Environment
No clean air in sight: Europe’s worst-affected cities
With the EU voting on new air quality rules, satellite data shows 98% of people face pollution above limits recommended by the World Health Organization.
Rural depopulation is playing a major role in causing fires in Romania
In the fourth part of the "Romania is burning" series, we explain how the emptying of Romanian villages has unforeseen consequences. Where there is no more work, farmlands burn – taking with them forests and protected wildlife.
Greece’s map for predicting wildfires is anachronistic and inadequate
Greece's current wildfire prediction map lacks transparency and fails to account for real-time weather changes, resulting in inadequate response to rapidly evolving fire conditions.
Ukraine’s wildfires surge amidst war
Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine led to a surge in forest and rural fires across the country. Combating them is all the more difficult amidst the war that binds all resources and unexploded mines that contaminate the territory.
A Czech national forest park is reviving after a devastating fire
On the first anniversary of the fire in the Bohemian Switzerland National Park, a reporter and photographer from Deník Referendum spent a day there in the company of local experts Dana Vébrová and Jakub Hruška. What they saw contradicts much conventional wisdom.
Eucalyptus fever: speculation and wildfire in Galicia
Eucalyptus, a tree species that thrives on fire, now accounts for 28% of the forests in the Spanish region of Galicia. The situation has come about through the policies of the local Popular Party.
A long way to go: the Western Balkans and the green transition
To eventually access the European Union, the Western Balkans have to align their legislation with EU law. This includes the Green Deal, which commits countries to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. However, there’s still quite a long way to go for the Western Balkans in their progress towards the green transition.
How fast is Germany cutting its greenhouse gas emissions?
Europe's biggest polluter is ditching targets in its climate law to cut emissions – after mixed progress toward reaching those goals. The transport sector is struggling the most, while waste has already passed its target.
Despite a mild climate, forest fires are a serious problem in Romania
Romania has a temperate continental climate, which does not make it prone to forest fires. So why do so many of them happen? Fire risk is going to increase even further due to climate change – but the country seems not to be fully prepared for it yet.