More investment and less debt in the name of climate: These demands on rich countries were being voiced at Africa’s first climate summit in Kenya. The continent is vulnerable to the growing impacts of climate change, though not a victim, stressed its leaders, but rather a long-ignored ally in the fight against global warming.
The European Union faces the highest arrival of migrants since 2015 with record numbers of people arriving in Italy and Greece, putting reception mechanisms under severe strain. This year, member states reached a historic deal on key asylum and migration laws as deals with transit countries are struck. The EU has launched a legal procedure against Hungary.
The most recent BRICS summit shows that weeks before world leaders will gather at the 78th United Nations General Assembly, new geopolitical blocs are emerging. The Russian invasion of Ukraine and climate crisis are the main drivers of change in the new geopolitical order. Which role does the Global South play in future politics?
The EU pushes for more sustainable travel solutions continent-wide. The plan is to strengthen long-distance and cross-border connections with the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) policy and funding for railway infrastructure. While the demand for rail travel is high, national operators and startups are competing with “unreasonably low prices” for flights, night trains are experiencing a renaissance and experts are calling for a Europe-wide kerosine tax.
As climate change heats up Europe’s south, tourism is slowly moving north. In line with the EU’s Tourism Agenda 2030, countries are striving to make their tourism sectors greener, more digital and more sustainable, with some even shifting their focus to promoting less traditional destinations. At the same time, others are finding ways to ease the burdens of overtourism in popular destinations.
Record-breaking heatwaves and droughts, devastating wildfires, torrential rain and hailstorms all across Europe are costing lives, damaging infrastructure, diminishing biodiversity and hitting tourism, harvests and the economy. Some governments have imposed rules to ensure the safety of their workers and are calling for rigorous measures to combat climate change.