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In 2019, before the declared Covid-19 pandemic, there were 10.52 trillion available air travel seat-kilometres, of which 8.66 trillion kilometres were sold to paying passengers. In 2020, this dropped to 4.54 trillion and 2.95 trillion kilometres, respectively. Comparable figures were only seen before in 1999, with 4.05 trillion and 2.80 trillion kilometres. In 2024, air travel capacity and passenger traffic has recovered above 2019 levels, reaching 10.93 trillion and 9.10 kilometres. How does air traffic affect climate change and the environment, and how do contrails specifically contribute to global warming?
Although flying is one of the most carbon-intensive human activities, today it only contributes about four percent to global warming and 2.5 percent to global CO2 emissions. This is because… Continue reading
What drives wildfires, and is humanity—and its environment—more at risk today?
The most common wildfire in the world is a forest fire. Other wildfires include shrubland fires, grassland fires, savanna fires, and cropland fires. A wildfire is an uncontrolled burn in an area with combustible vegetation. While fire is a natural phenomenon in these land cover types, which is beneficial for ecosystems, unnatural wildfires can also destroy ecosystems, properties, and human lives, and reduce air quality. So, what causes wildfires nowadays, and what is the relationship between wildfires and climate change?… Continue reading
How does climate change affect life on Earth, both regionally and globally, and what is it actually telling us?
The effects of climate change vary by region worldwide. The five main climate regions into which the world can be divided are affected by climate change in different ways. So, how does climate change roughly affect human health, human societies, and nature in these regions and is climate change really the issue that humanity should be most concerned about?… Continue reading
Climate change is mainly a challenge for urban human populations around the world. Urban areas in developed countries are often not built for changing climate conditions. In developing countries, population density is growing so fast that urban areas cannot keep up with the increasing urban human needs. Heat can easily get trapped in urban areas. More rainfall can lead to flooding because the infrastructure is not built for it or simply does not exist. The effects of air pollution are worse due to climate change,… Continue reading
Is climate change in itself necessarily a threat to humans?
Climate change is as old as the estimated 4.54 billion years that the Earth has existed. Over the past five hundred million years, global temperatures were too high for persistent polar ice caps. The last fifty million years form an exception to this. During this last colder period, Homo sapiens appeared approximately 300,000 years ago. During this period, Homo sapiens also lived in times when the polar ice caps had shrunk significantly or had even completely disappeared. These warm interglacial periods offered ice-free environments in both hemispheres in which humanity flourished… Continue reading
How come so many people in this world are mentally ill?
Recent research has shown that some people have a higher risk of a mental disorder than others because of certain genes. Based on that, there is the idea that new, more effective individual treatments could be explored. Since 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic was declared, however, depression and anxiety disorders have risen dramatically worldwide. That does not really sound like it is genetic! What if it is time to stop looking for more effective individual treatments, and instead improve modern industrial societies rather than continuing to try to fix people who might not have anything wrong… Continue reading
No time to waste’ was first used as a slogan by Greenpeace in the early 90s. It became one of Greenpeace’s most iconic ‘crisis’ campaign slogans, calling for action to protect the environment. Almost thirty years later, humanity is not only still in the middle of a global environmental crisis but also has to deal with several other crises on an international or even global scale. People’s mental and physical health is under pressure. Inequality within many countries is on the rise. The global monetary and financial system is vulnerable to various risks. Geo-economic tensions between countries are increasing. Too rapid changes from…. Continue reading
How humanity turned out to live in an unfair world
Trust is declining worldwide. According to the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer, it is estimated that sixty-one percent of people globally experience a moderate or high sense of grievance. This is based on the belief that governments and businesses make people’s lives harder, and that wealthy people benefit the most from the system. It seems that distrust towards the media, governments, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and businesses is growing. Meanwhile, four out of ten people worldwide think that hostile activism is justified. Twenty-seven percent of them approve of attacking people online, twenty-five percent are fine with intentionally spreading disinformation for the greater good, twenty-three percent approve of (threatening with) violence as a means for change, and twenty-three percent approve of damaging public or private property. Fifty-three percent of adults aged 18 to 34, forty-one percent of adults aged 35 to 54, and twenty-six percent of adults over 54 support this hostile activism. How did humanity end up in… Continue reading
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What is the impact of aviation on climate change, and in particular the role of contrails in global warming?
