Recently, climate change is threatening our planet, and the impact of it stands out in relief in Europe.
In early January there were high-water alerts all over the Netherlands, due to a combination of three factors: rain inside the country, rain elsewhere in Europe, and unlucky winds. Particularly, at Marken, Amsterdam, waves lapped just a couple of meters from the top of the dyke as well as the fact that Markermeer reached its highest water level ever, 45cm above the national benchmark. These phenomena emphasize how crucial it is to implement construction of the enormous dykes and floodgates in order to protect the country against rising sea levels.
All across Europe this winter, as the effects of climate change grow starker. The North Sea has risen about 19cm, and the rate has increased from about 1.7mm per year to about 2.7mm since the 1990s, and political parties that want to do something about it are getting hammered. For instance, political parties in Holland, Germany, Portugal, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland are all atrophying.
When digging for reasons why Europeans are not aware of the significance of climate changes and supporting green parties, the economy must be taken into account. The impact of climate-friendly policies on their economic interests is simply too dire. However, although the impacts that climate change brings to tourism is inerasable, people don’t seem to do their business in an eco-friendly way. By way of illustration, Switzerland has sparked a hot discussion when green policies toggle with profit in the economy. The Swiss climate referendum, which set a target of zero net emissions of greenhouse gasses by 2050, was the country’s second try. A tougher version was voted down in 2020. The new one had fewer taxes and emphasized renewable energy and carbon offsets, and it passed comfortably. However, The restaurant and hotel owners’ association was the main lobby that uniformly opposed it, and the objections seemed puzzling at first.
For the Alps' $30 billion-a-year ski industry, climate change is an existential issue. More than half of Europe's ski resorts could look like the worst years of 1961-1990 every year if global warming rises by 2°C above pre-industrial levels, a study has found. Glaciers in the region are losing mass at a rate that has transfixed scientists; "All previous records have been broken" in the past two years, says Matthias Huss, an expert at the Federal University of Zurich.
But for resort owners, climate change is just something to deal with. Slowing down is out of their control. One reason they may oppose expensive green energy schemes is that their ski lifts and snow machines make them vulnerable to high electricity prices. The Swiss ski resort Aletsch Arena bans cars and private snowmobiles and uses green hydropower from a nearby dam, but not all resorts have those options. Its owners hope their high elevation will protect them, as slopes above 2,000 meters are expected to have enough snow cover until at least the end of the century.
One reason climate change is politically difficult is that it is happening very slowly. Over the past few decades, few Europeans have seen its effects. Another reason is that it is so fragmented that no one country can have much influence over it.
Hopefully down the road, more and more people can realize the importance of protecting the environment and share EcoClimate news to families and friends, and on top of that, engrave the principle of environmentally friendly practices into their daily lives.
Image:
https://www.brusselstimes.com/190678/the-netherlands-fear-a-greater-rise-in-sea-levels-than-forecast
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