Monday Morning News & Notes
Denmark flood warning. Concerning escalation in Ukraine.
🍃Environment & Energy⚡️
🇩🇰
A new report is sounding the alarm on the potential damages and costs if serious efforts aren’t made to address flood protections for Denmark’s many coastal communities. The report, published a year after last October’s historic storm surge, was done by researchers at Denmark's Technological University (DTU) and the research network, Navigating 360. They found that climate change will increase the size and frequency of storm surges past anything we have seen so far.
The study focuses on three Danish coastal cities, Kalundborg, Nakskov, and Kerteminde, calculating storm surge and flood impacts from 2071 to 2100, and the consequences if coastal flooding defenses are not built.
In the worst-case scenario storm surge levels would rise three meters above today’s sea levels, causing a combined 8.6 billion Danish kroner in damages to the three cities. Potentially, over 5,000 homes would be flooded, more than 14,000 people would need to be evacuated, and over 1,000 businesses would sustain water damages.
The least damaging scenario, but one that would occur more frequently, is that storm surges would rise by two meters over today’s sea levels, causing 4.8 billion kroner in damages. Flood waters would impact over 3,000 homes.
To look at it another way, in the lesser of the two scenarios, 34% of all homes in Nakskov would sustain flood damages, in Kerteminde it would be 23% of homes, and in Kalundborg 17%.
DTU Climate and Economics Professor Kirsten Halsnæs says last year’s historic storm surge should have been a wake-up call.
“It was a very serious storm last year, but nothing has really happened since. It's like we're just sleeping. But we know that this will get worse and that there will be more storm surges because the water level will be higher in the future.”
While the report focuses on three cities, it does take a stab at what this might look like for Denmark as a whole. Based on DTU’s calculations, by the end of this century, flooding will impact 328,000 people in Denmark, damage 149,000 homes and summer houses, and impact 32,000 commercial buildings. All of that will add up to damage costs of up to 449 billion Danish kroner.
-
A team of Danish researchers at the University of Denmark has found a way to increase the ability of ocean waters to absorb greenhouse gas emissions. In experiments with ocean water in a lab, the ability of sea water to absorb carbon increased by 12% by adding alkaline minerals to the water. The world’s oceans already sequester about 25% of the earth’s CO2 emissions. Theoretically, this new method could add 10 million extra tonnes of CO2 to what oceans are currently absorbing.
However, the idea has sparked a debate in Denmark over whether it is something that should be done.
SDU Department of Biology PH.D. Student Mats Jacobsen:
“The purpose of this technology is always to leave the sea better than how we found it. We look very closely at what the reaction from the local nature is. And if it turns out not to be sustainable, we won't do it.”
However, University of Copenhagen Marine Biologist and Climate Professor, Katherine Richardson, warns against messing with Mother Nature.
“Humanity has been surprised time and time again by what happens when we change the chemical composition of the world around us. Nature is a fine-tuned machine that has evolved over billions of years, and we humans should not think that we can do better.”
So far, the method has only been tested in laboratory settings. The next step would be to begin real-world trials, which will take place off the coast of Kerteminde on the Danish island of Fyn.
-
The green energy transition could end up wiping out a small town on Denmark’s west coast. The Danish parliament is weighing another expansion of the National Wind Turbine Test Center in Thy. If the expansion is approved, it will mean the entire village of Hjardemål Klit will be wiped off the map. The test center has a noise envelope around it that expands as the test center area grows, in this case enveloping the town of Hjardemål Klit, and no one is permitted to live within that zone. Pending a parliamentary vote and an environmental and habitat impact assessment, which could take a few years on its own, properties could be expropriated, and then the homes and other buildings will be razed to the ground.
Cities and Rural Districts Minister Morten Dahlin spoke to DR:
“This has been a difficult decision. But 80% of the members of the Folketing (Danish Parliament) have agreed that this is the decision with the least amount of pain. It is also an important decision for Denmark because we have to meet the green transition. And based on an overall assessment, this is where you disturb the surroundings and neighbours the least.”
Politicians have not yet put a final figure on how many properties must be abandoned. But according to DR, it is probably about 34 properties in the area that are to be demolished in 2026 or 2027.
