Source: Tyndall Centre Researchers report that well-designed climate policies prevented more than three billion tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2022, demonstrating that policy design is critical to effective decarbonisation. Countries with stricter and better-targeted climate policies cut carbon emissions faster, according to a major new study . Involving researchers in the UK and EU, including academics from the University of East Anglia (UEA), the study draws on the most compreh

Film Review: the moving real story of Dian Fossey needs to be rediscovered By Alberto Sclaverano The 1988 American biographical drama adventure film Gorillas in the Mist is based on the life (and mysterious death) of primatologist Dian Fossey (1932-1985). The movie is made in a way that makes it accessible to teenagers: it offers a moving portrayal of a great female figure, a woman who will always be remembered as a key figure in XX Century primatology. The film is inspired b

Film Review: Fire and Ash, a visual-experience film with strong ecological messages By Alberto Sclaverano The third chapter in James Cameron's epic science-fiction saga follows the events of the previous movie, Avatar: The Way of Water (2022). Cameron seems to create a (very actual and sad) parallel between the desire for war and the destruction of the ecosystem. Much like on Earth, on Pandora, the ones who want to go to war and kill their counterparts are also the ones w

Source: Union on Concerned Scientists The Road to True Grid Resilience is Paved With Science and Community Voice Those of us who live in the central United States are all too familiar with extreme weather events and their implications for the electricity that powers our homes and businesses. Off the top of my head, I can think of several storms that cut the power to my home in Wisconsin, including a particularly severe form of thunderstorm called a derecho in June of 2022 .

Source: Union of Concerned Scientist Following a power outage during Hurricane Irma in 2017, I remember fumbling with my camping stove to cook instant oatmeal, squatting on the cold covered landing outside my apartment. The storm had already passed, but the disruption was just beginning. I fared comparatively well, losing power for roughly 24 hours (roughly 4 oatmeals, but who’s counting?) but the impact on the grid and community—with downed powerlines, short-term flooding,

Source: Tyndall Centre New data confirms that 2025 was the third-warmest year ever recorded, with scientists listing the rising concentration of greenhouse gases, driven by emissions, as the main cause of climate warming. 2025 is the third-warmest year on record in a series from 1850, following 2024 and 2023, according to new data released today. The three-year run of record warmest years saw 2025 conclude at 1.41±0.09°C above the 1850-1900 global average, according to the H

Biographical comedy-drama reminds us that everyone can make a difference By Alberto Sclaverano The 2000 movie Erin Brockovich  is based on a true story that happened in the early 1990s in California. An unemployed single mother with three children and a lot of money problems to care about, discovered one of greatest fraud against consumer’s rights and people’ health in recent US history. Brockovich brought to light what the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) did to the r

Source: Union of Concerned Scientists Lessons Learned from the Lead-Acid Battery The atrocities of unregulated lead-acid battery recycling across Africa were recently investigated in a New York Times article. This account brought due attention to a pollution problem that has also resulted in a public health disaster here in the United States . Steps should be taken to clean up this industry, and lessons from this failure can help ensure better outcomes in other essential eff

Source: Union of Concerned Scientists On December 15, the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) released its  quadrennial report  on World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development. What follows is a lightly-adapted version of the contribution on climate disinformation I was invited and honored to make. It seems especially salient towards the end of 2025, in which the Trump administration has removed access  to climate information,  repla

Source: Tyndall Centre A new study warns that climate change, sea-level rise and land subsidence will significantly worsen typhoon-driven flooding in Shanghai – highlighting the urgent need for stronger, layered defences in vulnerable delta cities. New research shows how the combination of extreme climate events, sea-level rise and land subsidence could create larger and deeper floods in coastal cities in future. The study focused on Shanghai, in China, which is threatened w

