Extreme weather is blamed for plunge in Italy’s olive harvest – the worst in 25 years – that could leave the country dependent on imports by April. Arthur Neslen explains in an article in The Guardian. Has climate change played a role?   Italy sees 57% drop in olive harvest as result of climate change, … Continue reading Is it possible that Italy will have to import olive oil? →

Following last year’s IPCC special report, all countries need to raise their level of ambition to ensure we don’t go above 1.5 degrees C. Severin Carrell writes in The Guardian that a cross-party parliamentary committee in Scotland is calling for a much greater effort. The goal of cutting emissions by 90% before 2050 fails to … Continue reading Parliamentary committee warns Scotland that it has to be more ambitious in addressing climate change →

You should put on a violin concerto from your favourite composer as you read this [here is Anne-Sophie Mutter and she does play a Stradivarius!] The forest where the wood for Stradivarius violins comes from has been used for 300 years to build some of the best string instruments in the world. Angelo van Schaik … Continue reading Worries that climate change may affect the next generation of Stradivarius violins →

Is there a link between climate change and conflict? Over the last decade many countries in the Sahel region have been embroiled in conflict, explains Alessandra Giannini, senior research scientist at the International Research Institute for Climate and Society/laureate of "Make our planet great again", at the École normale supérieure (ENS). Resources are increasingly scarce, … Continue reading Emissions from burning fossil fuel have had a major impact on the Sahel →

This week, attending World Sustainable Energy Days in Wels, Austria, we had unbelievably warm weather for this time of year. And we all talked about it. Kendra Pierre-Louis writes in the New York Times that a new study shows we will soon treat such weather as normal. Well, will we? And what does this mean … Continue reading People learn to accept extreme weather as normal in as little as two years →

Amanda Power, Associate Professor in Medieval History at the University of Oxford provides a fascinating article on The Conversation website that challenges us to take a different view of history. It will be good to get the views of EiD readers.   Climate change: narrate a history beyond the 'triumph of humanity' to find imaginative … Continue reading A history lesson: “Narrating a richer past would lessen the shock of discovering that we are, after all, earthbound inhabitants of the only planet where life is known to exist.” →

There are concerns that the media has turned a blind eye to the people who live in the world’s poorest countries and who are most vulnerable to climate change. Arthur Neslen explains in an article in The Guardian.   Climate change 'cause of most under-reported humanitarian crises' Climate change was responsible for the majority of … Continue reading Climate change was responsible for the majority of under-reported humanitarian disasters last year →

It is encouraging to see a number of senior military leaders raising the security concerns about climate change. Borzou Daragahi explains in an article on The Independent website. From the US to the Netherlands, military leaders are speaking up on climate change When Tom Middendorp - then the highest ranking military official in the Dutch … Continue reading A global network of former military leaders has been launched to drive policy on the security implications of climate change →