Large forest and grassland fires are one of the most dramatic consequences of the ongoing climate catastrophe. Year after year, media coverage of fires ravaging Canada, Australia, Greece or Portugal is increasing; rising temperatures, however, mean that the threat is growing in many areas of the world – including Central Europe.
A third of Budapest’s 8,598 streets and squares have been renamed at least once in their history. A third of those now bear the name of a real or fictitious person, the most popular being Attila József. A look at the reasons for renaming and the issues of political memory they highlight.
The Greek region of Evros, devastated by fires last summer, is also the external border of the EU: there is a strong temptation to blame the fires on the migrants who cross it. Experts, however, point out the responsibilities of the Greek institutions.
Analysing street names in major European cities, it turns out that people of African and Asian descent are strongly underrepresented. Barely 0.1% of streets commemorate non-white personalities born outside Europe.
When talking about fires we typically imagine a terrifying and catastrophic event. But the use of controlled fires is once again becoming common practice in Europe: together with livestock grazing, it is looking like an essential and economical technique that can prevent genuinely catastrophic fires.
The distribution of European Union resources to member states is bound to deadlines established in national recovery and resilience plans, among other things.
By aligning itself with the recommendations of the car industry when adopting new emission standards, the European Union could be caving in to the industry lobby at the expense of taxpayers' money and citizens' health, according to confidential documents obtained by Voxeurop.
The Croatian government has announced its intention to recognise feminicide as a distinct type of crime. An important novelty - but a much broader social change is needed, warn those fighting for women's rights.
Portugal is Europe's third largest producer of wood pulp, an industry that relies heavily on the eucalyptus tree. In 2017, a devastating fire in Pedrogrão Grande ignited a debate on the industry's responsibility to prevent such disasters. In particular, the issue of biodiversity was brought back to centre stage. Reportage.
The high number of highly flammable spruce monocultures in Czechia is mainly due to conservative forestry and poorly framed legislation. But while the climate is already shifting, the laws that are holding back forest conversion have remained unchanged on the books for decades.
