Dr. Oleksandr Sushchenko’s Post

📚 Who Pays for Climate Change Adaptation? Climate Justice in the Mediterranean The Mediterranean region is witnessing the tangible impacts of climate change, both on land and at sea. Rising temperatures, already 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, along with shifting precipitation patterns, extreme events and changes in sea-level and salinity, underscore the urgent need for enhanced mitigation and adaptation strategies. However, adaptation is not just a technical challenge; it is deeply intertwined with issues of climate justice. Adaptive capacities depend not only on the uncertain trajectory of climate risks but also on existing societal resources, governance frameworks, and the competing visions of adaptation itself. This raises critical questions:  ●  Who gets to decide what adaptation measures are implemented?  ●  How can the process be equitable for all affected communities? As highlighted by Dr Jan Wilkens, Senior Researcher at the CLICCS Synthesis Project, University of Hamburg, adaptation is not automatic or inevitable, it is a politically, socially and economically intricate process requiring collective effort and fairness in execution. 📘 Explore this thought-provoking publication ⤵️ https://lnkd.in/d8NUrgWz European Institute of the Mediterranean

Climate change adaptation is a key theme of the Water and Environment Research Program (WERP) of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority. It was an honour to chair the governance panel and present the keynote at the 2024 WERP Science Symposium today, held in Albury on the banks of the beautiful Murray where La Trobe University is lucky to have a campus.   Like water (sometimes through water) climate change impacts seep and flow through our lives and systems. I presented insights from a few of our La Trobe Climate Change Adaptation Lab projects that illustrate the cascading and compounding effects of climate change. I also revisited the 'Critical Breaking Point?' research I led nearly 20 years ago with Birchip Cropping Group (BCG). Initially a short study into farm households' experiences of drought, it stretched into a longitudinal study as the drought went on year after year, before in 2011 it abruptly became also a flood study.   The importance of recognising that we, our research projects and all our partners are enmeshed in the increasingly complex world we are studying is something I am only more passionate about now. It is a perspective that requires a sophisticated social science and soft systems sensibility. As WERP concludes and a new iteration of research for MDBA is developed, it is exciting to not only reflect on its substantial achievements but to help it evolve to face these and other socio-environmental complexities. Thanks to Kevin MACK, Nick Bond, Simon Kerr, and others for organising the day.

🌍 Understanding the Impact of Global Climate Policies At OliveBio, our mission aligns closely with the global efforts to mitigate climate change. The recent study from the University of Oxford ranking the effectiveness of 1,500 global climate policies underscores the importance of evidence-based action in this fight. This comprehensive analysis offers valuable insights into what works—and what doesn’t—in reducing carbon emissions and promoting sustainability. As a company committed to sustainable biomanufacturing and the development of PHA bioplastics, we believe that such data-driven evaluations are crucial for guiding our efforts and ensuring that our innovations contribute to a more sustainable future. ➡ Read more about the study here: https://lnkd.in/enJ4AcxQ #ClimateAction #Sustainability #Bioplastics #OliveBio #ClimatePolicy #SustainableManufacturing

Often we're so focused on planning and delivering adaptation-based projects that we forget to take a step back and think about what we're doing. Is it working? Are we racing in the right direction? I've been self-reflecting a lot on whether all my efforts in adaptation are in vain. The climate is going to have the last word and maybe it's laughing at our futile efforts. This research paper has renewed a sense of motivation in me. It has reminded me that it's incredibly important to pause, reflect, re-assess, and importantly, re-direct.

🌍 2023: A Pivotal Climate Year Last year, 2023, secured its place in history as the warmest on record. Our planet grappled with unprecedented temperature anomalies, witnessing a disturbing escalation in the frequency and magnitude of devastating climate impacts. 🌊 Europe bore the brunt: Slovenia faced its worst-ever floods, a deluge of rain in less than a day. Spain, Portugal, and Greece battled extreme heat, scarred by wildfires. Switzerland reached new heights, setting an altitude record for the freezing point. 🔥 The Middle East sizzled, with temperatures soaring above 50°C. Meanwhile, the global ocean churned, fueling typhoons, cyclones, and hurricanes. 🌿 Urgency looms: GHG emissions and CO2 concentrations hit alarming highs, challenging the Paris Agreement goals. Enter the European Green Deal, a beacon of hope. It centers on environmental sustainability, addressing global warming, biodiversity loss, pollution, and resource depletion. 🔬 Climate science guides our path forward. Let’s act swiftly, adapt, and safeguard our planet. 🌎🌱 👉 Publication: The next frontier for climate change science Insights from the authors of the IPCC 6th assessment report on knowledge gaps and priorities for research The next frontier for climate change science https://lnkd.in/duPJxG6W #Research #HorizonEurope #Innovation #Newsletter #WIDERA #EuropeanResearch #Collaboration #wideningparticipation #ClimateAction #Sustainability #GreenDeal

