Monthly Archives: May 2022

The dissolution of Russia is a hypothetical unraveling of the Russian Federation from a unified state to various potential independent successor states.[1] The topic is the subject of hundreds of articles on the Internet.[2]

The current Russian Federation is the primary successor state of the Soviet Union. Various trends and problems which may challenge the permanence of the unified Russian Federation have been discussed publicly and in academia by figures such as Garry Kasparov, Mikhail Leontyev, Herman Gref, Maxim Kalashnikov, Sergey Kurginyan, Alexander Prokhanov, Natalya Narochnitskaya, and Dmitry Medvedev.[1]

The chief researcher of the Institute of philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences, V. Shevchenko, when reviewing the article "The collapse of Russia in the early 21st century in the statements of contemporaries" by O. Yu. Maslova, noted that it contains a large collection of authors on the theme of Russian disintegration. These authors range from diehard supporters of the idea that the collapse of Russia is almost inevitable and has already begun, to supporters of the idea of artificial and deliberate attempts at making the country collapse.[1]

The main reason for the disintegration processes and the possible collapse of Russia, according to V. Shevchenko's review work, "The Future of Russia: Strategies for philosophical Understanding," is the lack of a national idea or project (such as Communism in the Soviet Union) that would unite all peoples of Russia. Russian statehood, as he sees it, is in a transitional state in which all processes have become more active: both integration and disintegration.[1]

He went on to list the accompanying reasons for Russia's possible collapse as:

In his article, his opinion is that the disintegration has in fact already begun. Signs he points to include legal extraterritoriality, the removal of persons of non-titular nationality in national republics from the state apparatus[vague], and the radicalization of Islam.[1]

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Russian government forbade Tatarstan from switching from the Cyrillic script to the Latin alphabet, fearing that such a move would disrupt internal unity and result in dissolution.[3] On the other hand, in the 2020s, Kazakhstan began moving towards the Latin alphabet, and this is believed to be to distance itself from Russian influence.[4] The Russian government strives to make all of the languages of Russia use Cyrillic to enforce unity[5].

A report to the Izborsky club, a group of analysts led by A. Kobyakov, listed the lines of division in modern Russian society that could potentially lead to the collapse of the state: socio-economic inequality, interethnic relations, alienation of elites from the people, and opposition of the "creative class" to the rest of society.[1]

The culturologist I. Yakovenko believes that the main reason for the disintegration processes is the uneven process of market modernization in different regions of Russia, which increases the economic isolation of these regions from one another. Yakovenko identifies the following regions into which in his opinion the Russian Federation may break up: North and South of Russia, Siberia, the North Caucasus and the intercontinental border.[1]

According to the mathematician Georgiy Malinetsky,[6] there are some possible reasons for the collapse of Russia:

The post-WW2 sphere of influence (the Eastern Bloc and the Warsaw Pact) collapsed in 1991 with the aforementioned dissolution of the Soviet Union. The dissolution was largely non-violent, though it has been argued that the violence of Russia's invasion of Ukraine (February 2022) resulted from the Soviet dissolution.[7] In 2022, within weeks of this invasion, some commentators predicted an eventual Russian collapse as a result, especially once it became obvious that Vladimir Putin's "special military operation" was not going to be a quick victory.[8][9][10][11] Some have been more specific, and have stated such a collapse could happen by 2025-2027[9]

In an interview with the magazine Expert in April 2005, the head of the presidential administration, Dmitry Medvedev said:[1]

If we fail to consolidate the elite, Russia may disappear as a single state. [...] The consequences will be monstrous. The disintegration of the Union may seem like a matinee in the kindergarten compared to the state collapse in modern Russia.

Dmitry Medvedev

In 2011, during a meeting of the government commission[which?] for the development of the North Caucasian Federal District in Gudermes, Vladimir Putin said what would happen if the Caucasus suddenly left Russia:[12]

If this happens, then, at the same moment not even an hour, but a second there will be those who want to do the same with other territorial entities of Russia, [...] and it will be a tragedy that will affect every citizen of Russia without exception.

