climate
Meeting flood risk with nature-based solutions in EU coastal regions
As the effects of climate change become increasingly apparent, EU citizens are facing growing risks of more severe and frequent flooding. Climate adaptation is being prioritised to meet this risk and protect people, properties and infrastructure, with several EU-funded projects pioneering approaches using nature-based solutions. The impacts of flooding were especially evident in 2024, when ...
A scientist’s opinion: interview with Prof. Silvana Di Sabatino on nature-based solutions for climate adaptation
Silvana Di Sabatino is a Professor in Atmospheric Physics at the University of Bologna, Italy, where she coordinates the atmospheric physics group that works on matters relating to meteorology, dealing with extreme weather events and climate adaptation. Professor Di Sabatino was the coordinator of the Horizon 2020-funded OPERANDUM project which set out to provide science-based evidence ...
Plants driving the future of sustainable technology
Scientists across Europe seek inspiration from flora to develop robots and materials. Europe is home to more than 20,000 plant species. Shaped by millions of years of evolution to withstand extreme conditions such as, droughts, floods, and harsh winters, plants convert sunlight into oxygen through photosynthesis, protect the soil from erosion and, not to forget, ...
How to address water scarcity in the EU? Interview with STOA study author Maria Kottari
The EU is facing major challenges with increasing water scarcity. That said, there is also some good news: water consumption by households has been decreasing over the last years. This is what green transition and innovation expert Dr. Maria Kottari has found. She authored a new study commissioned by the European Parliament’s Panel on the ...
Technologies at the heart of STOA’s work on Green Deal
The EU Green Deal has been a priority for the European Parliament's Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA) in the 2019-2024 legislative term, with the scientists, other experts and MEPs exploring how technology can help reduce Europe’s carbon footprint. Creating a climate-neutral EU European economy requires a deep transformation in areas like ...
Future of farming: adapting agriculture and food to a warming climate
Agricultural economist Hermann Lotze-Campen leads climate resilience research at the world-famous Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), and he’s also a professor of sustainable land use and climate change at Humboldt University in Berlin. In this interview, he explains more about the relationships between land use, agriculture, climate and our food – and gives us a ...
Meat grown in a lab: a sustainable and slaughter-free alternative to conventional meat?
Once the preserve of science fiction, cultivated meat has become a reality. According to its advocates, it is a way to revolutionise food with more environmentally and ethically sound meat. Even though it is not allowed in the EU yet, will cultivated meat soon be on European plates? In 2013, Professor Mark Post unveiled the ...
A scientist’s opinion: interview with Verena Winiwarter on climate change and education systems
Climate change and education systems: What role can education systems play in the climate crisis? Interview with Verena Winiwarter, Professor of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna. How do you rate the Education systems in Europe in relation to climate change awareness of younger ages? Verena Winiwarter: I think we ...