The United Nations (UN) has declared that access to a sustainable environment is a human right. But as established by IF supporter Alice Bordini-Staden, politicians must take action to ensure that future generations may enjoy this right. IF student intern, Hanna Burt, writes about the suggestions made by Alice and others to combat the intergenerational… Read more »
Category: Global warming
Extreme weather events: an intergenerational issue
The safety of future generations is under threat. Research at Imperial College London shows that generations born today will be far more affected by extreme weather than their predecessors. IF student intern Hanna Gunnerhed Burt writes about how these conditions will unfairly affect future generations An uninhabitable future A recent study published by Science shows… Read more »
“There are simply too few of us:” the German federal election and intergenerational politics
Older generations make up an overwhelming majority of eligible voters in the upcoming German federal election. Many young people feel that their interests are being ignored in the three leading parties’ campaigns. IF intern Carlotta Hartmann examines younger generations’ democratic deficit, and what it might mean for policy in the future. Population-ageing leaves young voters… Read more »
Young people, climate change and political power: comparing Germany and the UK
With the upcoming election marking a potential turning point in Germany’s future environmental policy, the country’s demographics give older generations more political power, says Deutsche Welle. If older generations are less concerned about climate change and less supportive of policies to change it, this is disillusioning for those hoping for more ambitious government action against… Read more »
“Listen to the science”: strong and rapid action needed in response to IPCC report
On Monday, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change published a landmark report providing a highly comprehensive review of climate change science. While the report has been described as “code red for humanity”, Melissa Bui asks if world leaders will treat the climate crisis with the same urgency that they treated the pandemic crisis? The… Read more »
What should an economic recovery post-COVID 19 look like for younger generations?
In this contribution to IF’s Worldwide Blog Week on what an economic recovery from COVID-19 should look like for younger generations, Caitie Gillett, Programme Manager for the Conservative Environment Network, lays out her vision Action is required As we map out our recovery from COVID-19, an increasing number of Brits believe action on air pollution,… Read more »
Intergenerational equity: Covid-19 recovery within planetary boundaries
As Europe slowly emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic, Agata Meysner, Director of Generation Climate Europe, argues that we have a unique opportunity to redesign our economic system to fit within the Earth’s planetary boundaries and that the EU needs to move beyond the growth-oriented fossil fuel economy to create a green and just transition for… Read more »
How is the climate crisis being tackled in UK courts?
The success of the landmark climate lawsuit against fossil fuel company Shell serves as a reminder that companies and governments can be held accountable for their failure to protect the environment. IF senior researcher Melissa Bui outlines a number of ongoing climate lawsuits that are bringing forward similar legal challenges upon the government and key… Read more »
Earth Day 2021: Time to restore our earth
April 22 is Earth Day and the theme for this year’s event is “Restore Our Earth”. IF senior researcher, Melissa Bui, discusses the need for long-termism in policy-making in order to be able to shift our approach towards restorative strategies rather than mitigation or adaptation.
Carbon emissions are declining despite economic growth in 32 countries
Recent figures released by the Breakout Institute suggest that 32 countries around the world have been able to reduce their emissions whilst achieving economic growth since 2005. IF researcher, Melissa Bui, explains what it means to “absolutely decouple” emissions from economic growth and how the UK is performing in this respect.