Vladimir Putin

As in any country with land borders, there are many ethnicities living in Russia related or identical to the titular ethnic groups of neighboring countries. In some of these border regions, irredentist ideas are expressed about the reunification of divided peoples.

In Buryatia and two Buryat autonomous okrugs, one of which is the Ust-Orda Buryat Okrug, ideas are being expressed of joining Mongolia as part of the idea of pan-Mongolism.[13][14]

Some Kazakh nationalists wish to recover Orenburg, the former capital of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, and now part of Russia in the Omsk Oblast.[15]

The idea of uniting Finland and Karelia into a Greater Finland (the Karelian question) used to be popular among part of the population in Finland and Karelia.[16][17]

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Dissolution of Russia - Wikipedia

Good morning.

Thank you to the Institute for Human Rights of Guangzhou University for welcoming me.

I am pleased to address you all today.

I greatly value my exchanges with students. Even though I do have a long career behind me, and I am also a grandmother - I like to define myself not as old but as a person with accumulated youth.

An accumulation of parcels of passion and energy, of possibility and hope.

Your generation has experienced dramatic changes.

Some of them good, some of them more challenging.

Major demographic transformations both within your country and globally, growing economic interconnectedness, rapid digital advances, a global health pandemic and its socio-economic consequences, climate change.

And finding your place within those changes is one of the greatest challenges of all.

This is why the commitment to human rights education is so crucial.

Human rights education invites all of us to participate in a dialogue about how human rights can be translated into our own social, economic, cultural and political reality.

It provides concrete solutions to the challenges people face. It empowers individuals to identify their and others human rights, and to claim and defend them. As such, it is a strong investment in building a just, peaceful and equitable future for everyone.

We are living in a time of uncertainty and unpredictability, with the intersection of multiple global crises. Climate change, growing socio-economic inequalities across the globe, conflict and tensions in countries across the world are pushing millions from the safety of their homes and putting dignity and human life at grave risk.

The fall-out on employment, health and housing from the COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating. The World Bank had projected 198 million more extreme poor during 2022 due to COVID-19. Global food prices alone are now estimated to add a further 65 million more people to that total.

The impacts are, as always, the hardest on the most marginalised and excluded. Women, minorities, persons with disabilities, children, migrants.

But amidst all these challenges, we are also seeing beacons of hope.

We are witnessing the tremendous power of youth.

Over the course of the past few years, I have been inspired by the movements and actions of young people challenging discrimination, injustice and inequalities.

We have seen powerful demonstrations of youth commitment to equality, climate action and human rights.

Young people are influencing debates of national and international importance and prompting social change - including by demanding a seat at the table and holding governments and businesses to account for their inaction.

Their intelligence, creativity and courage is a testament to the unique value of youth in shaping not only our future but also our present.

A fundamental ingredient for youth to be able to play that role is an open civic space where they can voice their opinions and seek change.

In his Call to Action for Human Rights and in Our Common Agenda, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed how young people need space to participate in the decisions that will shape their future which is crucial for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

So how can we make sure that the gains we have achieved dont slip away?

My experience has shown me has proven to me that no country can face global challenges alone.

We need each other.

All of us not only governments, but also individuals must dare to embark on that dialogue and engagement.

While there is no magic answer to eradicate the various crises we face, we do have the tools at our disposal to emerge stronger from them.

Multilateralism creates a space for us for dialogue, both regionally and globally, in order to reach realistic agreements. It is key to advancing human rights and sustainable development for all.

When grounded in human rights be they the civil, political, economic, social or cultural rights that are inherent to us all as human beings - I am convinced that such action can allow us to make tremendous leaps forward.

Today, I wish to focus on three of the many human rights issues facing our world.

As a Permanent Member of the Security Council, the second largest contributor to the UN peacekeeping budget and a major troop contributing country, China can play an important role in multilateral discussions to help bring about meaningful progress in these areas.

