By rsengupta18
For February and March, I’ll be exploring environmental conservation efforts in France. My analysis is especially interesting this month as I had the chance to travel throughout the European Union during my spring break. I was able to compare France’s environmental policy with Denmark, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. What I saw throughout the EU was not what I expected.
The EU has a reputation for being the world leader in climate change. Because of this, I assumed every country within the union would be dedicated and innovative to mitigating climate change. But, as with everything in life, it is more complex than it appears. I realized the policy is fragmented, and effects countries in different ways. The most glaring trend I saw was that climate change leadership went hand in hand with a strong economy.
First Stop: Copenhagen, Denmark
Copenhagen was extremely environmentally friendly (note the strong, stable economy). I was impressed by their innovative infrastructure that has come about in reaction to rising sea levels. My favorite was the Inderhavnsbroen, a massive pedestrian bridge connecting two of the islands. The bridge stretches 590 feet, has a stunning view of the water, and a winding, modern design.
Copenhagen is a beautiful, relatively small, walkable city. This means fewer cars, fewer emissions, and less pollution. I swear, I saw more bicycles than cars when I was there.
What I loved most about Copenhagen, and what I think other cities should learn from them, is their ability to reuse and recycle items in a creative way. For example, at the Street Food Market, old cargo carts are now used as lookout decks where visitors can sit by the fire, sip a drink, and watch the beautiful sunset over the Baltic Sea. Sounds romantic right? I would never have guessed that old cargo carts could be romantic.
Second Stop: Budapest, Hungary
Coming from Copenhagen, Budapest was a shock. The city was bigger, they had more cars, and the city was generally a little dirty. There was nothing that stood out to me as environmentally innovative. I felt the contrary. The air quality in Budapest was awful. For example, we climbed to the top of Saint Stephens Basilica for a view of the city, but the smog was so abundant, and so thick, that we could barely see past a few city blocks.
There was an especially bad day where the smog seeped its way down to the street level, and you could see it sitting just above the cars. I have seen this level of pollution in the developing world, but never in Europe which was a scary experience. Although Hungary's economy is not necessarily weak, their economy has a large manufacturing base, which is being threatened by cheaper labor in the developing world. Additionally, there was been economic tension within Hungary due to political changes. Hungarian credit was downgraded in 2012 to non-investment speculative grade. Additionally, the President of the European Commission denounced the Hungarian Prime Ministers economic strategy. I believe Hungary does not have a strong response to climate change because they are focused on stabilizing their economy. However, the air quality is getting to be so poor, that I think they will have to take policy measure in response to the civic unrest.
Third Stop: Prague, Czech Republic
Similar to Budapest, nothing in Prague necessarily stood out to me as environmentally friendly. However, nothing stuck out to me as especially bad. One could compare their efforts similar to the United States. There is an awareness of the issue, but no drastic measures are being taken to mitigate the change. I believe this lack of commitment is due to high political unrest within Prague. The government and people are distracted by this tense relationship, leaving, again, little time and energy for environmental policy.
After seeing a vast array of EU countries, I ask myself, is the EU really the leader in climate policy? Or just a few big countries? Coming back to Paris I was re-enchanted with their commitment to environmentalism. I will deeply analyze Paris in my next post, so stay tuned and keep recycling!