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To claim that the threat to food security due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine means we have to stick with conventional chemical-dependent agriculture is unjustified.  There is plenty of evidence that proposed alternative methods can deliver the same or even better yields while maintaining nature’s ecosystem services.
Michael Norton, EASAC Environment Programme Director
As scientists we do not moralise but look at the scientific evidence. And once uncertainties have turned into certainties, it is even more important that researchers join forces and state in unequivocal terms what needs to be done.
Wim van Saarloos, incoming EASAC President
If politicians had listened to the science, we were not about to face what Antonio Guterrez calls ‘collective suicide. But we will never give up.
Christina Moberg, Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and outgoing EASAC President
Interoperability of charging system is the key element for people to have a better charging experience. In order to achieve improved interoperability, Testival is one of the most important methods like conformance testing according to international standards, such as ISO 15118. As the first testing lab recognized by CharIN, KERI will keep contributing to various CharIN activities
Nam-Kyun Kim, Acting President of KERI
Given the urgency of the climate crisis, the EV industry ecosystem must align quickly to deploy zero-emission transportation solutions
Erika Myers, new Executive Director CharIN North America
Charging standards and interoperability are at the heart of the end user experience and charging infrastructure must be deployed flawlessly if we expect consumers to make the switch to EVs at the pace and scale necessary
Erika Myers, new Executive Director CharIN North America
Transforming agriculture is the planet’s greatest untapped treasure for coping with the climate crisis. Today’s large-scale conventional agriculture has huge negative impact on soil. Soil erosion, the loss of flora and fauna and thereby nutrients in soils, has become a major factor in Europe.
Prof. Thomas Elmqvist, Stockholm Resilience Centre, Lead author
We are literally sawing the branch that we are sitting on
Orsolya Valkó, Reseacher, Hungarian Institute of Ecology and Botany
There seems to be a belief that regenerative agriculture can only be applied at small scale, and that making any changes to current industrial farming practices will make it impossible to feed a growing world population. But the opposite is true: we have maybe a decade for a massive transformation. We need to get industrial farmers on board and take a landscape perspective to reach the goals. Ultimately, we can only protect the scale of food production by moving away from only emphasizing quantity of agricultural production to more quality and nutritional value of agricultural products.
Prof. Thomas Elmqvist, Stockholm Resilience Centre, Lead author
We are literally standing on the largest and most potent carbon capture storage of the planet. Many field tests show how high the soil’s storage performance is. If we want not only to preserve biodiversity, expand food production and at the same time fight climate change, there is no alternative to regenerative agriculture.
Orsolya Valkó, Reseacher, Hungarian Institute of Ecology and Botany
Climate catastrophe is like a giant meteorite hitting the earth in super slow motion. Maybe too slow for us humans to understand its impact and urgency. Paradoxically and tragically, our planet’s main source of resilience, biodiversity, is going through an ever-accelerating mass extinction, maybe too fast for us humans to put an end to it.
Prof. Michael Norton, EASAC Environment Programme Director
Even the tiniest creatures are important. The earthworm, for example, may be one of mankind’s best friend – and victim - in its battle against the devastating consequences of climate change. Many find this slimly little creature disgusting, but they are irreplaceable in fertilizing and aerating soil, and thereby preventing soil erosion.
Prof. Michael Norton, EASAC Environment Programme Director
As parents and grandparents we are as terrified as everyone else by what we see coming. But as scientists we know that there are ways to mitigate the worst and adapt. But only if governments in Europe and worldwide take responsibility and show leadership now.
Prof. Lars Walloe, Chair of EASAC's Environment Programme
Policymakers tend to assume that Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage will not only be able to massively remove carbon from the atmosphere but will also be technically and economically feasible. However, on current evidence, BECCS projects should be of limited scale, all feedstocks provided locally and feedstock carbon payback times should be very short.
Prof. Michael Norton, EASAC Environment Programme Director
Many models ignore the fact that different feedstocks have different carbon payback periods, mistakenly considering that all bioenergy is carbon-neutral. But as much as there are differences in carbon content between different fossil fuels, there are significant differences in the climate impact of bioenergy depending on its origin.