Let me begin with the area of peace and security.

Peace is the central promise of the Charter of the United Nations and one of the principal global public goods the United Nations was established to deliver.

Yet, in all regions, we witness inter-ethnic tensions, violent coups, protracted conflicts, all exacerbated by rapidly evolving weapons technologies. The recent frontal assault on the most fundamental directive of the UN Charter should concern us all.

The past decade has seen a disturbing trend towards conflict, with the laws of war and international human rights law being flouted around the world, including in Syria, Ukraine, Ethiopia, Yemen and Myanmar to name a few.

Hospitals are attacked; indiscriminate weapons that make no distinction between soldiers and civilians, including children, are used.

Millions of people are pushed from the safety of their homes, their right to life threatened, children are deprived of access to health or education, and societies held back from safety and the ability to develop.

As I expressed to the Human Rights Council earlier this year, it is precisely at time of crisis when investment in multilateral and human rights-based action brings effective solutions.

Independent monitoring and reporting on human rights violations, with a rigorous methodology, is a decisive and unbiased way of gathering accurate information on conflicts, and their impact on people. It is through such methods that we can establish the truth and take steps towards accountability.

Prevention of future conflict also depends heavily on concrete, targeted action to protect human rights. This involves addressing systemic denials of human rights, such as long-standing discriminatory laws and practices or violations of access to economic, social or cultural rights.

The international human rights framework, and its mechanisms for implementation, are the tools we have to help States identify these gaps, and how to best address them. In addition, SDG 16 captures well the connections between peace, justice, inclusive institutions, and sustainable development.

Most crucially, an inclusive and open civic space assists States in identifying gaps and solutions on how to protect human rights to sustain peace and development.

This leads me to the second issue I wish to address today - Sustainable Development. The principles of equality and non-discrimination are at the core of the 2030 Agenda and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. States have committed to 'leave no one behind' and reach those furthest behind first and pay special attention to marginalized groups.

The Agendas major strength is that it brings all countries of the world together, calling on each to expand their inclusive forces, so they can transform together to meet our shared challenges. However, the planetary crisis, COVID-19 and ongoing conflicts have set us back in achieving all the goals.

I am convinced that fast-tracking equality can quickly get us back on the right path.

This means ensuring we have an economy that works for everyone, especially the hardest hit: the excluded and discriminated. Those with no voice and little bargaining power.

This means budgets that work for those who have been left furthest behind, to ensure access to essential levels of health care, social protection and education for all.

This means greater transparency in budget decisions and spending, for corporations paying their fair share; for greater progressive taxation; and for structural reforms that reduce economic and political power inequalities.

Above all, this involves tackling the underlying discrimination on the basis of peoples racial, ethnic, religious, linguistic origin, or other ground. It requires the revision and amendment of laws, policies and practices that discriminate on these bases; it means investigating and preventing violations of their rights; and ensuring inclusive participation in decision-making in full respect of cultural, religious or other traditions.

Women living in poverty are also far removed from public life, weighed down by restrictions on their access to economic resources, mobility, information. Promoting their participation in decision-making must be a priority. Earlier this year, on a visit to Afghanistan, I insisted that the grave humanitarian crisis in the country could only be adequately addressed if women have a seat at the table.

Development is only sustainable if we integrate human rights and environmental protections in development policy and plans with the participation of those affected.

Chinas role here is crucial for instance, when it comes to infrastructure-related SDGs, together with development finance institutions.

According to the World Bank, developing countries need to invest around 4.5 per cent of GDP in order to achieve infrastructure-related SDGs and meet global climate change targets.

However, even in the best of times, getting infrastructure right is not simple.

In many countries, my Office has documented various human rights problems associated with transport, energy and other infrastructure projects globally.

We have observed some projects with limited transparency; or that have involved little consultation with local communities or forced evictions loss of indigenous peoples' culture and livelihoods, suppression of civil society voices, gender-based violence, gender-blind project design, unaffordable user fees, forced and child labour, and negative fiscal impacts.