Source: Tyndall Centre Fossil fuel CO2 emissions hit record high in 2025 Global carbon emissions from fossil fuels are projected to rise by 1.1% in 2025 – reaching a record high, according to new research by the Global Carbon Project. The 2025 Global Carbon Budget projects 38.1 billion tonnes of fossil carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions this year. Decarbonisation of energy systems is progressing in many countries – but this is not enough to offset the growth in global energy dem

Source: Factum Is the 70% Renewable Pledge a Goal Too Far? Sri Lanka’s national commitment to generate 70% of its power from renewable sources by 2030 stands as one of the region’s most ambitious policy goals. It reflects both a necessary response to global climate obligations and a pragmatic strategy for national energy security, particularly given the acute vulnerability to global fuel price volatility exposed by recent economic crises. However, an analysis of the current s

Source: Factum Why Sri Lanka Must Treat Adaptation as Urgently as Mitigation Sri Lanka’s climate strategy, historically weighted toward mitigation, can no longer afford to treat adaptation as secondary. For years, Sri Lanka’s climate narrative has centred on reducing national emissions, transitioning to renewable energy, improving energy efficiency, and aligning with global decarbonisation targets. However, the scale and speed of the destruction caused by Cyclone Ditwah in No

By Alberto Sclaverano “Dramedy” about extreme environmental activism helps us to reflect on what it really means to fight for social justice The 2018 Icelandic-Ukrainian film Woman at War  ( Kona fer í stríð ), made by Icelandic actor and director Benedikt Erlingsson, who also co-wrote and co-produced the movie, is an interesting exercise in mixing comedy, musical, and drama, in order to deliver a social message.  After having premiered in the Critics’ Week section at the 201

By Alberto Sclaverano  Film review A modern reboot of the 1980s exploitation cult film, has a strong ecological message In the fictionalized town of St. Roma’s Village, single janitor Winston Gooze (played by Game of Thrones  star Peter Dinklage) works for the corrupt pharmaceutical company BTH (Body Talk Healthstyle) owned by evil businessman Bob Garbinger (Kevin Bacon). During the years, BTH has polluted the environment, poisoned the water and the woods around St. Roma’s, a

By Alberto Sclaverano  A 1970’s sci-fi classic says a lot about the climate crisis even today Douglas Trumbull's directorial debut, the 1972 science fiction film Silent Running , is now regarded as a small classic, or even a “hidden gem”, from the early 1970s American cinema. What makes it unique is the central role played by the ecological and environment-related themes in the plot. The sci-fi adventure denounces humans’ reckless behavior against the environment, and it for

The University Agency for Environmental News and Communication Bringing together universities from around the world Belém, Brazil – November 12, 2025, 9:30 a.m. Italian Pavilion “Made of Future” – PV-A08, Blue Zone Event proposed by IULM University with IPS Academy / CitiPlat AIUNCA, the International University Agency for Environmental News and Communication, will be officially presented at COP30 within the international spaces dedicated to innovation, sustainability, and in

Source: Pajhwok An efficient way to water large areas with less water Experts and experienced farmers say the drip irrigation system should be promoted to irrigate large areas with minimal water, and they urge the government and aid agencies to raise public awareness in this regard and provide farmers with the necessary support. The climatic conditions of land are rapidly changing; in some areas, with rising temperatures causing droughts. While in others they lead to severe s

Source: Pajhwok Acute drought in parts of Afghanistan has psychologically impacted farmers who face serious economic hardships; with some even forced to leave their areas. They are urging the government and the international community for help. Experts say the government and the international community must provide necessary assistance to affected farmers, distribute drought-resistant crop seeds, and lift sanctions on Afghanistan so that the Afghan government can access finan

Source: Union of Concerned Scientists Nations will soon be gathering in Belém, Brazil for the annual UN climate “conference of the parties”— COP30 —against a backdrop of incredibly challenging geopolitical and climate realities. Grossly insufficient action from world leaders has already resulted in worsening climate extreme events and has put the crucial, science-informed goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels out of reach . As I write this, Jam