Challenges

Will greening cities be enough to fend off ever increasing intense heatwaves?

Direct air capture could be a solution for combatting carbon emissions that are hard to avoid – like those from certain industries – and for removing carbon that has been emitted over past decades.

Almost half of the world’s 2.2 billion children face a “deadly” threat from climate and environmental shocks, according to a new report.

Today is Earth Overshoot Day. The date that tells us that we’ve once again used up all biological resources that our planet regenerates during a year. 

“Climate change isn’t about countries: it’s about people. It’s about the world we want to live in for generations to come and the species we share it with. In other words, it’s far too important to leave just to world leaders – this crisis requires all of us to step up” – Governor of California, Gavin Newsom explains what’s at stake.

The sooner we begin retrofitting existing buildings and constructing new ones that can withstand climate change, the better, argues Ran Boydell, Visiting Lecturer in Sustainable Development, Heriot-Watt University.

Dr Elizabeth Hausler, Founder and CEO of Build Change, an organization that prevents housing loss caused by disasters, explains why everyone, from state to non-state actors, must drive the demand for resilient housing.

When Ed Hawkins, a professor of climate science at Reading University in the UK, wanted to find the simplest way to tell the story of global warming, he turned to an image.

As the global climate crisis worsens, an increasing number of people are being forced to flee their homes due to natural disasters, droughts and other weather events. These people are sometimes called “climate refugees”. Who are these climate refugees? And how can the international community properly address this issue?

To mark the day, UK commercial property and investment company, Landsec hosts Race to Zero’s birthday video on its famous Piccadilly Lights.

The Maldives is creating an innovative floating city that will help mitigate the effects of climate change and stay on top of rising sea levels.

With global temperatures only set to rise further, now more than ever it is essential that governments act to reduce the risks to vulnerable people and communities posed by inevitable, yet deadly heatwaves.

“We need to connect the dots and find ways to get communities activated and engaged,” Dr Husna Ahmad, CEO of international development charity, Global One in conversation with Nigel Topping.

More than $3 billion worth of property in Southeast Florida could be lost to tidal flooding without efforts to reduce the threat. Here’s how Miami is fighting back against climate change.

Chatham House Associate Fellow and chartered member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), Karim Elgendy explores the role of buildings in the race to net zero cities.

“This is our only home. This is our ability to survive as a species. And every other issue, whether it’s animal rights, human rights or children’s rights will be negatively impacted – and is already sometimes being negatively impacted – by an unhealthy environment. It feels like the rug underneath everything else” – Lily Cole in conversation with Nigel Topping.

The second episode features former F1 World Champion, Nico Rosberg, owner of Extreme E team, Rosberg Xtreme Racing, and Sara Price, who will race for Chip Ganassi Racing in the Extreme E rallies over the course of 2021. Their mission? To demonstrate that high performing motor racing can engage people around the world in the clean transport revolution, with an aim of influencing government and private sector leaders to speed up the transition of the road transport industry.

With science demanding that in order to stay below 1.5C we must reach “net zero” greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 at the absolute latest, how do we get there? Tom Rivett-Carnac in conversation with Dr. Thomas Hale, Associate Professor in Global Public Policy at Oxford University.

US scientists say they’ve created a new paint that’s so ultra-white it repels infrared heat from a surface and reflects up to 98.1% of sunlight.

“I have no doubt we will find the answers but only if we are bold enough to talk about things which are more inconvenient and not brush them under the carpet. We will only fight this fight if we keep our voices as clamorous as possible and talk truth to power. Only then.”

“Luxury consumption by the rich concentrates economic activity and delivers negligible extra wellbeing, yet sucks up vast amounts of resources.” Phd candidate Yannick Oswald examines how to redress this imbalance.

“The current pandemic is a great opportunity to come back better and have a green recovery that is good for people, for nature and for the climate. And it’s entirely possible” – Tim Christophersen, UNEP

High Level Climate Champions launch the Race to Zero Breakthroughs at Davos, galvanizing business leadership around specific near-term challenges across the sectors of the global economy

Youth groups in Satkhira have been at the forefront of supporting the impoverished, climate-vulnerable communities and building their adaptive capacities and resilience.

From Peru to Indonesia, climate vulnerable people have acted to cope with climate change and build community resilience to natural hazards.

Over the past decades, few concepts have gained such prominence as resilience, but the content has often lacked a clear definition.

Telling the story of the Okjökull glacier in Iceland, Magnason explains why we need to start connecting to the future in a more intimate way.

Cities are leading on ensuring a safe and steady supply of water and setting an example for others to follow.

Cities around the world are looking to innovative solutions to combat rising temperatures in urban centres, as a way to improve health, save lives and reduce dependence on electrified air conditioning.

We need to build our way out of the social and financial crisis provoked by COVID-19, without losing sight of our net-zero targets.

At this critical juncture, we must speed up collaboration and accelerate the transition towards a responsible, net zero steel industry.

Chilean social entrepreneur and COP25 High-Level Climate Champion Gonzalo Muñoz on how the Race to Zero can be won. And he’s on a mission to bring a big list of business pledges to Glasgow in 2021.

“This decade is a moment of choice unlike any we have ever lived,” says Christiana Figueres, the architect of the historic 2015 Paris Agreement.

Seaborne freight is one of the more challenging sectors to decarbonize, but ambition is accelerating in the race to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

While net zero commitments have doubled in 2020, nuances in target implementation approaches can determine the real ambition and impact of actors’ net-zero pledges.

An increasing number of consumer brands are responding to the challenge of decarbonizing plastics and packaging.

People around the world are demanding clean air — and cities are starting to respond, says electrification advocate Monica Araya.

LafargeHolcim has raised the bar for climate ambition in the cement industry, joining the Business Ambition for 1.5°C commitment.

Brazil’s largest aluminium producer Companhia Brasileira de Aluminio (CBA) has committed to setting a science-based target (SBT).

Colin Matthews, Chairman of EDF Energy and co-chair of The Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group, urges UK organisations to commit to rebuilding the economy and tackling climate change.