Heat and drought in Europe: what can help?
With Europe facing record temperatures, drought and wild fires, calls for concrete measures to tackle the increasingly evident effects of climate change are growing louder. In the Czech Republic, the National Coalition to Combat Drought has been reconvened, and Prime Minister Babiš has announced plans to identify sites for 20 new water reservoirs. Berlin has tabled an action plan aimed at better protecting workers and the elderly against the heat, among other measures.
Forced by the people to take action
Český rozhlas welcomes the measures announced by the Czech prime minister:
“The prime minister has finally realised that the Czech Republic is suffering from an unprecedented drought. And he says he wants to resolve the crisis. He wants to do something about it. That's good news. ... Babiš's video was clearly a response to letters from people who fear droughts and heat. They have realised that we are in the midst of a climate crisis. At the same time, they see that the coalition's Motorists' Party has been downplaying climate change and denying there is a crisis. When the well runs dry and the streams dry up, it suddenly becomes clear that this is not the time for ideology or jokes. Something must be done.”
Implement the polluter-pays principle
For WOZ, it's clear where the main responsibility lies:
“Around 180 state-owned and private corporations are responsible for roughly 70 percent of the emissions from fossil fuels and cement production since the start of industrialisation around 1750. ... It goes without saying that these corporations must finally be held liable for the damage they have caused. ... What's more, they should be required to pay appropriate compensation for their continuing greenhouse gas emissions, so that future damage is covered. This would immediately and radically change their business practices, because they would be forced to bear the costs they incur themselves, in full accordance with the polluter-pays principle. ... Yet although this seems entirely logical, it appears virtually impossible to implement politically – almost utopian.”
Back to coal is not the answer
Following the shutdown of the Romanian Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant due to low water levels in the Danube, the Social Democrats (PSD) and the right-wing populist AUR party have passed measures that could delay the decommissioning of certain coal-fired power stations. Deutsche Welle's Romanian service warns:
“A return to coal will not bring the independence claimed by the PSD and AUR. On the contrary, it will pollute the environment, and that will pose health risks. ... Coal-fired energy is therefore neither cheap nor patriotic, as the sovereigntists in both parties claim. The PSD and AUR's bill on a return to coal makes no mention whatsoever of the 2.14 billion euros that Romania is receiving from the EU for its gradual phase-out – the third-largest allocation in the EU.”
Prevention as a worthwhile investment
Forestry scientist and environmental expert Nikitas Mazis writes on The opinion:
“Greece cannot control the climate, but it can control how it prepares for it. Prevention is not a cost factor but an investment – and indeed the most cost-effective one available for protecting the country's natural capital. The experiences we have gathered to date reveal a recurring pattern: incidents that result in major disasters are rarely attributable to a single mistake at the moment the fire breaks out. They are the result of a chain of decisions – or deferred decisions – which began long before. The real battle to protect Greece's forests is decided before the first spark is lit.”
Even adaptation has its limits
Living organisms can adapt, but not if changes occur too quickly, geologist and science journalist Mario Tozzi points out in La Stampa:
“Which scenario do we want to adapt to? In 2015 it was agreed in Paris that a rise in global average atmospheric temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius was the absolute limit – the threshold beyond which scientists recommended we should not go because it would stretch ecosystems beyond their biological limits. … But above all, we are crossing these physical and biological limits for Homo sapiens and other living beings so rapidly that no one will be able to adapt – not even those with access to extraordinary technologies.”