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Universal health coverage in the context of migration and displacement: a cosmopolitan perspective
Get PDFMigration and displacement are reshaping societies and economies with profound implications for health equity and universal health coverage (UHC). In this Viewpoint, we review the unique health challenges faced by migrants and displaced people, as well as the limitations of current UHC policies and financing arrangements. We propose a cosmopolitan approach to UHC, grounded in global solidarity and structured around four pillars: supranational financing, integrated cross-border care, harmonised legal frameworks, and long-term investment in inclusive health systems. We also explore what this approach could mean practically for regional or global financing mechanisms and sources of funding, including progressive contributions and the integration of health into climate finance. Achieving equitable and effective UHC in a world shaped by mobility and crisis requires global thinking and collective action. We call for a reimagining of UHC via a cosmopolitan approach, which offers a pathway to reframe health and wellbeing as a shared right and responsibility, transcending national borders
Towards wildfire risk reduction goals and targets for Europe – Opportunities and challenges
Get PDFThe impact of wildfires is increasing worldwide. The root causes of these effects are manifold, encompassing among others climate change and the accumulation of fuels and increasing settlements in wildland-urban interfaces (WUI). Reports and initiatives to better understand and govern these developments have been launched and call for more integrated approaches to wildfire risk management, including the use of targets or Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
However, despite some examples such as Portugal, wildfire risk management targets are still mainly lacking in Europe. This is surprising since they find wider application in the U.S. and are also more widely applied for flooding in Europe.
This perspective hence takes a closer look at the use of targets in reducing disaster risk for different hazards worldwide and reflects about the opportunities and challenges for wildfire risk reduction targets for Europe. It concludes with some suggestions for the application of wildfire risk reduction targets for Europe
Temporal trend of cause-specific mortality burden attributable to ambient PM2.5 from different sectors and fuel types across Chinese provinces during 2015–2022
No full textBackground: To estimate the disease-specific mortality burden attributable to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution in China across multiple sectors and fuel types during 2015-2022.
Methods: The Greenhouse Gas-Air Pollution Interactions and Synergies (GAINS) model was used to estimate PM2.5 concentrations in Chinese provinces from seven sectors and five fuel types. The relative risks (RR) of seven diseases were assessed using the Integrated Exposure-Response (IER) model. The number of deaths attributable to PM2.5 pollution (DAPP) and the attributable fraction (AF), representing the proportion of total deaths caused by PM2.5 exposure, were estimated by province, sector, and fuel type, then compared across the years 2015, 2019, 2021, and 2022.
Results: Ambient PM2.5 concentrations in China exhibited a gradual decline, the most substantial reductions were observed in household, industry, and agriculture. There were 1,440,000 PM2.5-related deaths and 13.8 % AF for China in 2022, with a reduction of 290,000 compared with 2015. The largest reductions among 31 provinces were observed in Henan, followed by Hebei and Shandong, with 27,000, 26,000, and 25,000 decreases, respectively. Additionally, DAPP decreased most in stroke and ischemic heart disease (IHD). For different sectors, agriculture, household and industry sectors demonstrated the greatest reductions in DAPP from 2015 to 2022, accounting for 131,000, 130,000, and 72,000, respectively. In 2022, DAPP attributable to coal combustion decreased by 190,000, with the most substantial reduction observed in the household sector. However, DAPP increased by 23,000 in 2022 compared to 2021, despite a continued decline in AF.
Conclusion: The findings highlight the substantial public health benefits of emission control measures implemented across multiple sectors in China, including industry, agriculture, and transport. To alleviate the health burden of an aging population, it is necessary and feasible to implement further PM2.5 control efforts and develop targeted policies for different regions, diseases, and industries in China
Adapting forest management to climate change impacts and policy targets in the EU: Insights from the coupled GLOBIOM/G4M-i3PGmiX model
Get PDFClimate change significantly affects forest dynamics in Europe and is projected to intensify further, posing challenges to policy goals and ecosystem integrity. This requires changes in forest management that anticipate impacts and act to minimize negative consequences on forest functioning while maintaining forests' contribution to the bio-based economy and decarbonization targets. However, it is still unclear how alternative forest management strategies can support biodiversity, green growth, and mitigation targets under changing environmental conditions. This study uses an integrated modeling framework to address this issue and assess forest management adaptation in the European Union, considering conservation goals and emerging biomass demands. The results show that climate policies will be a major driver of forest management until mid-century, with climate impacts shaping management decisions thereafter. Productivity changes vary regionally, with temperature-limited ecosystems benefiting and water-limited forests declining in growth. These biophysical impacts may displace harvests from Mediterranean and temperate forests to the boreal zone, requiring changes in management practices. Adaptive forest management will, therefore, be crucial for achieving policy goals in Europe under future climate scenarios
Sustainable development key to limiting climate change-driven wildfire damages