-
Danish authorities are seeking to better understand the potential health impacts of particulate matter released into the air when passenger jets take off and land. Obviously, breathing in particulate matter is not good for our health, but the focus of this study is to determine what exact levels pose a risk to human health and what that risk is. Denmark’s Ministry of Environment initiated the investigation after a report earlier this year showed Kastrup Airporot in Copenhagen emits large amounts of very small particulate matter at the airport and in the surrounding area.
Environment Minister Magnus Heunicke:
“That is why it is important that we get some data about the effect it has on public health, on the health of citizens and neighbours. We need to gain clear knowledge about that.”
Kastrup Airport Sustainability Manager Maria Skotte:
“We want to be a good neighbour, and this means that we of course want to reduce both our climate impact and the impact it has on the surrounding environment, so more knowledge will only contribute to us being able to act on it.”
The investigation will be conducted by the Danish Cancer Society and should take about two years to complete.
-
17 different environmental groups have sent an open letter to the Danish government urging it to opt for the most ambitious option for reducing nitrogen emissions into inland waterways.
“A deliberate underestimation of the required nitrogen input will be an unforgivable political failure, vis-à-vis marine nature and vis-à-vis for future generations.”
The government is currently siding with the Danish agricultural sector in opting for the least amount of nitrogen emission reductions among the three options on the table. Among the 17 groups are the Danish Nature Conservation Society, Greenpeace, and World Animal Protection International.
-
Denmark is not as environmentally friendly as one might think. According to the Danish green think tank CONCITO, on average, every person in Denmark contributes 13 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year, which is approximately twice as much as most other citizens of the world. Denmark’s emissions have been falling since 2014, but CONCITO says that is almost entirely due to the energy transition, the move to wind and solar energy, as Danes themselves by and large haven’t changed their own personal consumption habits.
-
Ishøj, in Denmark’s capital region, is cracking down on shared bicycles that are being abandoned all over the municipality. The bike share program was launched across Copenhagen and the surrounding municipalities in the beginning of September as an initiative to get people out of their cars. The bikes are supposed to be returned to one of 175 different drop-off areas. Instead, they are just being discarded all over the city. In order to try and crack down on the problem, fines for leaving a shared bicycle outside the drop-off areas will be increased from 26 to 70 Danish kroner (a whole $14 Cdn).
🇸🇪
Sweden’s green transition isn’t just stalled; it appears to be moving backward. Amid the financial woes suffered by car battery maker Northvolt, which will lay off some 1,600 employees, hitting headlines in Sweden, the bad news is also being seen across the country. German energy giant Uniper has abandoned a much touted factory in northern Sweden that would have produced more climate-friendly aviation fuel, citing costs and a lack of progress in transitioning the airline industry to more sustainable fuels.
Sweden is set to fall well short of its climate goals as government policies have spurred an increase in greenhouse gas emissions, especially in the transportation sector.
Battery plants in neighbouring Finland and Norway have also pulled up stakes for the more subsidy-rich business environment in the United States.
Umeå University Assistant Professor of Economic History, Mattias Näsman, is an expert in the green transition. He told Radio Sweden that there are significant roadblocks preventing Sweden and other countries from ending the use of fossil fuels.
“Fossil fuel-powered technologies are still cheaper. The cheaper it is to use fossil energy, the more it will be used.”
-
Researchers in Sweden are launching an investigation to determine if the country’s largest offshore wind farm in the Øresund strait is, or is not, impacting fish and other marine life. At particular focus are cod stocks, which are declining rapidly, and at this point the reason why remains a mystery.
A previous study found offshore wind farms do not negatively impact fish and marine life. All commercial cod fishing has been banned in the Øresund strait since 2022.
-
Malmö has drastically reduced air pollution and is now recording the best air quality measurements since the city began monitoring air quality back in 1966. Sulphur dioxide levels have been reduced by 99%, and nitrogen dioxide levels have been cut in half. The city credits a concerted effort to reduce air pollution, including making public transit a priority and transitioning municipal and transit fleets to electricity.
Air quality is a decisive factor for human health, with studies showing air pollution causes more diseases and lowers lifespans.
🌎
How to implement a global framework to preserve and protect biological diversity around the world will be the focus at the COP16 Biodiversity Conference in Cali, Columbia, this week. The last conference, hosted by Canada, resulted in promises for participating nations to conserve and manage 30% of their land and sea as nature reserves. Since that conference, virtually none of the participating countries have submitted concrete plans to follow through.