The end of the year is approaching and the great research papers still keep coming 🤩!! Here are two pieces of work that are a must read for anyone working on #climatechangeadaptation: Chandni Singh has written an insightful Commentary on climate #adaptationscience, with a focus on gaps and frontiers. She lays out in detail the key gaps and where adaptation science has major issues, while also challenging us to look how these can be solved. Singh, C. (2024). Human dimensions of climate change adaptation: Gaps and knowledge frontiers. Dialogues on Climate Change, 29768659241297772. https://lnkd.in/gAFsZ3f2 Open access here: https://lnkd.in/g6wSUPqm Another key paper is by Dora Engbersen, Robbert Biesbroek, and Catrien Termeer on transformational climate adaptation in the Netherlands. The paper looks at 51 cases and offers a new framework to assess TCA. Very timely especially with the discussions on Global Goal on Adaptation and the role of Transformational Adaptation in that. Paper here: https://lnkd.in/gcRJqzty #climateadaptation #climatechange Youssef Nassef Mikko Ollikainen Mark Howden Elisabeth Gilmore Debora Ley, PhD #adaptation #science

On Wednesday 5 June, an expert dialogue at the International International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) focused on the effects that climate change has/will have on mountains. The dialogue brought together different angles, topics and data on mountains ecosystems, which can provide great insight to those interested in the topic. Speakers reflected, among other things, on: - the importance of mountain regions in the global water cycle and the increasing dependence of lowland populations on mountain water runoff; - impacts such as glacier loss, reduction of snow cover, and flood events; data and research gaps, such as on mountain medicinal plants and invasive alien species; - the use of citizen science, for example to map water springs; - Indigenous Peoples' intricate relationship with mountain ecosystems in terms of cultural and spiritual practice, as well as diets; and - the importance of transboundary collaboration to accelerate adaptation efforts. Read more on the discussion here: https://lnkd.in/ehCbmY7u Energieagentur Tirol Standortagentur Tirol Euromontana Applied Research and Communications Fund META Group INOVA+ Technische Universität Wien Regione Piemonte Università degli Studi di Torino ROHEALTH - The Health and Bioeconomy Cluster Klimabündnis Tirol Natural Resources Institute Finland / Luonnonvarakeskus LEOPOLD FRANZENS UNIVERSITAT INNSBRUCK RIC Gabrovo CREAF Politecnico di Torino FEBEA - European Federation of Ethical and Alternative Banks and Financiers Università degli Studi di Trieste Regione Autonoma Friuli Venezia Giulia SERN - Startup Europe Regions Network Finnish Lapland Tourist Board ry - Lapin Matkailuelinkeinon Liitto

🌐 Concerned about the impact of climate change on countries economy? A recent report by I4CE - Institut de l'économie pour le climat / Institute for Climate Economics sheds light on France's estimated costs of adaptation, ranging from €5 billion to €20 billion annually by 2050. Proactive measures, especially in buildings, transport, and farming, are crucial to mitigate risks. ⚠ Waiting for climate impacts to manifest could lead to even higher reactive repair costs! 🌿 At REGILIENCE, we also aim to build a strong and perennial community by sharing good practices and boosting European regions and regional actors climate resilience. Indeed, we developed a self-assessment tool that explicitly focuses on spotting potential risk factors for maladaptation as early as possible. Its objective is to help users (staff of the competent regional authority/ies for climate adaptation or of other departments and organisations e.g. consultants for the administrations, CSOs dealing with climate adaptation) to avoid or reduce maladaptation risks in the planning phase of adaptation actions. 💡 With this tool, users are guided through a checklist of 17 questions, each one focusing on one risk factor for maladaptation. By simply responding to the question by selecting yes/no/partially for each of the risk factors, the maladaptive potential of the planned adaptation action is checked. 🔗 Check out the article for insights 👉  https://bit.ly/4awEY40 Learn more about REGILIENCE's Maladaptation Tool 👉  https://bit.ly/49bH09m #ClimateAction #ClimateResilience #ClimateAdaptation Institute for European Energy and Climate Policy Foundation (IEECP) | FEDARENE | F6S Innovation | Fresh Thoughts Consulting GmbH | adelphi I Resilient Cities Network | Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa | ICLEI Europe I CINEA - European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency | ARSINOE_EU | Climate Impetus | TransformAr I CLIMAAX I Pathways2Resilience I Mission Implementation Platform for Adaptation to Climate Change (MIP4Adapt) I REACHOUT

