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The agreement between Australia and Tuvalu, known as the Falepili Union, is the world's first bilateral agreement on climate-induced migration. It provides for Australia to create special migration pathways for people from Tuvalu who wish to migrate to Australia due to climate change. The agreement has implications for Tuvalu's security and foreign policy and covers topics such as police work, border controls, cybersecurity, and critical infrastructure. There are concerns regarding Tuvalu's foreign policy independence and Australia's lack of concrete concessions regarding climate policy. Other Pacific island states are also concerned about the content of the agreement. [Extracted from the article]

Bernhard König’s research project investigates the interactions between music and the climate and spans various disciplines. The planned book aims to sensitise music lovers and musicians to climate protection and to emphasise the socially transformative role of music. The writing process revealed many research gaps, particularly in the climate vulnerability of different musical cultures, the role of music as a driver of the Great Acceleration and the lack of theory on the interaction between inner-musical and societal transformation. The book is intended to be understandable for non-experts and introduces fundamental climate and music topics. Despite the challenges in the writing process, the author emphasises the urgency of his topic in the face of climate change. He is actively committed to the integration of culture into climate policy and is planning the practical musical realisation of his research findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The German foreign policy under the traffic light coalition is struggling to assume a strong international role and convey clear positions. The conceptual foundations of German foreign policy are weakly developed, and other actors such as the European Commission have taken the lead. Germany is facing difficulties in maintaining its influential role in areas such as climate foreign policy, disarmament, and development. The migration of foreign policy from the Foreign Office leads to fragmentation and institutional competition. There is a lack of coordination and cooperation between ministries, resulting in an inconsistent foreign policy. Germany's efforts towards a rules-based international order are criticized for applying double standards and prioritizing national interests. German foreign policy needs to better address the needs and interests of potential partner countries to avoid superficial partnerships. [Extracted from the article]

New methods have been proposed for calculating CO2 equivalents for short-lived climate gases such as methane. These take into account the fact that the warming effect of such gases depends on previous changes in emissions, rather than on their total atmospheric concentration, as it is the case for carbon dioxide. For methane from rumination, it should also be taken into account that there is a constant recycling of carbon emitted in the form of methane through agricultural forage production. In contrast to methane from fossil sources, an equilibrium between emission and degradation of methane can thus be established, without a further warming effect. As a conclusion, the prioritization of measures to reduce fossil methane emissions should be even stronger than already indicated for cost reasons. Furthermore, it becomes clear that in an equilibrium situation a CO2 pricing of methane from rumen digestion does not make sense from a climate policy point of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The annual conference of the Institute for European Politics (IEP) in 2022 focused on overcoming the poly-crisis in Europe. Representatives from universities and think tanks discussed the future of Europe in terms of foreign policy, the rule of law, the economy, and climate policy. The conclusions of the conference varied, but everyone agreed that Europe is facing a turning point and that political decisions and possibly reforms are needed to address the current challenges. Germany must redefine its role in Europe and pursue a more progressive European policy. The annual conference also addressed the security and defense architecture in Europe and the role of the European Union (EU) in global security policy. It was emphasized that the EU must strengthen its presence as an actor in security policy, particularly in Africa. Cooperation with NATO was positively evaluated, and a scenario was outlined in which the EU is responsible for territorial defense while NATO takes on other areas such as energy or cyber security. Challenges such as the institutional design of EU security and defense policy and the consolidation of cooperation with NATO were discussed. The role of Germany and its announced "turning point" in security policy was also highlighted. [Extracted from the article]

At international climate conferences, the European Union (EU) and its member states both are negotiating partners. The EU signs the treaties to protect the climate, the member states ratify and translate them into national policy. Based on the literature on actorness, we identify different dimensions in which the EU's actor quality is articulated. Actorness has internal dimensions, such as the transfer of responsibilities, and external dimensions, such as the recognition as a contracting party by other states. Actorness, however, cannot be grasped by analysing institutions alone, but also arises discursively and situationally. We trace EU actorness for four critical points in time in international climate policy and can thus show that actorness in the policy field has increased overall over time, but that the full potential has not yet been exploited. In some dimensions, a temporary decline in actorness could be observed, especially at the Copenhagen summit. The analysis of actorness can also contribute to the explanation of a possible lack of effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Fit for 55 package is the main project of European climate policy and aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent by 2030 and achieve greenhouse gas neutrality by 2050. It includes measures such as expanding emissions trading, reducing energy consumption, and expanding renewable energies. Regulations for taxing electricity and energy products are also being introduced, and CO2 emissions from cars are to be reduced. Another component is the introduction of a border adjustment mechanism for energy-intensive basic materials. The European Commission has presented various proposals for environmental and climate policy, which have been discussed in the European Parliament. The implementation of the proposals is closely linked to investment programs to address the economic consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, EU environmental and climate policy is influenced by different responsibilities and interests of the member states. [Extracted from the article]

The European Union's recovery plan, called NextGenerationEU, was agreed upon in spring 2021 to respond to the socio-economic consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. Member states have created national plans that have been evaluated by the European Commission. Most countries have already received positive evaluations, while some have experienced delays. The plans include reforms and investments to achieve climate and digital policy goals. The European Commission is monitoring the implementation of the plans and expects them to potentially increase the EU's gross domestic product by up to 1.5 percent by 2024. [Extracted from the article]

The review "Cities on the World Stage. The Politics of Global Urban Climate Governance" by David J. Gordon examines the role of the Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40) as a transnational network of mayors dealing with the climate crisis. Although the C40 does not have formal authority over its members, it has been internationally recognized as a leading force in urban climate policy. According to Gordon, the success of the C40 is based on its ability to create a common identity for the participating cities. The review also emphasizes the role of individuals such as Michael Bloomberg in developing a new vision for urban climate governance. The analysis uses the concept of the sociological field to explain the development of the C40 over time. [Extracted from the article]

In the issue "Poland and the North" of the magazine WeltTrends, various authors with connections to Polish universities are introduced. The contributions contain many facts that are otherwise difficult to find and harmonize with each other. However, it is noted that the authors may not be sufficiently familiar with the complex political situation. Differences in security interests and attitudes towards Russia between Poland and the Baltic states are also pointed out. It is recommended that Poland should better utilize its opportunities instead of hiding behind the positions of the Baltic states. The relationships with countries such as Sweden, Finland, and Denmark are also discussed, with emphasis on social development and challenges related to climate and immigration policies. [Extracted from the article]

The Yearbook of European Integration is a unique source of information on the latest developments in the European Union. It contains over 100 carefully selected and edited contributions from experts in their respective fields. This year's edition covers topics such as foreign and security policy, environmental and climate policy, energy policy, rule of law, crisis management, regional and cohesion policy, as well as domestic developments in various member states. The Yearbook also provides analyses of the EU's relationship with its neighboring countries, including the Eastern Partnership and the Western Balkan states. The project is carried out by the Institute for European Politics in cooperation with the Center for Applied Policy Research at the University of Munich and the Center for Turkey and EU Studies at the University of Cologne, and is supported by the Federal Foreign Office. [Extracted from the article]

Climate change is in its core not an environmental problem, because the global ecosystems will balance out also in times of an accelerated global warming. But global temperature increases beyond two degrees Celsius could overstrain the adjustability of nations and economies within the next decades as well as increase international distribution conflicts, especially concerning water, land and food. Climate change represents therefore a high security risk and climate policy becomes preventive security policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]