In 2018 I had called upon G20 finance ministers to better integrate human rights considerations in infrastructure development. The following year, the G20 issued a set of Principles for Quality Infrastructure Investment which ask that Design, delivery, and management of infrastructure should respect human rights. (Principle 5.2)

For infrastructure investment to be sustainable and resilient, we need high social and environmental standards, and human rights due diligence. So it is encouraging that development finance institutions are increasingly integrating human rights within their operational policies.

I note the important commitment in the Human Rights Action Plan of China, that the government will encourage Chinese businesses to abide by the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in their foreign trade and investment, conduct due diligence on human rights, and fulfill their social responsibility to respect and promote human rights.

The Chinese Due Diligence Guidelines for Responsible Mineral Supply Chains are explicitly based upon the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and contain robust guidance on risk-based due diligence, building on the strength of international standards. These Guidelines offer an excellent model for adaptation in infrastructure sectors.

Finally, this provides a natural transition to the next issue I wish to raise this morning: climate change.

An estimated one in six premature deaths are caused by pollution. Tens of millions of people are displaced each year by climate change. Biodiversity loss threatens the collapse of entire ecosystems. The latest reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change make it clear that we are heading towards catastrophe.

The alarm bell rang a long time ago.

As with the other issues discussed today, climate change disproportionately impacts those who are already in vulnerable situations, such as women, youth, minorities and persons with disabilities. Many environmental human rights defenders are themselves indigenous peoples or members of local communities, or they represent them.

Protecting the environment goes hand-in-hand with protecting the rights of those who defend it. Their voices must be heard - and protected. Resolution 40/11 of the Human Rights Council has highlighted that the work of environmental human rights defenders is linked to the enjoyment of human rights, environmental protection and sustainable development.

The UN Human Rights Council recently recognized in its resolution 48/13 - that a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is a universal human right. The resolution recognized environmental degradation and climate change as interconnected human rights crises and invites governments to further consider the matter at the UN General Assembly.

Over 150 countries already recognize and protect the right to a healthy environment. I hope China will join this group. The air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink, indeed, our health, wellbeing and survival all depend on a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.

The international community must act with single-minded purpose and solidarity to deploy every possible resource to protect and fulfil the human right to a healthy environment.

Dear all,

One of the most important ways to meaningfully put people and their rights at the centre of our action - is by ensuring the right to participate and by opening space for dialogue.

Here, I welcome the fact that the right to political participation is one of the areas of special interest of this Institute.

Why is participation so important?

When various sectors of society are brought into discussions, are included in debate, it allows for a deeper understanding of the issues. With different voices at the table, States can better identify gaps in laws and policies, to make sure they are more just.

So that laws and policies better reflect the situation of the people they are meant to serve and that conflicting interests are better balanced.

So problems can be quickly reported and solutions can be found that work for everyone and meet our equality goals.

When decisions are more informed and sustainable, public institutions are more effective, accountable and transparent.

I encourage you to read the UN Guidelines for States on the effective implementation of the right to participate in public affairs, which are a set of recommendations for States on how to make this right a reality.

You may be familiar with the three pillars of the United Nations. They are Peace and Security; Development; and Human Rights.

If we examine events around the world - as I hope I have inspired you today to do it seems to me that we can better achieve our objectives if we understand the connections between these three pillars. Through human rights, including development we can have sustainable peace. Human rights, equality and the rule of law are the levers that deliver development and peace.

I know the world is better when we work together in this way men and women; old and young; people from across societies, and between societies and countries across the world.

My Office is committed to continue its critical role in shaping human rights multilateralism and encouraging constructive engagement.

Your contribution is crucial: we need your creativity and determination to find solutions grounded in the basic understanding that all of us are equally deserving of dignity, respect and justice.

To foster a sense of our common humanity while embracing and valuing our diversities.

I look forward to having a discussion with you.

Thank you.