The world is facing substantial challenges to land and sea environments, including overfishing and a global coral bleaching epidemic.
🇫🇮
Finnish Lapland is experiencing unusually warm temperatures for this time of year. The thermometer hit 11.2°C on Friday. The Finnish Meteorological Institute says this is a once in three decades weather event. Average temperature highs in Finland’s far north so far this month have been 2.8°C. For context, last October it was -1.7°C, and the average from 1991 to 2020 was -0.5°C.
🇫🇷
Areas of southern France saw torrential rains last week that triggered some of the worst flooding in decades. Last Thursday, the mountain town of La Croix de Bauzon in the Rhône valley west of the French Alps saw 655 millimetres of rain in a single day. During the most intense part of the day, 77 millimetres fell each hour. The region averages about 400 millimetres of rainfall for the entire month of October.
Just to the south, flood waters swept through the town of Annonay, sparking a state of emergency and a large rescue effort. Hundreds of first responders and four helicopters were rushed to the area. Some 230 rescue missions were conducted during the course of the day.
French Prime Minister Michel Barnier said it is the worst flooding the region has seen in 40 years. Barnier said the emergency management center received some 2,300 calls for help due to flooding. While lamenting the weather and voicing his support for those in need, the Prime Minister also emphasized that France needs to do more to prepare for future severe weather situations like this due to climate change.
🇩🇰
Denmark’s electric vehicle revolution is making its presence felt in the commercial trucking market. In the 3rd quarter of the year, the number of diesel big rigs still makes up the majority of the market but numbers are beginning to drop, falling by 5.5%. Conversely, electric trucks made up 11.9% of sales in the latest quarter, an increase of 5.3% compared to the 3rd quarter of 2023. According to Dansk e-Mobilitet, electric truck sales made up 28% of new semi-trailer registrations in September.
The agency’s Chief Analyst, Søren Jakobsen, says while the transition to electric commercial trucks is in its infancy in Denmark, it is definitely gaining momentum.
“The electric semi-trailers are not quite there yet, but it probably won't be long before many of them arrive.”
🇸🇪 🇩🇪
As the German economy teeters into recession, the countries carmakers are seeing sales and profit numbers plummet. With increasing competition from China alongside the country’s economic woes, it could mean a lot of jobs are at risk.
The CEO of Fordonskomponentgruppen, a Swedish subcontractors industry organization, Peter Bryntesson, is sounding the alarm.
“The situation for German car manufacturers is similar to what Nokia, Ericsson, and Motorola were in when they were knocked out by smartphones in just a few years. They have been asleep at the wheel while Chinese manufacturers have overtaken on both quality and value for money.”
While China offers its green energy industries massive subsidies - illegal subsidies in the eyes of the EU - European car makers are struggling. Volkswagen, an early adopter of electric vehicles, has been wrestling with slow production due to the high cost of labour and rising energy prices. That, combined with EV prices well above what most people can afford, VW and other European automakers find themselves unable to compete with Chinese manufacturers.
Volkswagon, BMW, and Mercedes are all warning about dramatically reduced profits, saying they might have to close factories and reduce operations, potentially at the expense of tens of thousands of jobs.
Bryntesson says the impacts are certainty being felt even in Sweden; however, the Swedish manufacturing industry has a different focus, and that is helping insulate them a little.
“Vehicle manufacturing in Sweden is more focused on trucks, and there the competition from China is not as significant as in the passenger car market. At the same time, Germany is an important market for Swedish companies.”
🇪🇺
According to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) EV sales have collapsed across Europe. ACEA says the proportion of new EV registrations across the EU was down 14.4% in August; it was 21% in the same month in 2023. In total, 92,627 new electric vehicle registrations were recorded across the EU in August, a drop of 44% year over year.
The drop was steepest in Germany, where EV sales in August plummeted by 69%, while France saw a 33% drop.
In the first eight months of the year, 902,011 electric cars have been registered across the EU, representing 12.6% of all vehicles on the road.
🇨🇳 🇮🇳 🇪🇺
China continues to absolutely dominate Europe’s solar cell sector, as the country accounted for a whopping 98% of all solar industry imports last year. It also has a 36% share of the liquid biofuel import market. Interestingly, wind energy imports came mostly from India (59%), and not China, according to EU statistics agency EuroStat.
