The 2020 report of The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: responding to converging crises

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The Lancet Countdown is an international collaboration established to provide an independent, global monitoring system dedicated to tracking the emerging health profile of the changing climate. The 2020 report presents 43 indicators across five sections: climate change impacts, exposures, and vulnerabilities; adaptation, planning, and resilience for health; mitigation actions and health co-benefits; economics and finance; and public and political engagement.

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Impacts of climate change on energy systems in global and regional scenarios

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We analyse results of 220 studies projecting climate impacts on energy systems globally and at the regional scale. Globally, a potential increase in cooling demand and decrease in heating demand can be anticipated, in contrast to slight decreases in hydropower and thermal energy capacity. Our assessment shows that climate impacts on energy systems at regional and global scales are uncertain partly due to the wide range of methods and non-harmonized datasets used. We propose a consistent multi-model assessment framework to support regional-to-global-scale energy planning.

Natural Resources and Conflict: A Meta-analysis of the Empirical Literature

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This paper conducts a meta-analysis of the empirical literature on the link between natural resources and conflict. Using an econometric approach, our results show that both resource scarcity and abundance are associated with a higher probability of conflict. 

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A review of estimating population exposure to sea-level rise and the relevance for migration

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This review analyses global or near-global estimates of population exposure to sea-level rise and related hazards. We underscore the complex connections among SLR, exposure to its impacts, and migration. While global estimates of exposed and potentially migrating populations highlight the significant threats of SLR for populations living in low-lying areas at or near coastlines, further research is needed to understand the interactions among localised SLR and related hazards, social and political contexts, adaptation possibilities, and potential migration and (im)mobility decision-making.

Climate impacts on nutrition and labor supply disentangled – an analysis for rural areas of Uganda

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We investigate the impact of warming on agricultural labour supply through calorie intake in Uganda. First, combining micro survey and high-resolution climatic data and using an IV approach, we find that labour supply is optimized at a mean temperature of 21.3°C. Results from an OLG model shows that economic activity decreases by 20% by the end of the century due to climate change.

Competence analysis for promoting energy efficiency projects in developing countries: The case of OPEC

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We construct an Energy Efficiency Country Attractiveness Index to evaluate countries' competitiveness in terms of energy efficiency potentials and related investment risks in the oil and gas sector. Our index includes 30 indicators congregated in four pillars covering political, economic, social and technological factors. Although experts consider the economic and technological factors as the most important elements, the political pillar is the crucial one in shaping the composite index.