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Lecture at Institute of Human Rights, Guangzhou University: Human rights in the world: the role of multilateralism - OHCHR

Memorial Day Weekend typically triggers a change in expectations. Afterwards, Americans expect to be baked by summers rising temperatures. With that seasonal metaphor in mind, this months bookshelf offers a bakers dozen of titles on the science, history, geography, politics, social ethics, technology, and psychology of climate change.

The list leads with the State of the Global Climate just released by the World Meteorological Organization; the report interprets meteorological data collected in 2021 for what it indicates about the changing climate.

Thereafter, books are paired with reports on different aspects of climate change.

For the start of the 2022 hurricane season, this months bookshelf reaches back to historian Eric Jay Dolins 2020 account of 500 years of American hurricanes. Dolins book is then paired with the March 2022 update on projected sea-level rise and implications for coastal communities in the U.S.

Fire is next on the list, with the global political overview provided by Global Burning and the First Street Foundations property-by-property analysis of fire risks faced by American homeowners.

The very different consequences climate impacts, like floods and fires, will have on the vulnerable, both in the U.S and worldwide, are the focus of the next pair.

The epic inability of the U.S. to address causes and consequences of climate change is then addressed by journalist Eugene Lindens new book (see separate YCC review here) and by InfluenceMaps new report on finance and climate change.

The dismal messages delivered by Linden and InfluenceMap are at least partly offset by the solutions presented in the new book Super Charge Me and in a new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency

Wrapping up the list are a new book and a recent report on the psychological toll on youths of increasing climate anxiety. Thankfully, both works review techniques for enhancing resilience.

As always, the descriptions of the titles are drawn from copy provided by the publishers or organizations that released them. When two dates of publication are offered, the latter marks the release of the paperback edition.

State of the Global Climate 2021, by WMO Research Staff (World Meteorological Organization 2022, 57 pages, free download available here)

State of Global Climate 2021 provides a summary on the state of the climate indicators in 2021 including the global temperatures trend and its distribution around the globe; most recent finding on greenhouse gas concentrations; ocean indicators; Arctic and Antarctic sea ice; Greenland ice sheets,glaciers and snow cover; stratospheric ozone; multi-decadal events, such as the El Nio Southern Oscillation; global precipitation distribution over land; extreme events, including those related to tropical cyclones and wind storms; and flooding, drought and extreme heat and cold events. The report also provides recent finding on climate-related risks and impacts, including on food security, humanitarian and population displacement aspects and impact on ecosystems.

See also Our World at Risk: Transforming Governance for a More Resilient Future, the 2022 Global Risk Assessment Report from the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.

A Furious Sky: The Five Hundre Year History of Americas Hurricanes, by Eric Jay Dolin (W.W. Norton 2020/2021, 432 pages, $18.95 paperback)

Weaving together tales of tragedy and folly, of heroism and scientific progress, best-selling author Eric Jay Dolin shows how hurricanes have determined the course of American history, from the nameless storms that threatened the New World voyages to our own era of global warming and megastorms. Along the way, Dolin introduces a rich cast of unlikely heroes, and forces us to reckon with the reality that future storms will likely be worse, unless we reimagine our relationship with theplanet. A Furious Skyis, ultimately, a story of a changing climate, and it forces us to reckon with the reality that as bad as the past has been, the future will probably be worse unless we drastically reimagine our relationship with the planet.

Global and Regional Sea Level Rise Scenarios for the United States, by W.V. Sweet et al (U.S. Geological Survey / NOAA 2022, 111 pages, free download available here)

This report provides 1) sea level rise scenarios to 2150 by decade that include estimates of vertical land motion and 2) a set of extreme water level probabilities for various heights along the U.S. coastline. Estimates of flood exposure are assessed using contemporary U.S. coastal flood-severity thresholds for current conditions (e.g., sea levels and infrastructure footprint) and for the next 30 years, assuming no additional risk reduction measures are enacted. In particular, the set of global mean sea level rise scenarios from that 2017 task force report are updated and downscaled with data from the United Nations IPCC Sixth Assessment Report. As with the 2017 report, these global mean sea level rise scenarios are regionalized for the U.S. coastline.

