Media - Web, January 2014
2013: a year of missed opportunities for sustainability in Europe | New Europe (12 January 2013)
“Can we hope for some light in the horizon, or is the deepening recession shifting attention away from the real causes of the crisis and sending governments on-board the tumbling boat of short-sighted development at any cost?
Although there is no easy answer, the overall trend is clear: the environment and clean energy policies are being side-lined by the majority of debt-ridden member states. In the same time, the EU is also relinquishing its role as a global leader in environmental policies and begins to question the development potential of its own green laws. This path may offer short-term financial gains, but will certainly lead to ecological and social deficits and crises, with a dramatic economic outlook, that will be much harder to deal with”.
Nature enthusiasts help foster an economic revival in Portugal | The New York Times (8 January 2014)
“Visitors to Faia Brava and other attractions also help sustain a network of small hotels like the one run by Sada Noro, an architect, in the nearby village of Quinta de Pero Martins. Ms. Noro and her staff also churn out Faia Brava-branded products like a spread made of local olives and honey.
The Faia Brava staff are working on bigger ideas, including a permanent lodge and a 200-kilometer hiking trail through the valley with strategically located bed-and-breakfast establishments”.
Sluggish Economy Prompts Europe to Reconsider Its Intentions on Climate Change | The New York Times (16 January 2014)
“The European Union, which for years has sought to lead the world in addressing climate change, is tempering its ambitions and considering turning mandatory targets for renewable energy into just goals.
The union’s policy-making body is also unlikely to restrict exploration for shale gas using the disputed technique known as hydraulic fracturing.
A deep and lasting economic slowdown, persistently high prices for renewable energy sources and years of inconclusive international negotiations are giving European officials second thoughts about how aggressively to remake the Continent’s energy-production industries.”