Yesterday saw the IPCC deliver the final part of their sixth assessment report on the global climate course. The publication is a crescendo of warnings that have grown ever more dire. It gives a dismal verdict on efforts so far to curtail greenhouse gas emissions. The 1.5°C threshold that was central to the 2015 Paris Agreement now seems a hopeless target that we will fly past in the next decade.
This was supposed to be the point of no return but next to no meaningful effort has been made on the industrial scale that would be needed to prevent the planet's climate systems from unravelling. What few policies might have provided a light to move towards have been obscured or extinguished by later back-tracking that puts us in a worse position than when we started.
It's little wonder that most people turn the other way. Perhaps most disheartening is how wide the gap between understanding and action has become. The childhood lessons in how to behave in accordance with your surroundings seem to be unlearnt the older we become, to the point that it is perfectly possible to stare the global crash course in the face and do nothing more than grit your teeth.
Indeed, this appears to be the general attitude on both a national level and individually. A survey by the European Investment Bank showed that a significant majority of Europeans would like to have governments impose measures that would force everyone to behave more responsibly. It's hard not to read this as proof of human fallability, a weary admission of our unwilling to do what we know we should.
I wrote two months ago about an apparent apathy for the sincere calls for change coming from experts that are not in the business of scaremongering. Maybe that's the problem.
As is often the case, the drive to make things better comes from the young. Whilst yesterday's report confirms that older generations are leaving a legacy of climate crisis (and lots of debt too) to their children, it also highlights how unfit they are to envisage a brighter future beyond their rose-tinted retirement. Young people have every right to be angry, with all other options exhausted how else can we hope for change?
Let @Orlando_tbt know.
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1. Climate change a key consideration for EU citizens, though not companies
With the world's climate changes becoming impossible to ignore, many living in EU Member States are taking a growing interest in the environmental credentials of companies – especially when looking for a job, the European Investment Bank's (EIB) annual climate survey reveals. Read more.
2. New IPCC report: A grim and final warning on climate action
The world’s leading group of climate scientists delivered its most dire warning yet: the planet is nearing catastrophic levels of heating and immediate, radical action is required. Governments around the world have seven years to half greenhouse gas emissions to avoid irreversible change. Read more.
3. Decolonising the mind: Afro-Belgians to be honoured in public spaces
Racism is still deeply rooted in Belgian society, largely the result of 75 years of the country's colonial rule on the African continent. Belgium is now looking to decolonise people's minds by boosting the representation of people of African descent. Read more.
4. 'Explosive growth': E-scooters in Brussels both practical and problematic
The use of e-scooters in Brussels has soared in recent years, and with it, the number of accidents. The region has now launched an awareness campaign when the use of e-scooters rises as the days get warmer. Read more.
5. Franchised Delhaize on Boulevard Anspach shut down due to 'undeclared work'
The AD Delhaize on the Boulevard Anspach in the Brussels city centre has been judicially sealed off since Monday evening following a check by the social inspectorate over reports of undeclared work, confirmed union secretary Myriam Djegham (CNE). Read more.
6. Ashton Kutcher spotted in the European Parliament promoting children's rights
A high-level panel was held in Brussels on Monday for EU regulation to tackle child sexual abuse and exploitation. The panel had guest speakers including MEP Hilde Vautmans and the Hollywood actor and entrepreneur, Ashton Kutcher. Read more.
7. Hidden Belgium: Tervuren street art
Take a walk around Tervuren to spot the twelve electricity boxes that have been decorated by local street artists. The artists have transformed the dull functional boxes into artworks with scenes inspired by local history, wildlife and the vast Zoniënwoud forest. Read more.
