Climate: ENEA magazine, a step change is needed to achieve climate goals, according to IPCC

“A step change is needed to achieve all climate goals. Our climate-financing commitments are not being met, yet it will always make sense to take action to reduce emission” said Jim Skea, chairman of the IPCC - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, in an interview with ENEA's science magazine EAI - Energy, Environment, Innovation, dedicated to “Innovation for Climate Change Adaptation” (in italian).

The Environment and Energy Security Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin reiterated in an interview with the ENEA journal that “Climate change is one of the most urgent challenges facing the planet, and Italy is located in an area particularly vulnerable, the so-called 'Mediterranean hot spot. Nevertheless, we trust the already implemented actions of mitigation and adaptation to climate change to be effective. “On the energy front, Pichetto Fratin proposed a mix of diverse green technologies like renewables and hydrogen and said “nuclear power is a strategic resource, to be used by 2030 to support both emissions reduction and the country's energy security.”

Contributors to the magazine, also available online, include experts and key players in the field like the CNR President Maria Chiara Carrozza, director of the CNR's Institute on Atmospheric Pollution Francesco Petracchini, Kyoto Club director Gianni Silvestrini, C3S “Copernicus Climate Change Service” director Carlo Buontempo, CIA Agricoltori Italiani President Cristiano Fini, and WWF Italy's Climate and Energy Manager Mariagrazia Midulla.

The special issue features interviews to national and international key figures: Kaveh Zahedi, director of FAO's Office for Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment; Nicola Dell'Acqua, national extraordinary commissioner for the Adoption of Urgent Action Related to Water Scarcity; Edoardo Zanchini, director of the Climate Office of the Metropolitan City of Rome.

According to Silvestrini “a large-scale transformation is underway in several domains of the global economy. Decarbonization is both a goal and a tool to achieve ambitious climate commitments. There is a run-up between the acceleration of extreme events (droughts, floods, hurricanes...) and the response of many countries to reduce emissions by transforming their economies. Europe and Italy must rise to the new challenges.”

For Kaveh Zahedi, “Agribusiness solutions are critical to achieving climate and food security goals. They include restoring and sustainably managing agricultural land; ensuring efficient and resilient livestock systems; promoting sustainable aquaculture and fisheries practices; ending deforestation and promoting agroforestry; restoring ecosystems and ensuring sustainable use of biodiversity; preserving seeds and plant genetic resources for the future; developing energy-smart agri-food systems based on sustainable energy use.”

The journal also contains 14 focuses on mitigation and adaptation, in which ENEA researchers analyse causes, effects, possible developments, solutions and technological innovations that can be deployed right away.

 “Adaptation to climate change is a necessary and complementary response to mitigation. Adaptation involves adjusting to actual and expected future climate, while mitigation is critical to limit future warming. The challenge is to find strategies that are effective, equitable and sustainable,” ponted out ENEA Director General Giorgio Graditi. “The various aspects of economic and social sustainability, as well as compatibility with other environmental protection objectives, will have to be taken into careful consideration. In this context, an integrated and collaborative approach is key to ensure interventions are planned and implemented coherently, given the complexity of environmental, social and economic dynamics,” he concluded.