Global Burning: Rising Antidemocracy and the Climate Crisis, by Eve Darian Smith (Stanford University Press 2022, 230 pages, $22.00 paperback)

Recent years have seen out-of-control wildfires rage across remote Brazilian rainforests, densely populated California coastlines, and major cities in Australia. What connects these separate events is more than immediate devastation and human loss of life. InGlobal Burning, Eve Darian-Smith contends that fire serves as a symbolic and literal thread connecting different places around the world and thereby allows us to better understand the growth of authoritarian politics, the climate crises, and their interconnected global consequences. In thinking through wildfires as environmental and political phenomenon,Global Burningchallenges readers to confront the interlocking powers that are ensuring our future ecological collapse.

The Fifth National Risk Assessment: Fueling the Flames, by FSF Fire Model Partners (First Street Foundation 2022, 135 pages, free download available with registration)

The First Street Foundation Wildfire Model builds upon publicly available data and decades of wildfire research and expertise to estimate wildfire risk on a property-by-property basis across the United States today and up to 30 years into the future. Properties covered include residential, commercial, and critical and social infrastructure. This report provides a high-level overview of the methodology behind the model, a summary of wildfire risk across the nation, and a series of state pages that summarize and provide insight into new findings about wildfire risk. Across the country, there are 49.4M properties with minor wildfire risk; 20.2M properties with moderate risk; 6.0M with major risk; 2.7M with severe risk; and 1.5M properties with extreme risk.

What Climate Justice Means And Why We Should Care, by Elizabeth Cripps (Bloomsbury Books 2022, 224 pages, $18.00 paperback)

Philosopher Elizabeth Cripps approaches climate justice not just as an abstract idea but as something that should motivate us all. Using clear reasoning and poignant examples, starting from irrefutable science and uncontroversial moral rules, she explores our obligations to each other and to the non-human world, unravels the legacy of colonialism and entrenched racism, and makes the case for immediate action. The second half of the book looks at solutions. Who should pay the bill for climate action? Who must have a say? How can we hold multinational companies, organizations even nations to account? Cripps argues powerfully that climate justice goes beyond political polarization. Climate activism is a moral duty, not a political choice.

Climate Poverty Connections: Opportunities for Synergistic Solutions at the Intersection of Planetary and Human Well-Being, by Y. Jameel et al (Project Drawdown 2022, 111 pages, free download available here)

The Drawdown Lift Human Well-Being Index, introduced in this report, serves as a framework for assessing 12 health, socioeconomic, and societal dimensions of human well-being and for highlighting the nexus between climate mitigation solutions and human well-being. The report then summarizes the co-benefits of 28Project Drawdown climate solutions that advance human well-being in rural areas of low- and middle-income countries. For example, climate solutions related to improving agriculture and agroforestry can also increase family income. Increased income can lead to better educational outcomes. And better education can improve economic opportunities for women and boost their ability to participate in decision making.

See also the World Inequality Report 2022 from World Inequality Database.

Fire and Flood: A Peoples History of Climate Change, from 1979 to the Present, by Eugene Linden (Penguin Random House 2022, 336 pages, $28.00)

Eugine Linden wrote his first story on climate change, forTimemagazine, in 1988; it was just the beginning of his investigative work. In Fire and Flood, Linden looks back over the intervening years and explains how and why we failed to act on the early warnings. Fire and Floodshows how devilishly effective moneyed climate-change deniers have been at slowing and even reversing the progress of our collective awakening. When a threat entails future disaster, but addressing it means losing present profit, capitalisms response has been sadly predictable. Now, however, some industries see the dangers clearly. The insurance industry, for example, now engages in climate redlining. The whole system is teetering on the brink. There is a path back from the cliff, but we must pick up the pace. Fire and Flood shows us why, and how.

