FROM THE ROAD.
Germany: Greenpeace activists protest against the German position on a ban on the sale of combustion engine cars in the EU
The whole of Europe is currently debating what to do and what strategies to adopt to cope with the increasingly evident climate change. Last month, the European Commission presented a proposal to ban the production of combustion-engine cars from 2035 onwards, while allowing cars already registered to circulate.
This choice was designed to focus more on electric cars, and was welcomed by almost all member states (Italy one of the only ones initially against). After an initial assent, however, even Germany has turned back, convinced that electric vehicles are not the only way to make wheeled transport less polluting.
Needless to say, this change of direction has been received badly by environmental associations, starting with Greenpeace, which staged an unusual and incisive protest on 22 March.
Germany: Greenpeace activists protest against the German position on a ban on the sale of combustion engine cars in the EU
The whole of Europe is currently debating what to do and what strategies to adopt to cope with the increasingly evident climate change. Last month, the European Commission presented a proposal to ban the production of combustion-engine cars from 2035 onwards, while allowing cars already registered to circulate. This choice was designed to focus more on electric cars, and was welcomed by almost all member states (Italy one of the only ones initially against). After an initial assent, however, even Germany has turned back, convinced that electric vehicles are not the only way to make wheeled transport less polluting. Needless to say, this change of direction has been received badly by environmental associations, starting with Greenpeace, which staged an unusual and incisive protest on 22 March.
Germany: Greenpeace activists protest against the German position on a ban on the sale of combustion engine cars in the EU
An installation by Greenpeace activists shows an SUV that appears to have been slammed onto the sidewalk in front of the Brandenburg Gate on March 22, 2023 in Berlin, Germany.
Germany: Greenpeace activists protest against the German position on a ban on the sale of combustion engine cars in the EU
Greenpeace protests against the German government's demand for an exception to new European legislation that would ban the sale of cars with combustion engines by 2030. German Transport Minister Volker Wissing calls for an exception for vehicles that can run on so-called synthetic fuels.
Germany: Greenpeace activists protest against the German position on a ban on the sale of combustion engine cars in the EU
Germany's position can be summed up in the fact that the Germans do not think that electricity is the one and only way forward, but that it is possible to exploit the current production chain in a more environmentally friendly and sustainable way, with less polluting new-generation fuels.
Germany: Greenpeace activists protest against the German position on a ban on the sale of combustion engine cars in the EU
Obviously, Greenpeace activists do not think so, with the world's largest environmental groups confidently pointing towards electric. This retreat is seen as Germany's renunciation of active environmental policies.
Germany: Greenpeace activists protest against the German position on a ban on the sale of combustion engine cars in the EU
In Germany, it is the 'Last Generation' organization that is the most active on the ecological car protest front. Already in 2022, their activists organised 276 roadblocks on German roads.
Germany: Greenpeace activists protest against the German position on a ban on the sale of combustion engine cars in the EU
Germany is not new to these strong stances. At the beginning of the energy crisis due to the Russian-Ukrainian war, for example, the government decided to reopen and expand the use of coal for energy production, certainly not an ecological but a political choice. This had caused much protest even from the famous Swedish activist Greta Thunberg.
Germany: Greenpeace activists protest against the German position on a ban on the sale of combustion engine cars in the EU
Germany continues to argue that it is not economically viable to impose such a radical change, and in such a short timeframe from a production point of view. In fact, according to the government leadership, intermediate solutions would be better, such as the hybrid, which is already enjoying great success, against the current and very obvious problems of the electric. Furthermore, the German position is that combustion vehicles will only be allowed to circulate after 2035 if they are powered by synthetic fuels.
From the Road
18/06/2024
Prisons are one of the sad institutions on which, unfortunately, modern society is based. Removing individuals who are dangerous to the community, and enclosing them all together in one place for the purpose of surveillance and re-education, is one of the ways our ancestors found to ensure the safety of the population.
They remain places, albeit atrocious, that are nonetheless fascinating because of the peculiarity of their rules, the micro-world they inhabit, and also because of the many fictional works, films, books and many others, that have prisons as their main setting.
But which are the most famous prisons in the world? Among the largest, the most luxurious and the bloodiest, one can really find all possible and imaginable types.
Natural Events
08/06/2024
A meteorite crater (also called astroblem, impact crater or basin) is a circular-shaped depression formed by the impact of a meteorite, asteroid, and in general a celestial body, on the surface of a planet.
Evidence of many of these craters, which have impacted our planet over geological eras, can be found on planet Earth. One of the most famous, for example, is the one believed to have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs (called the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction).
Some of these craters can be found underground today, or at least the traces they left behind. Others have become beautiful lakes, others are still desolate and remote places today. But which are the largest in the world by diameter?
Home page
07/06/2024
We are all realising that our way of life, the one our parents, who were born and raised especially after the Second World War, taught us, is no longer sustainable. There are too many of us in this world now, and nature can no longer provide us with everything we need.
Capitalism, or consumerism for short, is forcing us to submit to environmentally worn-out logics that would not be sustainable even in the long run, but are even less so in the short time we have left before everything falls apart. Our way of life must change radically if we are to allow the survival of mankind. For example, the introduction of the law in Europe allowing the sale of insect meal aims at exactly that, at sustainability.
Therefore, it is necessary for all of us, while there is still time, to change certain behaviours to help the world. Here, then, are some tips for leading a greener and more sustainable life.
From the Road
06/06/2024
According to theMain Streets Across the World 2022report, which analyzes the main shopping areas of 92 cities around the world, New York Fifth Avenue is the most expensive route in the world followed by Hong Kong's Tsim Sha Tsui. Post pandemic, the most expensive street in Hong Kong loses the top of the ranking and records the worst drop ever, -41%.
In detail, with an average annual fee of 14,547 euros per square meter, the Via Montenapoleone in Milan ranks ahead of New Bond Street in London and Avenue des Champs Élysées in Paris, respectively in fourth and fifth place in the global ranking of the most expensive streets in the world.
Via Montenapoleone in Milan, has earned the title of the most expensive shopping street in Europe and the third overall worldwide, with a jump of two positions compared to the last research of 2019.