Headline: News

The growing deployment of renewable energy sources (RES) will have to be accompanied by a significant expansion of the electricity grids. The places where the generation of energy from wind, solar or hydro would be most economically competitive are often located in remote areas (offshore wind for example), distant from the densely populated zones where the energy is needed. Furthermore, grid extensions increase the system’s flexibility, thereby facilitating the integration of rising shares of variable RES.

<p>In presence of the EU Ministers of the Environment IASS Executive Director Klaus Töpfer opened the European <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/environment/marine/hope-conference/" target="_blank">HOPE conference - <strong><em>H</em></strong><em>ealthy <strong>O</strong>ceans – <strong>P</strong>roductive <strong>E</strong>cosystems</em></a> - taking place in Brussels from 3-4 March.</p>

<p>Understanding the processes driving global and climate change can only be improved by looking at the Earth system as a whole. The scope of this task, however, is larger than what can be achieved by any single institute. Therefore, the Max Planck Institutes for Biogeochemistry (Jena), Chemistry (Mainz) and Meteorology (Hamburg) launched the <a href="http://www.earthsystem.de/index.php?id=23&amp;L=2" target="_blank">Earth System Research Partnership (ESRP)</a> which the IASS has joined in early 2014.</p>

<p>Modern society faces huge challenges associated with climate change that require a fundamental re-thinking in economy, policy and science. Especially adaptation to these consequences becomes more and more important in addition to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.</p>

<p>Rio+20, the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, has made clear that the international community is at a turning point in the protection of the oceans. More than 40% of the oceans are already considered highly influenced by human activities. Scientific evidence abounds that fish stocks are fished well beyond sustainable levels. A positive shift in our interactions with the oceans must therefore be a cornerstone of sustainable development.</p>

<p><em>Our climate is changing. The earth is warming up as a result of greenhouse gases emitted by humans. With serious implications: sea levels are rising, deserts are expanding, and extreme weather events may become more frequent. We can still prevent some of the consequences by reducing our emissions. But we will also have to adapt to some changes that can no longer be prevented. Reducing emissions and adapting to changes require considerable effort. Would climate engineering (CE), a deliberate and large-scale intervention in the climate, be an easier option against global warming?</em></p>

<p>67 percent of Africa’s land is subject to degradation: Due to erosion and desertification soils lose their fertility. This results in reduced crop yields and threatens food security and economic development. Poor rural populations are particularly affected as they largely depend on the land for their livelihoods. Climate change is expected to further increase their vulnerability. But how can land degradation be mitigated or reversed? How can livelihoods of the rural poor be improved?</p>

<p>One medium connects all people: the air. How we look after it has far-reaching implications, since air pollution and climate warming pose an immediate and global threat to our environment, health and food security. Particularly carbon dioxide emissions are considered a major cause for the global rise in temperatures. However, Short-Lived Climate-forcing Pollutants (SLCPs) such as methane, ozone and soot also considerably contribute to climate change.</p>

<p>Multi-level governance, when taken seriously, requires integrative elements, and a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on Cities should be one of them. Besides addressing rapid urbanisation and its impact on sustainable development, a stand-alone SDG on Cities would bring political benefits to the post-2015 development agenda.</p>