Finance and Climate Change: A Comprehensive Climate Assessment of the Worlds Largest Financial Institutions, by Research Staff (Influence Map 2022, 44 pages, free download available with registration)

A comprehensive assessment of the worlds 30 largest listed financial institutions shows a clear disconnect between the concrete short-term targets and actions needed to address the climate emergency and the limited, long-term targets currently being set by the financial sector. This research, a product of InfluenceMapsFinanceMapplatform, seeks to compare the sectors stated climate policies and commitments to its climate-relevant financing and policy lobbying activities. The report, downloadable on the right, is accompanied by the release of the FinanceMapFinance and Climate Change platform, allowing in-depth investigation of the analysis and findings for each of the financial institutions assessed.

See also The Carbon Bankroll (CSLN, OPO & BankFwd) and Transferred Emissions: How Risks in Oil and Gas M&A Could Hamper the Energy Transition (EDF).

Supercharge Me: Net Zero Faster, by Eric Lonergan and Corinne Sawers (Columbia University Press 2022, 232 pages, $16.95 paperback)

Almost everyone has a target for reducing CO2 emissions. The goal is to prevent the earths temperature from rising more than 1.5 degrees. The striking omission is a coherent framework for action, which empowers individuals and incentivizes nations. Supercharge Meis a fast-paced, clearly-written, manual on how to accelerate the green transition. Written by Eric Lonergan, a leading policy economist and author of the bestseller,Angrynomics, and Corinne Sawers, a sustainability and climate expert, the book introduces the concept of supercharging, a new framework for accelerating our response to climate change. Supercharge Mewill embolden activists, reinvigorate the disheartened, and reframe the climate crisis as an opportunity.

World Energy Transitions Outlook: 1.5C Pathway, by Renewable Energy Roadmap and Socio-Economic Teams (International Renewable Energy Agency 2022, 312 pages, free download available here, executive summary here)

The World Energy Transitions Outlook outlines a pathway for the world to achieve the Paris Agreement goals and halt the pace of climate change by transforming the global energy landscape. Offering high-level insights on technology choices, investment needs, policy framework and the socio-economic impacts of achieving a sustainable, resilient and inclusive energy future, the report describes ways to limit global temperature rise to 1.5C and bring CO2emissions to net zero by 2050. Over 90% of these possible solutions involve renewable energy through direct supply, electrification, energy efficiency, green hydrogen and bioenergy combined with carbon capture and storage. Innovative solutions are reshaping the energy system. Yet, the deployment levels compatible with 1.5C will require targeted policies and measures.

See also Renewable Energy Market Update May 2022 from International Energy Agency.

Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Crisis, by Britt Wray (Penguin Random House 2022, $24.00)

Climate and environment-related fears and anxieties are on the rise everywhere. As with any type of stress, eco-anxiety can lead to lead to burnout, avoidance, or a disturbance of daily functioning. In Generation Dread, Britt Wray seamlessly merges scientific knowledge with emotional insight to show how these intense feelings are a healthy response to the troubled state of the world. Weaving in insights from climate-aware therapists, critical perspectives on race and privilege in this crisis, ideas about the future of mental health innovation, and creative coping strategies,Generation Dreadbrilliantly illuminates how we can learn from the past, from our own emotions, and from each other to survive and even thrive in a changing world.

Climate Change and Youth Mental Health: Psychological Impacts, Resilience Resources & Future Directions, by L. Dooley et al (See Change Institute 2021, 90 pages, free download available here)

Young people seem to be particularly vulnerable to the psychological impacts of climate change.Blue Shield of CAs NextGen Climate surveyof 1,200 youth ages 14-24 found that 83% were concerned about the health of the planet, and 75% said that the issue had impacted their mental health.Evaluation is key for improving interventions and maximizing effectiveness, but potential differences in racial, ethnic, gender, and age subgroups must be respected. This report (1) synthesizes a decade of research on climate and mental health with a focus on youth and BIPOC, (2) shares a framework of climate anxiety interventions, and (3) highlights promising approaches in schools, families, communities, and clinical settings for climate anxiety support.

