The case for a climate and nature czar

The new president of the European Commission has indicated that she intends to confront the climate crisis head-on. She must avoid the mistakes of her predecessor, who did not go far enough in expanding the scope for environmental policymaking, writes Johan Rockstrom

As Europe roasts through another record-hot summer, it is encouraging to see that climate change is receiving the attention it deserves from Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president-elect. In confronting the climate emergency, she should acknowledge that rising global temperatures are a threat not just to public health and the economy, but — crucially — also to wildlife.