Prof. Michael Norton, EASAC Environment Programme Director
If we look at the science, there is a significant gap between the assumed biomass use and the quantities available that are sustainable and do not conflict with higher value uses such as food production, ecosystem retention, environmental and social constraints as well as increased demands for other uses. This gap is sometimes as high as 60 percent.
Prof. Lars Walloe, Chair EASAC Environment Steering Panel
European policies in the transport sector focus on promoting low-carbon fuels or electric cars. But these efforts are counteracted by the ever-growing popularity of heavier cars with more powerful motors. This trend is offsetting all fuel-efficiency improvements and the effect of an increased share of electric vehicles.
William Gillett, EASAC Energy Programme Director
In 2020 sales of fuel-hungry SUVs grew to a whopping 42% of the global car market. Even equipping these with electric powertrains would not solve the problem: The production of bigger cars has a much heavier impact on resources and they require significantly more battery power. We have to go for a much broader set of regulations and incentives.
William Gillett, EASAC Energy Programme Director
There are unprecedented opportunities to capitalise on scientific advances worldwide to develop the solutions, adapted to local contexts, for all regions. Not least the recent heavy rainfalls and floodings in Sicily give us a taste of what otherwise could be ahead of us
Prof. Sir Andy Haines, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
For electricity production, we are working on new hydro, wind and PV based power plants
Ajla Merzić, Lead Expert Associate for Power Unit Development in EPBiH
Old lignite units will be shut down, latest by end of 2023
Ajla Merzić, Lead Expert Associate for Power Unit Development in EPBiH
For electricity production, we are working on new hydro, wind and PV based power plants
Ajla Merzić, Lead Expert Associate for Power Unit Development in EPBiH
Old lignite units will be shut down, latest by end of 2023
Ajla Merzić, Lead Expert Associate for Power Unit Development in EPBiH
This summer’s rollercoaster of extreme temperatures, dryness, flash floods and wildfires has been bad, but probably far better than what we may see in the future.
Prof. Michael Norton, EASAC Environment Director
These challenges do have solutions but so far both the Climate Change and the Biodiversity Conventions separately have lacked the political will to implement them, or policy-makers have taken easy ways out without properly considering the consequences.
Prof. Michael Norton, EASAC Environment Director
The GDP-based economic system in which fossil fuel, food and agricultural interests are driving up CO2-levels, deforestation, land clearing and over-fishing is no longer fit for purpose if atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases must be cut in as short a period as possible.
Prof. Michael Norton, EASAC Environment Director
As parents and grand-parents we are as terrified as everyone else by what we see coming. But as scientists we know that there are ways to mitigate the worst and adapt. But only if governments in Europe and worldwide take responsibility and show leadership now
Lars Walloe, Chair EASAC Environment Programme
Hydrogen and green gases play a central role in the energy transition. Without them, the decarbonisation of the industry, transport and buildings sectors is simply inconceivable.
Inga Posch, Managing Director FNB Gas
The enormous number of projects clearly shows that we have to provide a hydrogen infrastructure at an early stage. This is the only way we can make the energy system fit for the future and achieve Germany's ambitious climate protection goals.
Dr. Thomas Gößmann, FNB Gas Chairman
Future ocean shifts are very sensitive to our success or failure in stopping warming. If we succeed in keeping the average warming to 1.5°C, then Antarctica may continue melting at current rates; but overshooting the 2 °C Paris Agreement target towards 3°C may lead to Antarctic melt alone add 0.5 cm a year by 2100.
Prof. Tor Eldevik, University of Bergen and Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research
The loss of mass in the Antarctic is sufficient to affect the gravitational pull on the earth’s oceans so that they move away.  This means that as the Antarctic melts, oceans shift to the north and sea level rises even faster around Europe.
Prof. Michael Norton, EASAC Environment Programme Director
Future ocean shifts are very sensitive to our success or failure in stopping warming. If we succeed in keeping the average warming to 1.5°C, then Antarctica may continue melting at current rates; but overshooting the 2 °C Paris Agreement target towards 3°C may lead to Antarctic melt alone add 0.5 cm a year by 2100.
Prof. Tor Eldevik, University of Bergen and Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research
The loss of mass in the Antarctic is sufficient to affect the gravitational pull on the earth’s oceans so that they move away.  This means that as the Antarctic melts, oceans shift to the north and sea level rises even faster around Europe.
