Making coffee and the art of coding: who works in the field of AI? Commentary Working on and with AI is inherently influenced by gender and race. The small number of women and minorities among AI developers has even been described as a "diversity crisis". At the same time, however, women from the Global South are strong in lowly-paid areas of the field, from hardware assembly to crowd work addressing bias and injustices in AI. Understanding these present discriminating structures is the first step to social change. Katharina Klappheck
French CAP Strategic Plan: EU sued over approval of the plan Analysis Did the Commission breach its own laws by approving the French CAP Strategic Plan? According to Collectif Nourrir and ClientEarth, it did! After their internal request for an internal review of the approval of the plan fell short, the two organisations decided to take it to the next level, and bring the case to the Court of Justice of the European Union. So what are their arguments? And what results can be expected of the process? Let’s assess Mathieu Willard
"Elections in Slovakia: Fico is dangerous, but he knows the power of social protest" Interview With the return of former Prime Minister Fico, old authoritarian patterns could resurface in the upcoming elections. However, progressives also have a chance to win. Jan Philipp Albrecht, Adéla Jurečková, Zuzana Kepplová
Back to the 1970s: why the Conservatives are cooling on net zero Commentary Plans to revive North Sea oil and push back 2030 net zero targets could mark the end of the UK’s 35-year cross-party consensus on the need to cut emissions. Fiona Harvey explains why some Conservatives see an electoral advantage in pulling the climate emergency into the ‘culture wars’. Fiona Harvey
Climate disinformation media fellowship 2023 Fellowship With this fellowship, the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union gives a select number of journalists the opportunity for on-the-ground reporting on climate disinformation case studies. The articles will be published as part of a web dossier on battling climate disinformation. Zora Siebert (on parental leave)
Climate, jobs, and growth: How coalitions powered Biden’s legislation to decarbonize america Analysis It’s been one year since the US passed the most significant climate bill in American history. The achievement, after years of failures, offers lessons for progressive movements on building coalitions, creating hopeful narratives, rebuilding trust in government-led solutions, and expanding grassroots support. Mareike Moraal, Ella Mueller, Hannah Winnick
State of the Union address: Ursula von der Leyen’s bid for a second term in office Analysis In her address, European Commission President von der Leyen missed the opportunity to develop bold proposals for the future. This contribution analyses her informal bid for a second term in office by looking at her thematic focuses. Roderick Kefferpütz, Lisa Sandtner, Anton Möller, Zora Siebert (on parental leave), Melanie Bernhofer, Hannah Goerlich
Hungarian rainbow families: raising children in a hostile political context Commentary In Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Government, in power since 2010, has systematically curtailed LGBTIQ+ rights. Hundreds of such parents have adopted children with their same-sex spouses or partners, have given birth to children themselves or have availed themselves of surrogates to have their own genetically-related offspring. This article offers a glimpse into the lives of two such families in Hungary. Anna Frenyó
The most supported human rights case in the history of the European Union: new hope for LGBTIQ+ in Hungary? Analysis Since 2010, the Hungarian Government has been advocating for a conservative, restrictive notion of the family. The Ninth Amendment of the Fundamental Law led to the adoption of the so-called ‘child protection’ law (also referred to as the ‘anti-LGBT’ or propaganda law). This article tells the story of a successful advocacy campaign against these developments. Rémy Bonny, Esther Martínez, Vincent Reillon, Eszter Polgári
Press release | Peatland protection pays off - Massive conservation and restoration is needed Press release With more than two billion tonnes of CO2, the draining of peatlands is responsible for about 4% of all human-made emissions globally. This is outlined in the Peatland Atlas 2023 - Facts and figures on wet climate guardians, published today by the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, the Michael Succow Stiftung (partners in the Greifswald Mire Centre) and BUND (Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland/Friends of the Earth Germany), with support of the Global Peatlands Initiative. Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, Succow Stiftung, BUND für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland, Global Peatlands Initiative, Joan Lanfranco