Globally, fossil fuel subsidies were $7 trillion in 2022 or 7.1% of GDP.  Explicit subsidies – the undercharging for supply costs – have more than doubled since 2020.  This equals 18% of the total subsidy, while nearly 60% is due to undercharging for global warming and local air pollution.  Differences between efficien ...

The United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) is the most important instrument for planning and implementation of the UN development activities at country level.  The Cooperation Framework is an agreement between the UN and the host government that must a) clearly articulate the United Natio ...

A better understanding of the complexity, size, design, and effects of subsidies and externalities of economic sectors contributing to environmental degradation could facilitate and expedite discussions to strengthen the implementation of multilateral agreements.  This is an essential aspect of the global economic syst ...

President Trump is weaponizing trade.  After decades of globalization and expanding trade, recent shocks have exposed the fragility of global value chains (GVCs).   As rising geopolitical tensions fuel protectionist sentiments and trade wars, the urgent need for sustainable and environmentally friendly supply chains fo ...

Current patterns of production and consumption, in particular in the global North, cannot be transferred to the rising world population, in particular in the global South, without severe environmental and societal consequences and economic risks.  The “Green Economy” is intended to “contribute to eradicating poverty as ...

Construction and real estate have been central to the debates on sustainable development. Where the dominant definition of sustainability in the built environment focuses on the environmental dimension, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) offer new opportunities for the building sector to expand its focus.  Gre ...

Restricting ESG strategies distorts financial market outcomes.  As investor interest in funds with environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles has increased, legislation restricting public sector activity with funds that pursue ESG-friendly principles has been proposed or passed in 17 states.  As a result, th ...

Over the last two decades, the global re/insurance sector has experienced an increasing number of major natural catastrophes, such as winter storms, forest fires, severe heat waves and heavy flooding.  Countries around the world are suffering the effects of climate change, which contribute to more frequent and extreme ...

Climate change is a highly contentious topic that has led to such labels such as “alarmists” and “deniers”.  While the former urge immediate and drastic action to stop global climate change, the latter deny many of the key claims made by scientists about climate change.  Among other, less extreme groups, are the “skept ...

The Vienna Tree Protection Act is considered one of the factors that makes Vienna the “most liveable city” in the world.  While Vienna has a highly effective and strictly enforced tree protection ordinance, the rest of Austria vehemently resists such strict nature conservation measures.  Regulations to protect trees an ...

The global climate is constantly changing and global warming is progressing faster than the best models can cope with.  Assessing the future impact of influencing factors requires hundreds of years of simulations as we move further and further away from the reference points (see “Climate models can't explain what's hap ...

Flooding is increasing due to climate change, urbanization and land-use changes.  Nature-based solutions (NBS) are commonly used as innovative and sustainable methods of flood risk management.  In addition to reducing flood risk, NBS also offer economic and ecological benefits for society and the environment.  However, ...

Mass mobilization driven by the pain and suffering of global climate shocks is expected to be the only way humanity can save itself from the climate crisis we have created.  As the social impacts of climate shocks increase in both frequency and severity, they will trigger an “AnthroShift” in which personal and economic ...

Global climate is constantly changing and global warming is moving faster than the best models can handle.  Assessing the future impact of influencing factors requires hundreds of years of simulations while we are moving further and further away from our reference points.   “We are asking a lot of the models” because m ...

While skepticism is crucial to scientific inquiry and research, the precautionary principle is ambiguous about the distinction between risk and uncertainty.  One challenge for proponents of the precautionary principle is to clarify when evidence that a harmful event could occur is sufficient to consider it a real possi ...