Short Stories

Saturday 21st August 2021 when what we urgently need is peace. Last Sunday there was a fire not even a kilometre away from our Botanical Garden project in Caldas de Monchique. Someone had deliberately or negligently thrown something inflammable out of a car window. A cigarette, a glass bottle? Who knows? The helicopters are flying attacks on the fire just like in a real war. They are throwing water-filled bombs onto the flames, flying one sortie after the other. It’s like a film about Vietnam. They need two hours, aided by ground troops, to win the battle with the enemy. …

Saturday 14th August 2021 We should, all of us, try and bring ecology and economy together in a practical way, make peace. As awful as forest fires are, on a second glance, once the shock and trauma subside, they do provide a huge chance. Planting slow-growing mixed forests from scratch takes time, yet is eminently important. Many of the forests that fell victim to the heat and forest fires of the past few years had their roots in an era where the forest only served as a quick self-service for business. This is starting to change as we speak, whether …

Saturday 7th August 2021 An inner compass is the most important thing in life. Is that true? ECO123 is planning to ask the various mayoral candidates fighting the coming local elections about their vision of politics. We had intense discussions about whether we wanted to provide the candidate representing the new fascist party with an opportunity to voice his ideas. As democratic journalists we have our doubts. But yes, in the event we would have some questions ready. For instance this one: „Have you ever visited the island of Santiago in Cabo Verde?“ To holiday on the Cape Verde islands? …

Saturday the 31st July 2021 If this was a comedy at the theatre and if we could just have a good old laugh about it, heave a sigh, or just find some distraction, then this story could feature a proper happy ending. Maybe it might result in a success story, if we were able to use it to solve the major problems alongside all the little ones. Isn’t that right? But do we even want to read a story like this here?   Life needs a certain direction, the Clown calls out into the ring, referring to the four seasons …

Saturday the 24th July 2021 Avoiding emissions, reducing our footprint… – life today is really a lot about mindfulness. Mindfulness? asks one of ours volunteers who comes in on a Friday morning to water the trees she looks after in the Botanical Garden. What is it I should be mindful of? The birds in the forest, for instance. Listen to this nightingale over there singing its song. Remember its song, make it your own. This, claims 84-year-old German professor Gernot Böhme*, is to find art in ecology. Böhme is virtually unknown in Portugal to date, his many books not available …

Saturday 17th July 2021 At the moment, several climate lawsuits dealing with the pollution of the atmosphere by emissions of CO2 and other gases are either pending before the European Court of Justice, and other national European courts (the Netherlands, Germany, Austria etc.), or have already been won. The plaintiffs, mostly young people active in the global www.fridaysforfuture.org climate justice movement, see their very future threatened by climate change. Oil production companies and refineries like the American ExxonMobil (BP, Shell, Galp etc.) and banks such as the English Standard Chartered which continue to finance the construction of coal-fired power plants …

Step One: Learn to cook vegetarian food… So here I am sitting at the breakfast table, set with bread, butter, cheese, an egg – just the way we’re used to in a hotel – the cup of coffee, the orange juice, the granola mix. I’m thinking back to the previous evening and trying to put myself in the place of a meat eater told that as from the next day there would be no more meat for them, no more sausages. For ethical reasons, say, or because the climate is out of kilter. Everything is at stake, I’m told. If …

You’d better believe it. This one is not about counting humans, their houses or their cars – but about gulls, their nests and their chicks: the first census of urban gulls has only just begun. This citizen science initiative organised by the Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds (SPEA), is asking all residents of Portugal to register online the gulls, nests and chicks to be found in their respective towns. All this information will contribute to the census of the yellow-legged gull. The main goal is an estimate of the number of breeding pairs and the distribution of its …

The Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, PIK for short, is a scientific institution whose renown extends far beyond country borders. Currently working with 356 international scientists from countries from all over the world, the Institute uses an interdisciplinary approach to look for realistic solutions – even advising governments – and publishes information on current developments in scientific journals. Four research departments are working on what is known as the Earth System Analysis (oceans, atmosphere, biosphere), on climate resilience (the consequences of climate change and adaptation), transformation paths (climate risks and development) and complexity research (machine learning, non-linear methods and …

Saturday 10th July 2021 Do we know the extension of the protective layer we call the atmosphere that envelops planet Earth? Yes? No? I’d be happy to tell you. It is ten kilometres. This pouch of air, which extends up a mere ten kilometres above the earth, provides the living space for all life forms on this planet. For you, for me and for all other living beings too. We breathe in and we breathe out, in and out, and in and out once more. And when we get into a car and start the engine – wait a minute …