Climate Change Archive

Editor’s note: This article is part of an ongoing WPR series on countries’ risk exposure, contribution and response to climate change. The Dutch parliament voted last week to cut the Netherland’s greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent by 2030, a move that requires closing the country’s five remaining coal-fired power plants. In an email interview, Pier Vellinga, a professor at the University of Wageningen, discusses the Netherland’s climate change policy. WPR: What is the Netherlands’ risk exposure to climate change, what effects of climate change are already apparent, and what sorts of adaptation approaches will it have to adopt or […]

Editor’s note: This article is part of an ongoing WPR series on countries’ risk exposure, contribution and response to climate change. According to a recently released report by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, climate change will lead to more frequent and severe droughts in the Caribbean region, already home to seven of the world’s most water-stressed countries. That will in turn affect agriculture, with the risk of food shortages. In an email interview, Carlos Fuller, the international and regional liaison officer at the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre, discusses the region’s climate change policy. WPR: What is the […]

Editor’s note: This article is part of an ongoing WPR series on countries’ risk exposure, contribution and response to climate change. As the European Union faces pressure to quickly ratify the Paris Agreement, Poland has said it will only do so if it is given special concessions for its coal-based power sector, which the government plans on continuing to use for many years. In an email interview, Karolina Jankowska, an independent researcher on climate and energy policy and the author of a chapter in the forthcoming book “The European Union in International Climate Change Politics,” discusses Poland’s climate change policy. […]

Editor’s note: This article is part of an ongoing WPR series on countries’ risk exposure, contribution and response to climate change. South Australia closed the state’s last coal-fired power plant in May, resulting in a massive increase in energy prices and prompting a backlash against the wind and solar energy sources that replaced it. The episode has raised questions about the viability of Australia’s renewable energy policy. In an email interview, Mark Howden, the director of the Climate Change Institute at the Australian National University, discusses Australia’s climate change policy. WPR: What is Australia’s risk exposure to climate change, what […]

Editor’s note: This article is part of an ongoing WPR series on countries’ risk exposure, contribution and response to climate change. An epic heat wave engulfed the Middle East this summer, with temperatures reaching as high as 129 degrees Fahrenheit in Kuwait in July, and climate experts warn the region could become too hot for human survival. In an email interview, Mohamed Abdel Raouf, a research fellow at the Gulf Research Center, discusses climate change’s impact on the Gulf. WPR: What are the Gulf countries’ risk exposure to climate change, what effects of climate change are already apparent, and what […]

Editor’s note: This article is part of an ongoing WPR series on countries’ risk exposure, contribution and response to climate change. Russia is currently dealing with an anthrax outbreak that has killed two people and more than 2,000 reindeer in Siberia. Authorities believe unusually warm weather triggered the bacteria’s release from previously frozen soil. In an email interview, Elena Lioubimtseva, a professor in the department of geography and sustainable planning at Grand Valley State University, discussed Russia’s climate change policy. WPR: What is Russia’s risk exposure to climate change and what effects of climate change are already apparent? Elena Lioubimtseva: […]