See the article here:

13 books and reports on science, impacts, solutions, and actors - Yale Climate Connections

Convenience, and the power of choice it offers to the European consumer, is the flagship achievement of the European single market.

As Europeans, we have become accustomed to consuming any variety of seasonal vegetable, spice, nut, fruit, herb or variety of coffee whenever we want it however we want it: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-on-year.

But one-third of the exciting range of everyday foods we now eat in Europe are pollinated by bees, and thousands of other insects such as hoverflies and other fly species: butterflies, moths, beetles, wasps and thrips.

However, pollinators are increasingly under threat. Scientists argue that a myriad of interacting and complex factors such as the loss of habitats in farming landscapes, impacts of pesticides combined with climate change and pollution, can account for the decline of the species.

Managed species are under threat from what scientists in 2007 defined as "colony collapse disorder" (CCD). This is when the majority of worker bees in a honey bee colony disappear leaving behind a queen, plenty of food, and a few nurse bees to care for the remaining immature bees.

Europe has a duty of care as a higher proportion of threatened wild bee species are endemic to either Europe (20.4 percent, 400 species) or the EU 27 (14.6 percent, 277 species), highlighting the responsibility that European countries have to protect the global populations of these species.

Almost 30 percent of all the species threatened (Critically Endangered, Endangered, or Vulnerable) at the European level are endemic to Europe (e.g., found nowhere else in the world).

Back in 2018, the Commission adopted the first-ever EU initiative on wild pollinators. It set out strategic objectives, and actions for the EU and the member states to address the decline of pollinators. It has mobilised cross-sectoral action and made significant progress in pollinator monitoring.

But clearly more needs to be done to fight the main drivers of their steep decline.

The European Commission and the European Research Executive Agency, under Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe funding programmes, are supporting bee and pollinator projects across the EU to help turn the tide.

The following are just a sample of conservation efforts highlighting the importance of protecting biodiversity in line with EU Green Deal objectives.

Honey bees, bumble bees, and solitary bees face many threats in Europe, and one that has received increasing attention is the use of agrochemicals in industry.

To what extent they may negatively impact bee health is the objective of the PoshBee project. PoshBee is a consortium of academics, governmental organisations, industry, and NGOs that seek to address the issue of agrochemicals to ensure the sustainable health of bees and their pollination services in Europe.

The project intends to deliver practice- and policy-relevant research outputs to local, national, European, and global stakeholders. PoshBee's work will support healthy bee populations, sustainable beekeeping, and sustainable pollination across Europe.

European beekeeping, the process of farming honey bees, can be prone to the spread of parasites and dangerous viruses to other local hives. In 2022 there is insufficient data on the socioeconomic consequences or sustainability of long-term beekeeping across Europe. The B-GOOD project paves the way towards healthy and sustainable beekeeping within the EU.

The project aims to test and implement a common index for measuring and reporting honey bee health status index (HSI), which will help risk assessors and authorities evaluate the effects of (beekeeping) management.

B-GOOD will also assess the socio-economics of healthy and sustainable beekeeping, perform socio-economic analyses using qualitative and quantitative research methods, and identify viable and sustainable business models for European beekeeping.

Their platform will integrate information available at the EU level, including information on farming, environment and socio-economics, providing relevant data for guiding decision making at local, regional and international scales.

When travelling or in everyday life, people say that the best way to experience national culture is to try the local food.

This is especially true in an organisation represented by 27 nationalities with so much to offer in terms of food variety, the essential 'buzz' of life (pardon the pun.)

Without bees and other pollinators, our food would be bland and boring.

It is thus vital to continue to protect the humble and hard-working insects who pollinate the everyday fruits and vegetables that make our EU culture so historically delicious and tasty.

Continue reading here:

What Europe still needs to do to save its bees - EUobserver