Can Europe adapt to the new climate?
Countries across Europe are reporting record-breaking temperatures day after day this summer. Many are experiencing extreme droughts, with water levels in rivers and lakes at record lows and wildfires causing mass evacuations. Yet a review of the opinion sections shows that not all voices are pessimistic.
How pleasant our cities could be
Kurier brings an optimistic vision of the future to the debate:
“Monday, August 2050, seven o'clock in the morning. The first thing you notice is what's missing – the noise. No 'roar'; the fossil-fuelled engines are gone. The stench has vanished too. Instead: birdsong, bicycle bells, children playing, chatter. There's no heat haze hanging over the rooftops of Vienna; the city has cooled by several degrees over the past decade because there are now trees between the buildings where cars used to fill up public space. The 'sponge city' is proving its worth: permeable surfaces absorb rainwater, nourish trees and cool the streets. Every building is a power station, with solar panels on roofs, in windows and on façades, plus battery storage systems that take the strain off the grid. Heat is drawn from the ground.”
The drought begins in the bin
Anyone who thinks about saving water only in terms of the tap is overlooking the biggest source of waste, comments T24:
“In reality, we throw water away along with bread, rice, pasta, fruit and vegetables. The amount lost through food loss and waste is equivalent to around a quarter of the blue and green water used in agriculture. ... What we shouldn't be throwing away, we pour into the natural environment. And what we should be valuing, we throw away. The crux of our problem is this: we are failing to get a grip on either our waste or our resources.”
Time for action
We no longer have the time for debates about principles or causes, argues Les Echos:
“When the ship is sinking, the priority is not to address the cause of the sinking but to get into the lifeboats. The urgency is at once social, health-related, economic and political in nature. We must adapt working hours and schedules, towns and crops, production and holidays, lifestyles and societies. ... The good news is that those in power in France and Europe are gradually recognising the scale of the problem and beginning to draw up adaptation plans. But action must be taken more swiftly, more decisively and on a much larger scale.”
Tackle the problem at its root
The new buzzword "adaptation" must not overshadow reflection on the underlying causes of climate change, warns Le Soir:
“Since the start of the summer, the term 'adaptation' has come to the fore in public debate. And rightly so: our societies must adapt to a warming world. This is essential, but it is not enough. ... While we can and must expect the authorities to prepare for 'tomorrow', we must also demand that the problem be tackled at its root: by cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The challenge is not to choose between mitigation and adaptation, but to pursue both simultaneously.”
Ignorance triumphs over concerns
Hospodářské noviny laments the stubborn denial of climate change that still persists, particularly on social media:
“The death toll from this year's heatwave in Europe is rising. No one is keeping track of the cases where people 'merely' collapsed or suffered more serious complications. More and more households are suffering from water shortages. Instead of having a serious discussion about how we should tackle this in the coming years and how we can protect citizens, crops, animals and the countryside from these phenomena, we're arguing about whether climate change even exists. Ideological rigidity is taking precedence over the real problems that are causing growing concern among more and more people. And the Czech government is responding to these concerns with complete passivity.”