Zukunftsblog Sustainability

The Zukunftsblog provides a forum for ETH experts to write about socially relevant research topics and reflect the personal opinions the authors. This newsfeed is a compilation of all sustainability related posts of the ETH Zukunftsblog.

Does densification lead to more heat stress in cities?

Portrait Jan Carmeliet

High temperatures and more frequent heatwaves are causing many people to doubt whether high-density urban planning is still sustainable. However, building physicist Jan Carmeliet argues that even dense cities can be cool if they are planned correctly. 

How climate extremes fuel droughts and heavy rains

Portrait Sonia Seneviratne

Global warming causes extreme temperatures – this is clear to most, but few realize that both droughts and heavy rains are symptomatic of a climate in crisis. Sonia Seneviratne explains the far-reaching impacts of climate extremes.

Climate change alone does not cause mass migration

Portrait Jan Freihardt

People are already being forced to flee the consequences of climate change to an alarming extent in the Global South, says Jan Freihardt. He believes, however, that Europe's fear of mass climate migration is exaggerated, since international migration has other root causes.

The road to Net Zero is rocky, but feasible

Portrait photo of Reto Knutti

A sustainable transition to a climate-friendly and biodiversity-rich Switzerland is only possible if we tackle the energy transition, climate change mitigation and biodiversity loss together. This will not be easy, but it is worthwhile and ultimately indispensable, says Reto Knutti.

Biofabrication should be sustainable

Portrait photo of Miriam Filippi

While living matter can advance technology and render human activities more efficient and eco-friendly, the way in which we currently fabricate materials containing living cells is far from sustainable. Miriam Filippi calls us to rethink our biofabrication practices.

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