Croatia: fighting femicides
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: wildfires and the eucalyptus curse
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.
Forest fires are on the rise in Czechia as in the rest of the world: timely action is needed
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.
As wildfires tend to increase, the number of firefighters decreases across Europe
Despite decades of targeted financial support, the differences in training and equipment across Europe make cooperation challenging and often inefficient.
The price of climate change: EU countries splash out to fight forest fires
A new EU agricultural policy has brought a qualitative change in forest-fire protection. Governments will now spend twice as much as before on measures such as reforestation to reduce soil drying.
Protected areas are highly vulnerable to fire
Fires destroy ecosystems, and the harm is multiplied when protected areas are involved. More than a quarter of all Natura 2000 sites burned in 2021 were located in Italy.
How wildfires can worsen floods
A little-known effect of wildfires is that they weaken the soil, leaving it more vulnerable to rain-related disasters. It is a vicious circle for a country like Italy, which is exposed to both.
Forest and bushfires in Hungary: the canopy rarely burns, but the situation is still serious
In each of the past 12 years, there have been at least 2,600 wildfires in Hungary. The immediate cause is almost always human negligence, but global warming and agricultural methods are to blame as well.
Ukraine’s green transition to freedom
The green transition is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Ukraine, however, not only has to decarbonize, but must do so amidst a war. Despite it, the country is already rebuilding and discussions about greening the economy are vivid.
The share of Europe’s territory at high risk of fire has doubled in the last 50 years
Since 1971, the share of Europe that experiences high or higher weather risk has risen from 20% to almost 40%. But there are big differences between countries.