Prof. Michael Norton, EASAC Environment Programme Director
We must urgently broaden the scope of building regulations and look at emissions embodied in construction materials and methods – both for new buildings and building renovation
William Gillett, Energy Programme Director
Many building materials can be reused, recycled and recovered. To start with, buildings and their components should be designed to be easily disassembled at the end of their use.
Prof. Brian Norton, Co-Chair of EASAC’s Working Group
In 2013, we still produced most of our district heat with natural gas imported from Russia, Since then, our energy transition from gas to renewable energy sources has set a world record both in speed and dimension.
Dr. Sigitas Rimkevičius, Director of Lithuanian Energy Institute
We can see new challenges looming, as biomass is increasingly under scrutiny for its actual climate impact. And while the biomass used in our networks is a sustainably sourced by-product of the lumber industry, global competition creates more and more pressure, making it an increasingly scarce resource. We are already exploring solutions beyond biomass.
Dr. Valdas Lukoševičius, President of the Lithuanian District Heating Asscoiation
We need all support we can get for the transformation. Our government in Vilnius is ready, but the EU needs to give green light. Then, the Lithuanian energy transformation record challenge can continue.
Dr. Valdas Lukoševičius, President of the Lithuanian District Heating Asscoiation
We cannot rely on linear developments and a steady energy transition over the next 30 years to 2050. Scientific evidence shows we have less than 15 years left to avoid a grim future.
William Gillet, EASAC Energy Programme Director
The JRC shows how the billions in public subsidy for biomass conversions are worsening carbon emissions for many decades. We must pay more attention to the science and ensure public subsidies focus on low carbon energy technologies that actually mitigate climate change
Prof. Michael Norton, EASAC Environment Director
The JRC report allows us to assess different sources of biomass from a climate perspective. Unfortunately, this confirms our worst fears that most of the current biomass in coal conversions is in the worst categories. As EASAC has repeatedly pointed out, accounting rules and public subsidies have led to an industry that is reducing even further our chances of meeting Paris Agreement targets
Christina Moberg, EASAC President
We are aware that our conclusions challenge political leaders and global elites who have campaigned for the traditional economy, expecting science and technology to allow economic growth to be indefinitely sustained.
Prof. Louise Vet, Netherlands Institute of Ecology
There is much talk of redirecting our values and reward systems towards a more sustainable economy whereby we can live well within our planet for more than just a few more years. But the inertia of the ‘brown economy’ cannot be underestimated.
Prof. Michael Norton
The problem is the short-term nature of our political and economic system. I call it the tyranny of the now. So-called wealth is detached from the real wealth of our environment and our well-being. We have even delegated stock market speculation to algorithms and regard that as wealth - even though it has no real value.
Anders Wijkman, Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Scientific knowledge of climate change and its drivers has been growing exponentially during the past decades, yet the degradation of nature and continued growth in greenhouse gas emissions has yet to even cease let alone start reversing. We have to ask if just trying to adjust ‘business as usual’ can safeguard our future on this planet.
Prof. Michael Norton, EASAC Environment Programme Director
Decision-makers seem to listen more to vested interests than to science. The science message has been consistent since the 1970s on the finite nature of the planet but been ignored. Incremental emissions reductions - achieved so far - are far from what is needed.
Anders Wijkman, Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
The problem is the short-term nature of our political and economic system. I call it the tyranny of the now. So-called wealth is detached from the real wealth of our environment and our well-being. We have even delegated stock market speculation to algorithms and regard that as wealth - even though it has no real value.
Anders Wijkman, Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Generation Greta gets it. Our focus should be on well-being and welfare, but our economic system puts all focus on growth and GDP which adds fuel to the climate and biodiversity crises.
Anders Wijkman, Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
We are aware that our conclusions challenge political leaders and global elites who have campaigned for the traditional economy, expecting science and technology to allow economic growth to be indefinitely sustained.
Prof. Louise Vet, Netherlands Institute of Ecology
Hydrogen can help reduce our dependency on fossil fuels. But the climate benefits will be limited, if we use fossil fuels to produce it - even with carbon capture and storage.
William Gillett, Energy Programme Director, EASAC
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