In 2019, before the declared Covid-19 pandemic, there were 10.52 trillion available air travel seat-kilometres, of which 8.66 trillion kilometres were sold to paying passengers... How does air traffic affect climate change and the environment, and how do contrails specifically contribute to global warming?…
2026-07-31
What drives wildfires, and is humanity—and its environment—more at risk today?
… While fire is a natural phenomenon… which is beneficial for ecosystems, unnatural wildfires can also destroy ecosystems, properties, and human lives, and reduce air quality. So, what causes wildfires nowadays, and what is the relationship between wildfires and climate change?……
2026-07-24
How does climate change affect life on Earth, both regionally and globally, and what is it actually telling us?
The effects of climate change vary by region worldwide. The five main climate regions into which the world can be divided are affected by climate change in different ways. So, how does climate change roughly affect human health, human societies, and nature in these regions and is climate change really the issue that humanity should be most concerned about?…
2026-07-17
LONGREAD: Urban climate conditions explained: shifting the climate debate from who is right or wrong to understanding the complex urban climate reality
Climate change is mainly a challenge for urban human populations around the world... The urban climate reality is complex and can easily lead to misunderstandings in public debate. So, what does the urban climate footprint look like? Should the debate really be about who is right or wrong, or is there actually no clear right or wrong in this complex climate reality?…
2026-07-10
Is climate change in itself necessarily a threat to humans?
Climate change is as old as the estimated 4.54 billion years that the Earth has existed. Over the past five hundred million years, global temperatures were too high for persistent polar ice caps... Homo sapiens appeared approximately 300,000 years ago. On average, humans can adapt better to moderate heat than to prolonged, severe cold. So, what makes climate change a threat to humanity?…
2026-07-03
How come so many people in this world are mentally ill?
Recent research has shown that some people have a higher risk of a mental disorder than others because of certain genes. Based on that, there is the idea that new, more effective individual treatments could be explored... What if it is time to stop looking for more effective individual treatments, and instead improve modern industrial societies…?…
2026-06-26
No time to waste
‘No time to waste’ was first used as a slogan by Greenpeace in the early 90s. It became one of Greenpeace’s most iconic ‘crisis’ campaign slogans, calling for action to protect the environment. Almost thirty years later, humanity is not only still in the middle of a global environmental crisis but also has to deal with several other crises on an international or even global scale...How did the world become like this, and what if an even bigger crisis is happening right now?…
2026-06-19
How humanity turned out to live in an unfair world
Trust is declining worldwide. According to the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer, it is estimated that sixty-one percent of people globally experience a moderate or high sense of grievance... Meanwhile, four out of ten people worldwide think that hostile activism is justified... How did humanity end up in this hostile and unfair world?…
2026-06-12
Can national security officials’ claims around the world be trusted blindly?
… Since national security officials have received specific education and/or training in the national security domain and assess uncertainty professionally on a daily basis, are they really better equipped to assess uncertainty in the world compared to other people?…
2026-06-05
LONGREAD: Can humanity mentally survive another world war?
World War II (WWII) was so far the deadliest conflict ever. It is estimated that a total of sixty to eighty million people died, which was about three percent of the total world population... Is this a burden that humanity could bear again? In a century in which conflicts seemingly become more cruel and more inhumane than ever, is this not a question we should ask ourselves?…
2026-05-30
How you are turned into a national security threat
At the start of April 2026 there were 5.79 billion social media user identities with an annual growth of 5.4 percent... It is expected that by 2035 the data volume will surpass the most ambitious forecasts due to quantum computing, the next generation of IoT and AI applications. This raises the question of how secure your personal data is that you leave on the internet and in the cloud…
2026-05-22
About the world of today…
The world we knew in the 20th century no longer exists. Much has changed since the end of the Second World War... Rapid rises in stock valuations in the technology and internet sector led to overenthusiasm among investors, causing the dot-com bubble recession in 2001...
