It’s getting hard to breathe
Another heatwave hit Europe. And while we are looking at our ACs, hoping they can push through both day and night so we can be comfortable, our environment isliterally burning. All across Europe, wildlife is paying the price of global warming at an astonishing pace. According to the EU’s Forest Fires Information System, as of the 6th of August, more than 500.000 square hectares of wildlife habitat have burnt down since the beginning of the year. However, the data is even darker because the system doesn’t count wildfires in non-EU countries like the Western Balkans, Ukraine, Moldova, but also the UK and Norway. If we were to take only the data provided by the EU’s Information System, we would come to the conclusion that in terms of area, a quarter of Slovenia’s total landmass was burnt down in this year alone.
Additionally, one of Europe’s largest rivers, the Danube, has reached historic minimums. This led to countries that rely on the Danube for energy and transportation suffering. Hungary had to shut down its only nuclear power plant. And while the discussion on nuclear energy is often debated, a larger fact emerges: it was shut down because of record-low water levels of the Danube, which is being used for cooling, therefore extending from an energy crisis to safety concerns that led to the plant shutting down. Moreover, both Serbia and Romania are facing an energy crisis because a joint hydropower plant is working at 30% of its capacity due to devastatingly low water levels. Additionally, let us remember that the most commonly used method for putting out wildfires is using water, therefore additionally limiting its availability.
We must stop and ask ourselves how will we move forward? We, the Cooperation and Development Network Eastern Europe believe that the only right way of action is to fully comit to climate action. We must act now, because our countries are burning down, our rivers are drying out and we are abusing the planet’s natural resources beyond the reversable limit. Therefore, we believe that European Union and national governments across Europe must act now and deliver a meaningful and impactful change to how we treat our planet. We cannot afford to waste resources, we cannnot commit 25-year strategies, we need action now. Wildfires are burning our lungs and we must make real progress in combating climate change before it is too late.
