Zoekresultaten

[Column] 'Brieven uit de Anderwereld' – deel 4: The voices of the current somnabulism

Cross-border climate vulnerabilities of the European Union to drought

European Union’s vulnerability to climate change stretches far beyond its borders because many of its economic sectors, such as meat and dairy, use raw materials sourced from far afield. Cross-border climate vulnerability is a relatively new subject in scientific literature, while of high societal and economic relevance. We quantify these climate vulnerabilities with a focus on drought risk and assessed them for 2030, 2050, 2085 and for RCP 2.6 and 6.0 climate scenarios. Here we find that more than 44% of the EU agricultural imports will become highly vulnerable to drought in future because of climate change. The drought severity in production locations of the agricultural imports in 2050 will increase by 35% compared to current levels of drought severity. This is particularly valid for imports that originate from Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, India and Turkey. At the same time, imports from Russia, Nigeria, Peru, Ecuador, Uganda and Kenya will be less vulnerable in future. We also report that the climate vulnerabilities of meat and dairy, chocolate (cocoa), coffee, palm oil-based food and cosmetic sectors mainly lie outside the EU borders rather than inside.

Safety at Work

In this document, we provide the methodological background for the Safety atWork project. This document combines several project deliverables as defined inthe overall project plan: validation techniques and methods (D5.1.1), performanceindicators for safety at work (D5.1.2), personal protection equipment methods(D2.1.2), situational awareness methods (D3.1.2), and persuasive technology methods(D4.1.2).

break-out-sessie #2 Zo organiseer je vanuit collectiviteit ruimte voor werk

The research focuses on the key role played by ‘collectives of makers’ from SMEs in urban transformations. Case studies are central. At a time when space in the city is becoming increasingly scarce, the pressure on space for work is increasing. Entrepreneurs of 6 best practices secure space for work by operating as a collective. By securing their (affordable) space for work, collective can yield added value for area development in urban environments. If applied to into a social investment businessmodel, entrepreneurs could 1. more clearly legitimise the position and relevance of SMEs in the city 2. make unprofitable end affordable (to be shared among the benefit-holders) 3. Offer SME collectives a permanent role in area development 4. Make better use of real estate, facilities and infrastructures (densify/stack/cluster) 5. Promote urban-mining and last mile of circular chains back to the city.We describe three specific preconditions that contribute to scaling up entrepreneurial collectives: 1) measuring their impact at building, area and city level, 2) embracing new forms of collaboration and 3) developing a long-term vision of workspace in the city. The perspective of the entrepreneur is central. But there is also a focus on the role of government, the necessary policy support and the tools to enable upscaling.

Climate Communication

Over the past few years the tone of the debate around climate change has shifted from sceptical to soberingly urgent as the global community has prioritised the research into solutions which will mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. So far this research has been insufficient. One of the major problems for driving public and private stakeholders to implement existing solutions and research new ones is how we communicate about climate change (Stoknes, 2014). There seems to be a lack of common language that drives the scientific community away from policymakers and the public. Due to this lack, it is hard to translate findings into viable and sustainable solutions and to adopt new climate-neutral economies and habits.

Two migrants: one is an expat and the other a criminal refugee

“The thing you read the most as a refugee when you start your integration programme is ‘pay’. The second thing is ‘You must complete’ and the third is ‘Take a test’. How at home would you feel if this was what you read and were told repeatedly? Are there other ways to assess if a person is becoming part of their community?” Nadine Blankvoort is passionate about being critical and questioning how our society functions, and not accepting things for what they seem. Her talk aims to explore the discourse that refugees in the Netherlands encounter while in the mandatory integration program. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.