2026-05-15
How the 15-minute city concept needs to make cities more liveable and inclusive under the pressure of urbanisation and its democratic legitimacy
… The rise of uncontrolled urbanisation is a threat to a sustainable, resilient, and equitable future for all, and thus a threat to the global economy on which eight billion lives depend. Can the 15-minute city concept be the answer to keeping cities liveable under further urbanisation and how inclusive and democratic is that approach?
2026-05-08
Can smart cities deliver on their promise to be more sustainable, resilient and
equitable than other cities?
Part VI: How seriously urban noise pollution has to be taken, and what smart solutions are available
… Noise pollution is considered one of the greatest environmental risks to physical and mental health and well-being. The European Environmental Agency (EEA) determines noise pollution to be the second most harmful threat to public health, after air pollution.hat starts with a well-intentioned idea, can quickly turn us into monsters that even can unleash a world war. How can it come that far?…
2026-05-01
Can smart cities deliver on their promise to be more sustainable, resilient and
equitable than other cities? Part V: Is there a global waste crisis and can smart technology be part of the solution?
… More than 38 percent of municipal solid waste was uncontrolled dumped or burned… Solid waste that is not properly managed poses an environmental and human health threat...
2026-04-24
Can smart cities deliver on their promise to be more sustainable, resilient and
equitable than other cities?
Part IV: What are the risks of urban soil pollution, how is it mitigated smart, and what is the feasibility of these measures?
Soil fertility decreases due to pollution, which poses a threat to human health and the environment. Food and drinking water insecurity increases, and air quality and biodiversity decrease. It hampers the ending of world hunger and poverty and health for all...
2026-04-17
Can smart cities deliver on their promise to be more sustainable, resilient and
equitable than other cities?
Part III: Is the world running out of freshwater and can smart cities be part of the solution?
…This article discusses the global availability of freshwater, the role that smart cities can play in this, and the side effects of these smart measures regarding to water availability, and the social and natural environment.
2026-04-10
Can smart cities deliver on their promise to be more sustainable, resilient and
equitable than other cities?
Part II: LONGREAD: How smart city policy contributes to urban air quality
…This article discusses the severity of urban air pollution, the effects on human health and the environment, the smart city measures being implemented to improve air quality, including an analysis of why these measures will be (in)effective.
2026-04-03
Can smart cities deliver on their promise to be more sustainable, resilient, and equitable than other cities?
Part I:
LONGREAD: What is meant by sustainable, resilient, and equitable cities, and is smart city policy feasible?
…The question is whether the current policy direction, which involves transforming cities into smart cities, will deliver what governments hope for…
2026-03-27
How far is the smart meter rollout globally?
…By turning cities into smart cities governments around the world try to tackle the disadvantages of city life while boosting the world economy...
2026-03-20
Why do cities on a global scale become smart?
An increasing number of smart cities arise over the globe... The growth of the world population, especially in cities, puts pressure on governance… What role do smart cities have in this global challenge?
2026-03-13
LONGREAD: Who looks after the children?
…one in ten children worldwide is living with obesity… one in seven children and adolescents have a mental health condition… may have severe consequences for their and society’s future if not addressed properly…
2026-03-06
Will AI ever outsmart humans?
Tech entrepreneurs say singularity is near: the moment that artificial intelligence (AI) innovation becomes uncontrollable and with that society changes drastically as well as our understanding about the world. Imagine AI will outperform human intelligence… There has never been a system before that is flawless...
2026-02-27
Is humanity AI ready?
Definitely not! However, not for the reasons that are commonly believed. Job loss is the least of your concern, although you might think otherwise… there is one thing we cannot do without, even though we pretend we can. That misperception points exactly to what makes AI life-threatening for the majority of people...
2026-02-20
LONGREAD: How can humanity tackle the vulnerabilities modern society brought them?
What if modern society gives full rein to evil and corruption... What if these vulnerabilities are interwoven through our whole society…
2026-02-13
The world needs you to dare to be human
The world human population was never this physically and mentally unhealthy as today. We lived never as detached from our original social and natural environment as nowadays. The institutions we like to count on for guidance will not save us out of this despair…
2026-02-06
How can a well-intentioned idea turn into a world war?
… what starts with a well-intentioned idea, can quickly turn us into monsters that even can unleash a world war. How can it come that far?…
2026-01-31