Get PDFClimate change is causing wildfires to become more frequent and intense. While predicting burned areas using bioclimatic and anthropogenic factors is an active research area, few studies have examined what drives the economic damages of wildfires. Our study aims to fill this gap by analyzing key factors influencing global economic wildfire damages and projecting future damages under three shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs). We apply regression analyses to identify significant predictors of economic wildfire damages at country levels and use the fitted model to project future damages under SSP126, SSP245, and SSP370. Results show that the human vulnerability index (HVI), reflecting socioeconomic conditions, is the strongest predictor of historical wildfire damages, followed by water vapor pressure deficit during the fire season and population density around forested areas. We found high population density to be associated with lower damages. These findings contrast with studies of burned areas, where climate factors are more dominant. Our model projects that by 2070, average global economic wildfire damages will be three times higher under SSP370 than SSP126. Our model also shows that following SSP126 not only reduces wildfire damages but also lessens the inequalities in damage distribution across countries. This pathway’s dual focus on equitable socioeconomic progress and climate action potentially enhances a country’s resilience that helps mitigate wildfire damages. Our analyses also indicate that strong socioeconomic development can offset wildfire damages associated with climate hazards, although this is less certain under SSP370. SSP126’s integrated approach improves both socioeconomic conditions and limits global warming, providing substantial benefits to less developed countries while still reducing damages in developed nations, despite their already low HVI scores. Our work complements existing research on burned areas and underscores the importance of sustainable development and international collaboration in reducing the economic damages of wildfires
Mapping the evolution of data governance scientific research
Get PDFData governance has emerged as a pivotal area of study over the past decade, yet despite its growing importance, a comprehensive analysis of the academic literature on this subject remains notably absent. This paper addresses this gap by presenting a systematic review of all academic publications on data governance from 2007 to 2024. By synthesizing insights from more than 3500 documents authored by more than 9000 researchers across various sources, this study offers a broad yet detailed perspective on the evolution of data governance research
ESG Reporting in the Digital Era: Unveiling Public Sentiment and Engagement on YouTube
Get PDFThis study examines how Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting is communicated and perceived on YouTube. A dataset of 553 relevant videos and 5060 user comments was extracted on 2 April 2025 ranging between 2014 and 2025, and sentiment, topic, and stance analyses were applied to both transcripts and comments. The majority of video content strongly endorsed ESG reporting, emphasizing themes such as transparency, regulatory compliance, and financial performance. In contrast, viewer comments revealed diverse stances, including skepticism about methodological inconsistencies, accusations of greenwashing, and concerns over politicization. Notably, statistical analysis showed minimal correlation between video sentiment and audience sentiment, suggesting that user perceptions are shaped by factors beyond the tone of the videos themselves. These findings underscore the need for more rigorous ESG frameworks, enhanced standardization, and proactive stakeholder engagement strategies. The study highlights the value of online platforms for capturing stakeholder feedback in real time, offering practical insights for organizations and policymakers seeking to strengthen ESG disclosure and communication
Foreword to the Special Issue on Polycrisis and Systemic Risks
Get PDFThe global landscape of the twenty-first century is increasingly shaped by an intricate web of interconnected crises. Such a system of crises—the polycrisis—is characterized by mutual amplification of nested and intertwined risks and requires novel approaches to analysis, assessment, and governance.
The special issue of the International Journal for Disaster Risk Science emerges from the Symposium on Systemic Risk and Polycrisis Governance, held at Beijing Normal University in May 2024, co-hosted by that university and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Laxenburg, Austria
Global greening drives significant soil moisture loss
Get PDFVegetation dynamics, as fundamental terrestrial ecosystem components, regulate precipitation and evapotranspiration, directly affecting soil moisture (SM). However, global greening’s impact on SM (drying or wetting) remains uncertain. Here, we integrate multi-source satellite observations, reanalysis data, and outputs from 12 Earth System Models (ESMs) resampled to a unified resolution (0.25°) to quantify historical vegetation-SM couplings (1982–2020) and assess their future persistence (2015–2100). Results show 49.96% and 38.19% of global vegetated areas exhibit greening-drying patterns, driven primarily by vegetation transpiration, especially in grasslands and cultivated land (42-82% sensitivity). The ESMs predicted that soil dryness is exacerbated by vegetation greening and is expected to continue in the future. Despite uncertainties arising from discrepancies in model parameterizations in ESMs and the limited representation of regional-scale feedback across SM datasets, our study provides a robust and comprehensive assessment of the widespread impacts of global vegetation greening on soil drought. The findings highlight that SM carrying capacity must be prioritized in ecological restoration strategies—particularly in vulnerable semi-arid regions where greening intensifies soil drying (e.g., Central Asia, Central Africa, and southern Australia). Our results provide critical references for guiding sustainable ecological restoration and rational cropland expansion
Charting a transformational course toward a safe and just future: the Earth Commission’s contribution
Get PDFHumans are now operating well outside the planetary conditions that enabled stable and equitable development. The situation is urgent — we need a swift and profound shift in direction — a collective transformation. In response, the Earth Commission has developed a science-based framework that integrates biophysical limits with justice considerations, aiming to secure a liveable and dignified future for all. The Earth Commission’s first assessment showed that multiple safe and just Earth system boundaries have already been transgressed, threatening the resilience of the planet and the well-being of billions. This paper outlines the vision and scientific strategy for the Earth Commission’s second phase (2024–2027), which focuses on advancing this framework and translating it into actionable budgets and exploring transformation pathways to a safe and just space. Key components include expanding the safe and just boundary assessment to currently under-assessed Earth system processes (e.g., novel entities and ocean change), integrating justice more deeply into the framework, modelling interactions between boundaries and tipping points, and developing practical approaches to cross-scale translation and transformation. Special attention is given to the structural inequalities and power dynamics that shape both environmental degradation and our capacity to act. Through coordinated research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and stakeholder engagement, the Earth Commission seeks to provide knowledge to guide collective efforts toward transforming to a safe and just space for both people and the planet