Meteorologists confirm a new temperature record in Europe: the thermometer in Sicily reached 48.8 degrees”. “2023 was the warmest year on record.” “New maximum temperature record in Scotland in a month of January: 19.9 degrees”. “The weather was summery in the port of Navacerrada yesterday”. “The unusual heat fills the beaches with bathers”. These are just some of the pieces of information that have circulated on social networks this beginning of the year. something happens
But there are also those who question these realities and make good the famous meme of “Where is the climate change? Let me see him!” Vox MEP Hermann Tertsch spoke yesterday of “people who live from the narrative of climate change”. But the complaints don’t just come from the far right. Felipe González has just asked himself “what are we going to do with photovoltaic waste” and has stated that the “only tax on the sun that is not paid” is when “you lie on your stomach and the sun touches you”.
The fact is that climate change has been a real threat affecting the population for several years. In Catalonia, for example, a state of emergency will be declared tomorrow in 200 municipalities, including Barcelona. Tourism, the main driver of the Spanish economy, is also starting to suffer. This winter the snow is scarce. CaixaBank Research, for its part, has found that the warmer areas of Spain had the slowest growth in spending in recent years.
The Spanish Government that declared the climate emergency is aware of the situation, but a few days ago it was criticized for the expansion of Barajas. Can you fight against polluting emissions by making airports bigger? The debate is open, but what is clear is that if Madrid or El Prat do not grow, others will take the lead in receiving intercontinental flights. Minister Puente explained it in more blunt terms to Errejón: “Íñigo wants to travel to Buenos Aires or Hong Kong by train. We are working on it, but at the moment it is a bit difficult”.
While all this is happening, in France, farmers and ranchers blockade Paris and caused obstacles for Spanish truckers at the border. You also have to think about it in the field. The ecological transition must take into account progressiveness and social vision. Vice-president Ribera explained it: the key is to “prevent inequality from growing” and to adopt “measures that ensure opportunities and social protection”. The challenge is huge.
