Worldwide, April was the warmest April ever, making it the 11th month beating that record in a row. Additionally, climate experts are growing ever more alarmed by global temperatures and their local effects.
"This is a very problematic situation [in which] daily, monthly and annual records are broken," VUB climate scientist Wim Thiery told my colleague @LaurenWalkerH.
These last 12 months were not only the warmest since records began, but last calendar year was also the warmest ever. Thiery also highlighted the risk of extreme weather that comes with the rise in temperatures, but stressed that it is still within human influence to prevent the world from becoming very inhospitable.
"Limiting global warming depends purely on the emissions that we may or may not produce in the future," he stressed. "Taking climate action is the cheapest solution. We must not give a message of defeatism, of pessimism. The enormous concern of scientists should be seen as a serious call for action."
"With all we have at our disposal, we must start working to avoid that dystopia," Thiery added.
More information on what that dystopia might look like, and how to avoid it, in this article. Thoughts? Let @Maajtee (or in this case, @LaurenWalkerH) know.
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1. Brussels residents paid an average of €2,100 to Wallonia last year
Interregional money transfers from the Brussels-Capital Region to Wallonia are rising and will increase even more in the coming years, a new study on financial flows between Belgium's three regions shows. Read more.
2. 'Must avoid dystopia': Can climate pessimism become climate action?
Climate experts are growing ever more alarmed by global temperatures and the local effects, as the world saw the warmest April ever – the 11th consecutive month that was warmest on record. Read more.
3. Best in Town: Top guinguettes to try in Brussels
Once a clandestine country gathering and now a trendy summer venue, guinguettes are popping up all over Brussels now that the sun has finally come out. Read more.
4. Switzerland triumphs at Eurovision 2024
The Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö, Sweden, finished on Saturday night with Switzerland’s victory with the song 'The Code' performed by Nemo. Read more.
However, what perhaps drew even more attention than Switzerland's win was the fact that the popular Dutch candidate Joost Klein was disqualified following an "incident," leading to controversy. More about that here.
5. Northern Lights observed in Belgium this weekend
Northern Lights could be observed over Belgium on Friday night. Many people took to social media to share their photos of a red, blue or green glow in the sky above Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Read more.
6. Hundreds of reported UFO sightings in Belgium
The number of sightings of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs) – formerly known as Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) – in Belgium has reached over 350 in the last two years, according to data by Enigma Labs. Read more.
7. Hidden Belgium: The statue that shocked Saint Gilles
The 19th-century sculptor Jef Lambeau was always getting into trouble. His sculptural frieze in the Pavilion of the Human Passions in Brussels’ Parc du Cinquantenaire caused a scandal when it was unveiled. Read more.
