International

Standards are the rules, specifications, testing methods and conformity procedures that determine what products and services must be like to enter a market. They range from technical specifications for a household appliance to sanitary rules for meat, to data-protection protocols, to private sustainability labels imposed by multinational buyers. By reducing information asymmetries and improving interoperability, well-designed standards can lower transaction costs, build consumer trust, and expand trade. At the same time, standards can be deployed — intentionally or not — as barriers that exclude competitors, fragment markets, and reshape global value chains. The distributional effects are profound: who benefits, who…

Oceans as the planet’s dominant climate regulatorThe global ocean covers roughly 71% of Earth’s surface and acts as the primary regulator of climate. It absorbs and redistributes heat and carbon, moderating atmospheric temperature swings, determining weather patterns, and sustaining life-supporting biogeochemical cycles. Two fundamental roles stand out:Heat storage: The ocean has absorbed most of the surplus heat generated by greenhouse gas emissions—widely assessed as exceeding 90% of the planet’s accumulated excess warmth—thereby tempering atmospheric temperature rises while introducing long-lasting thermal inertia that commits the climate system to future shifts.Carbon sink: The ocean takes in a substantial share of CO2 released…

Loss and damage in international climate talks refers to the harms caused by climate change that go beyond what people, communities, and countries can adapt to. It covers both sudden extreme events (storms, floods, wildfires) and slow-onset processes (sea level rise, desertification, glacial retreat). The concept addresses the residual impacts that remain after mitigation and adaptation efforts — and the responsibility for responding to those impacts.Essential measures and core descriptionsEconomic losses: quantifiable monetary setbacks that include damaged infrastructure, ruined harvests, reconstruction outlays, GDP downturns, and disturbances across markets.Non-economic losses: effects that cannot easily be assigned a monetary value, such as…

Plastic recycling is frequently portrayed as a universal remedy for plastic pollution, yet the truth is far more nuanced. While recycling plays a meaningful role, it cannot singlehandedly eliminate plastic waste due to technical, economic, behavioral, and structural constraints. This article explores these limitations, presents supporting evidence and examples, and highlights additional strategies that need to accompany recycling to achieve lasting impact.The current scale: production, waste, and what recycling actually achievesGlobal plastic production has surged to well over 350 million metric tons annually in recent years. A landmark assessment of historical production and waste revealed that, of all plastics manufactured…