of their time at home on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, open spaces have become more important as places where they can relax and enjoy some fresh air. However, as David Kingman explains, new ONS data suggest there are very big inequalities in the… Read more »