The worst kept secret in climate science : forests won't solve climate change. The lungs of the earth are dying 🫁. This is going to rub a few people the wrong way, but unfortunately, we can't count on ecosystems to bail us out. Not anymore. That's because in 2023, the world's forest stopped acting as a carbon sink 🤯. While forests generally absorb much more CO2 than they emit, keeping global warming in check, this balance is reversing. At the International Carbon Dioxide Conference in Brazil last week, a team of international scientists, including Philippe Ciais from the Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives presented a study showing that the carbon sink is collapsing (link to study in comments, peer review ongoing). Usually, the land carbon sink absorbs a quarter to a third of CO2 emissions. Without it, the growth rate of carbon dioxide jumped 86% from 2022 to 2023 (emissions "only" increased by ~1% during the period). It's a big deal. Collapsing carbon sinks are a systemic tipping point - without them, CO2 concentrations will increase much faster. Record temperatures are drying out forests and exponentially increasing wildfires, while carbon emissions are still increasing. Massively reducing deforestation and forest degradation while increasing forest surface area is still important. But the idea that reduced emissions from avoided deforestation is equivalent to continued emissions from burning fossil fuels is flabbergasting 🤡. If you think you can offset emissions by planting trees, think again. It's just not working fast enough. I mean, we just choked out the Amazon. The real deal is reducing emissions and leaving fossil fuels in the ground. The quickest and most effective way to do that ? Putting a price on carbon.

I didn’t want to write this article. It has been on my to-do list, but it is so troubling, and dire, and strange that I wanted to ignore it. Part of my daily routine is to read the #US edition of The #Guardian, which in my opinion does the best job of any international news organisation of covering environmental issues and climate science. Many of the stories I find on The Guardian become the basis of articles for CleanTechnica. Recently, The Guardian reached out to every lead author or review editor of #IPCC reports since 2018 — 843 people in all — to ask them how the fight against #globalheating was going. 380 people responded. The IPCC reports are the gold standard assessments of #climatechange, approved by all governments and produced by experts in physical and social sciences. The results show that many of the most knowledgeable people on the planet expect climate havoc to unfold in the coming decades. 80% of them said they expect global temperatures to rise by at least 2.5º C (4.5º F) above pre-industrial levels this century, blasting past internationally agreed targets and causing catastrophic consequences for humanity and the planet. Almost half anticipate at least 3º C (5.4º F). Only 6% thought the 1.5º C (2.7º F) limit agreed to by virtually all the nations of the world in #Paris in 2015 would be met. That target was chosen to prevent the worst of the #climatecrisis and has been an important guiding star for subsequent international negotiations such as the annual #COP climate conferences. A Semi-Dystopian Future Many of the scientists said they foresee a “semi-dystopian” future, with famines, conflicts, and mass migration, driven by #heatwaves, #wildfires, #floods, and #storms of an intensity and frequency far beyond those that have already struck. Numerous experts said they had been left feeling hopeless, infuriated, and scared by the failure of governments to act despite the clear scientific evidence provided. “I think we are headed for major societal disruption within the next five years,” said Gretta Pecl, at the #UniversityofTasmania. “[Authorities] will be overwhelmed by extreme event after extreme event, food production will be disrupted. I could not feel greater despair over the future.” Peter Cox, at the #UniversityofExeter, said “Climate change will not suddenly become dangerous at 1.5C — it already is. And it will not be ‘game over’ if we pass 2º C, which we might well do.”