ZAGREB, March 11, 2020 - President Zoran Milanović on Wednesday expressed support to the Croatian Scientists for Climate - Appeal for Systematic Climate Action and their initiative to raise awareness of climate change and conduct activities to prevent the further worsening of that process globally.

Milanović and his special adviser for energy and climate, Julije Domac met with the delegation of scientists from the Ruđer Bošković Institute, Ivo Pilar Institute, Zagreb University's Geophysics Department of the Faculty of Science, and the Engineering and Shipbuilding Faculty, who expressed their concern due to the increasingly evident consequences of climate change and the lack of systematic debate on that topic in Croatia, the president's office said in a press release.

Having in mind the scientific findings concerning climate change, its cause, consequences, forecasts and prospects, the delegation called for ambitious measures to create the preconditions for a systematic and comprehensive approach to the climate crisis.

Milanović underscored the importance of science for the sustainable development of society and of timely scientific response to changes that are occurring in the environment and the preparedness to face the challenges of the day and of the future.

"It's time to turn to the highest standards in environment and nature protection. I am ready to help you to achieve your demands and I support them entirely. My vision is a Croatia as one of the EU leaders of clean energy and one of the first steps to achieve that vision is to raise awareness of Croatia's vulnerability and key risks," said Milanović.

More environment news can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, January 14, 2020 - Representatives of 550 Croatian scientists who signed the Appeal for Systematic Climate Action on Tuesday presented it to the government, parliament and Ministry of Environment and Energy.

The scientists claim that the current climate change is an emergency and the most serious and most complex crisis that mankind has ever been exposed to. That is why, with this appeal, they call on the relevant institutions to launch concrete and ambitious measures to deal with the problem.

All the graphs we get indicate that we are close to the dangerous limit of climate change when there won't be any chance of going back, Nikola Biliškov from the Ruđer Bošković Institute told a press conference outside Government House.

Scientists have pointed out very ambitious action on a global level with concrete objectives: to radically reduce carbon dioxide emissions so that this year they reach their maximum and then be reduced by 45% by 2030, while emissions should be entirely eliminated by 2050, Biliškov explained.

The appeal is a call on the legislative and executive authorities to adopt and implement ambitious policies as a precondition for systematically dealing with the climate crisis. Those policies need to be based on scientific research and lead to the development of efficient technical solutions to alleviate and adapt to climate change.

More science news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, November 30, 2019 - Climate activists rallied outside the government offices in Zagreb on Friday calling on the government to adopt urgent and ambitious measures to limit the effects of climate change.

Representatives of the protesters were received by the prime minister's chief of staff, Zvonimir Frka Petešić, and his associates. The protest coordinator Leonarda Smigmator said that they presented their demands and vision and that Petešić said he would try to ensure that their demands were met.

Addressing the protesters, Smigmator said that the new European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had announced in her inauguration address that she would focus on an ambitious climate programme so that European could be the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. She said that the progress Croatia was making in this regard was miserable.

Smigmator called on politicians to translate their words not just into strategies and plans but also into concrete projects to save the climate.

The protest was organised in Zagreb and Osijek by the youth initiative FridaysForFuture Croatia. The organisers announced a clean-up campaign on the section of Split's Bačvice Beach intended for disabled people, on Saturday November 30.

More environmental protection news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, March 16, 2019 - About a thousand students from several secondary schools in Zagreb rallied in the city's centre on Friday afternoon to protest against climate change, chanting "We need change, we need it now" and "Let's save the planet."

They joined students in over 2,000 cities across the globe as part of the global movement "Fridays for the future."

"There is no planet B" and "What I stand for is what I stand on" were just some of the messages written on placards carried by the demonstrators.

"Those who do nothing have no right to complain, and we have a lot of things to complain about and that's why we are here," a student called Erika said, while her colleague Igor was filming the whole event to show it in his YouTube vlog.

"I think we will manage to change something. There are a lot of us and I think this will help in stopping climate change, at least to a small extent," Igor said.

During their march from Europe Square to St Mark's Square, the seat of the government, the demonstrators stopped tram traffic in the main square Trg Bana Jelačića.

"We are here to show our resistance to the system that acts as if climate change does not exist. As a member of the European Union, Croatia is among developed countries and should treat the problem of climate change seriously," one student, Ana Žerjav said.

Another student, Laura Skala, who launched the Facebook page "School Strike 4 Climate Croatia" and initiated today's protest, in her address asked politicians what have they done to stop climate change. "Have you banned single-use plastic, have you made any investments in solar and wind energy? You haven't!"

She recalled that people had 11 years left to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent to stop further temperature increases globally.

Skala told Hina she had coordinated the protest with students from other Zagreb schools and was pleased with the support of students and school heads.

Similar protests were also held in several cities across the country, including Split, Osijek, Križevci, Varaždin, Pula and on the southern island of Vis.

The protests were supported by the Ministry of Environment and Energy, Minister of Science and Education Blaženka Divjak, and Croatian scientists.

Protests in European cities were inspired by 15-year-old Swedish student Greta Thunberg, whose strike for climate held outside the Swedish parliament in Stockholm every Friday since August 2018 has triggered the global movement "Fridays for the future."

More news about climate change in Croatia can be found in the Lifestyle section.

The Adriatic Sea is unusually warm for early June, at some locations as much as three degrees Celsius warmer than the average.

ZAGREB, February 22 - The Croatian government on Thursday adopted a plan for the use of funds from the sale of greenhouse gas emission allowances at auctions in Croatia by 2020, projecting total revenue from trading in greenhouse gas emissions at 867.5 million kuna.

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In spite of US President Donald Trump’s decision, Croatia remains united with its EU partners.

The agreement was ratified unanimously.

Croatian Prime Minister on climate change in Paris.