Themes covered
Transitioning away from fossil fuels
Phasing out fossil fuels is arguably the most pressing challenge our society must address to limit the damage of climate change. At COP28 in Dubai, world leaders endorsed the phrase “Transitioning away from fossil fuels,” a recognition by global politics of the path that must be followed worldwide.
The subsequent conference in Santa Marta, Colombia, helped turn this formal commitment into a shared set of concrete actions and experiences to be spread around the world.
This theme provides a space to present what has already been achieved in this field, as well as future projects that can accelerate a transition that can no longer be postponed.
Food, agriculture, and forests
The importance of forests in the fight against climate change has long been recognized, yet they are under ever-increasing pressure from the extreme events that affect them and from reckless exploitation in many parts of the world.
The dual role of agriculture in climate change is also becoming increasingly evident: the primary sector causes significant impacts, while also facing growing ones itself, not least as a key player in the water cycle. As a result, food is rapidly gaining centrality as well, reflecting the challenges the agricultural sector is experiencing.
This calls for more careful practices to minimize the impacts of the food cycle, including through more responsible eating. In this context, Italy’s National Nature Restoration Plan (PNR) is also significant, as it outlines the actions needed to restore degraded ecosystems, including agricultural and forest ones.
Cities and communities as drivers of change
Local communities play a recognized role in making the transition effective, thanks to the proximity, and therefore the direct interaction, between those who govern local institutions and their citizens.
Many municipalities, including Padova, have already made formal commitments to achieve climate neutrality by 2030, aware of how challenging this goal is and that it requires continuous effort and the involvement of all stakeholders in their territory.
The green homes legislation also has an important role in this process, aiming to reduce the energy consumption and emissions of the building stock and directly involving administrations, citizens, and businesses in the area. Mitigation commitments must be complemented by adaptation efforts, given the growing impact of extreme events on the population and the worsening of specific issues, such as those related to water availability.
Communication and activism
The return of a denialism that seemed destined to be a thing of the past, together with the spread of a new “inactivist” movement that seeks to postpone climate commitments, puts communication and activism back at the center.
It is essential that serious communication on this topic is delivered as effectively as possible, using the most innovative tools and languages, in order to place the climate transition at the heart of public debate and to involve all stakeholders.
This theme aims to facilitate the creation of networks and to give a voice to the different actors working to deliver the climate transition, whether they are associations, researchers, businesses, or institutions.