Governance

Margot Wallström, former European Commissioner for the Environment and former Foreign Secretary of Sweden, led an international expert panel at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute to study the intertwined risks of global environmental crises and conflict.

Recent recognition of the human right to a healthy environment by the United Nations can facilitate a shift in climate policy and shape climate litigation. Now, a recent study discusses these benefits and the potential to assist social movements in garnering political pressure towards stronger climate action.

Simulation studies can provide valuable input to governance actors when choosing which measures to adopt in the pursuit of food security. However, such studies often neglect spillover effects and rarely simulate the targeted nature of governance interventions or factor in value-chain dynamics.

Years of research on adaptation to climate change shows that many efforts are counterproductively increasing vulnerability, rather than reducing it — known as ‘maladaptation’. Now a study suggests ways forward by identifying four structural challenges that need to be overcome in adaptation implementation.

A study involving over 12,000 observations shows that high-quality cropland soils not only lead to a higher yield, but also to a smaller yield reduction and variability in response to warmer climates. Appropriate efforts to improve soil quality may reduce the decline in crop production induced by climate change in China by 20%.