Documents climate change 2 422 results

"Inequality has long been a defining feature of the global economy, but by 2025, it has reached levels that demand urgent attention. The benefits of globalization and economic growth have flowed disproportionately to a small minority, while much of the world's population still face difficulties in achieving stable livelihoods. These divides are not inevitable. They are the outcome of political and institutional choices. This report draws on the World Inequality Database and new research to provide a comprehensive picture of inequality across income, wealth, gender, international finance, climate responsibility, taxation, and politics. The findings are clear: inequality remains extreme and persistent; it manifests across multiple dimensions that intersect and reinforce one another; and it reshapes democracies, fragmenting coalitions and eroding political consensus. Yet the data also demonstrate that inequality can be reduced. Policies such as redistributive transfers, progressive taxation, investment in human capital, and stronger labor rights have made a difference in some contexts. Proposals such as minimum wealth taxes on multi-millionaires illustrate the scale of resources that could be mobilized to finance education, health, and climate adaptation. Reducing inequality is not only about fairness but also essential for the resilience of economies, the stability of democracies, and the viability of our planet."

This work is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

"Climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution – the elements of the triple planetary crisis – are inextricably connected. Yet, policies to address them have generally not taken account of their interlinkages.

This OECD Environmental Outlook examines in detail the interlocking trends and drivers of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, projects how they will evolve through mid-century, and examines policy synergies and trade-offs. It also provides a roadmap to help governments tackle these challenges in a more integrated manner. "

"To what extent have attitudes towards climate change become more polarised in recent years? Using panel data from the German Longitudinal Election Study between 2016 and 2022, our multivariate linear mixed models reveal an increased polarisation between ideological groups over time, in particular between those positioned on the left and the right of the cultural left-right dimension. This growing polarisation is mostly the result of those at the right end of the cultural divide becoming less supportive of climate change action. The pattern of growing division between ideological groups is also reflected in the polarisation between supporters of the populist radical right party AfD (Alternative for Germany) and Green voters, with AfD voters showing a decrease in their support for climate change action. Overall, our results suggest increased issue polarisation, with populist radical right parties and culturally right-wing ideology driving a gap in support for climate action."

This work is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

"This article presents a comparative analysis of how collective bargaining and social dialogue contribute to protecting European workers from the effects of high temperatures linked to climate change. The study focuses on five European countries—Spain, Italy, Greece, the Netherlands, and Hungary—which together provide a comprehensive and nuanced overview of the current situation across Europe. The methodology is primarily qualitative, based on 11 case studies (covering both sectors and companies), 60 interviews with key informants, and an in-depth analysis of the existing legal framework for heatwave prevention in both public health and occupational safety and health (OSH) contexts. The study also includes a detailed review of collective agreements and other social dialogue tools—such as heat action plans and OSH catalogues—to assess the extent to which high temperatures are addressed in collective bargaining in the selected countries. The empirical evidence reveals that high temperatures are still only marginally addressed in European collective bargaining, and significant challenges remain. Nevertheless, the fieldwork also identified several initiatives which, despite their limitations, represent steps forward in worker protection and could serve as examples of good practice."

This work is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

"This study examines the role of trade unions and social dialogue in shaping the Italian prevention system for occupational health and safety (OHS) risks associated with heatwaves. Drawing on the European project Adaptheat, it addresses a research gap on the short-term impacts of climate change on the workforce and the interventions of social actors to address them. The methodology combined literature review, documentary analysis, and qualitative interviews with different stakeholders, including workers, in Apulian agriculture and in logistics warehouses. Findings show that trade unions have been pivotal in translating scientific evidence—particularly from the Worklimate project—into institutional measures and into collective bargaining agreements. Despite regulatory progress, the system relies mainly on regional ordinances, resulting in fragmented and reactive prevention rather than integrated and proactive planning. Compared with international benchmarks, the Italian case underscores the need to strengthen the regulatory framework, linking heatwave-related OHS protection with broader labour and social rights."

"This paper provides a preliminary assessment of the contribution of the national RRPs to the 'Green Transition' pillar, focusing on the ‘sustainable mobility' theme. Based on an analysis of five measures, it finds that while the measures are generally coherent and balanced, their 'lasting impact' is not adequately assured. Moreover, the milestones and targets of the measures provide insufficient guarantees that the RRF objectives will be met. Finally, several sustainable transport policy areas were identified that deserve more attention in EU policy."'

"This policy brief presents ten key messages for designing and implementing a just green transition in the Nordic Region. Based on findings from the EnIGG and NJUST research projects (2021–2025), the policy brief summarises research and analysis on the social and regional impacts of climate policies, public perceptions, and political feasibility. It highlights the importance of fairness, inclusion, and place-based approaches to maintain public support and avoid reinforcing existing inequalities.

The ten key messages outlined in the policy brief include:

Climate worry outweighs green transition concerns across the Nordics
Many Nordic people expect the green transition to bring benefits
Climate communication should spark hope, especially among young people
Inclusive stakeholder engagement can improve climate policy design and public legitimacy
Emissions reductions are technically feasible but politically challenging
Perceived local and household impacts influence climate policy support
Survey results indicate public support for stronger climate action, even if it means higher taxes
Place-based policies are key to avoid deepening regional inequalities
Job quality and inclusive skills development are important to sustain public support
The Nordic Toolbox offers practical guidance for delivering a just green transition"

"The European automotive industry is going through an existential crisis defined by multiple challenges: the transition to electromobility, digitalisation and automation and all this in a hostile geopolitical context. Losing market share in China, on its home markets and now with tariffs, also in the US. Cases, as Audi Brussels, Volkswagen and Northvolt, once Europe's battery hopeful, demonstrate this day by day. While electrification itself has a massive impact on jobs, electric vehicle manufacturing has redefined the foundations of competitive advantage. Europe's competitive edge in the combustion engine has no relevance in the electric vehicle era. The legacy of the combustion engine has become a burden compared to newly emerging electric car manufacturers such as Tesla and dozens of new Chinese brands.


This book provides insight into national case studies for key European automotive locations. It highlights two decades of dramatic decline in France and Italy, and observes how the apparent resilience of the sector in Germany has been shaken in its fundamentals and how the former success story in central-eastern Europe is now facing an uncertain future. It is evident that the industry needs to reinvent itself, again. After the 2015 Dieselgate scandal, it made a bold step to embark fully on electrification, but one that has not proven to be bold enough. The sector will, moreover, be a test case for the EU's industrial policy awakening and it will continue to be a laboratory for just transition policies and practices dedicated to the specifics of the sector."