Last year, the EU imported €19.7 billion in solar panels, €3.9 billion in liquid biofuels, and €0.3 billion in wind turbines from countries outside the EU. For context to show the imbalance and how insignificant EU solar companies are on a global scale, as they are being vastly outcompeted by China, the European Union exported just €0.9 billion in solar panels last year.
🇫🇮
Solar power is taking off in Finland. A few years ago, the general sentiment was that it simply wasn’t worthwhile to produce solar energy in Finland. However, that viewpoint has changed. New solar panel innovations reducing the surface area while making them more efficient have changed the game. Solar energy is being produced in greater and greater quantities and is making its presence felt on the Finnish power grid. The Finnish Energy Authority is estimating that by 2030 solar power production will have increased exponentially across the country.
🦠Outbreaks🦠
🇩🇰
The fall COVID and influenza vaccination effort is moving quickly with almost half a million people getting their COVID booster and flu shot.
-
COVID activity across Denmark has increased over the last week or so. The number of confirmed infections and infection-related hospital admissions have both increased.
According to the latest wastewater surveillance results, there has also been a significant increase in virus activity across the country, perhaps signalling the arrival of a new infection wave.
-
Denmark has removed the pneumonia vaccine from its inoculation program for the elderly and chronically ill. The decision is being harshly criticized.
Pharmaceutical Industry Association Dorthe Rodian says they want the authorities to rethink the decision.
“Each year, approximately 29,000 people are hospitalized with acute respiratory infections and pneumonia. It is both hard for those who are affected, in some cases deadly, and it puts a strain on hospitals and the healthcare system.”
From 2020 to 2023, the vaccine was part of the vaccination program, and people over 64 could get it for free. You can still get the vaccine today, but it is no longer free and must be prescribed by a doctor.
🇸🇪
In Sweden, COVID hospitalizations (307) have crept upwards (+3) while the number of severely infected people requiring intensive care (6) has declined (-3).
-
The fall vaccination campaign is underway in Sweden. All seniors over 65, anyone in a vulnerable population or who is immunocompromised over the age of 18, and pregnant women can get vaccinated against influenza and receive a COVID vaccine booster. Children can also get a COVID vaccination with a doctor’s recommendation.
Swedish Public Health Agency Unit Head Tina Crafoord:
“We know that vaccination provides good protection against serious disease. If people covered by the recommendation vaccinate themselves immediately when the opportunity is given, the protection is sufficient during the period when the spread of infection is usually at its greatest.”
The vaccination effort began last Tuesday, but start dates may vary between the Swedish regions.
🇪🇺
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control says for the first time polio has been detected in both Spain and French Guiana. The ECDC says there was just one positive sample collected via wastewater surveillance in the Barcelona metropolitan area in Spain, while three positive samples in three different sites were recorded in French Guiana. There hasn’t been a single confirmed polio case in either country.
“Continued efforts are necessary in all EU/EEA countries to maintain high vaccination coverage in the population and prevent poliovirus reintroduction and spread.”
The agency says surveillance efforts have been stepped up.
Polio was on the brink of eradication but has since been creeping back thanks to lax vaccination coverage, misinformation, and anti-vaxxers.
🇺🇦Ukraine/Russia War🇷🇺
🇰🇷🇪🇺🇩🇰🇱🇹/ 🇰🇵 🇷🇺
In a concerning escalation, it appears a third country has joined the war in Ukraine. North Korea reportedly already supplies more than half of all of Russia’s artillery shells and other ammunition and now it appears the country is also sending Russia its soldiers.
The South Korean Intelligence Agency (NIS) said in a post on its website on Friday that North Korean naval vessels have transported at least 1,500 troops to support Russia’s war against Ukraine. It says the troops were transported to the Russian port of Vladivostok, complete with Russian uniforms and forged Russian identification documents, between October 8 and 13th. It added that more North Korean soldiers are expected to be headed to Russia soon. South Korean media are reporting that up to 12,000 North Korean troops, or four full brigades, could be dispatched to fight for Russia.
The move has set off alarm bells in South Korea, where the government is holding emergency meetings.
Last June, Russia and North Korea signed a mutual military assistance pact pledging each country would come to the other’s aid if they were attacked.
North Korea has one of the world’s largest militaries with a reported 1.2 million troops, but they lack any real-world combat experience and likely aren’t equipped very well.
Last Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian intelligence believes some 10,000 North Korean troops are being prepared to join the fight for Russia in Ukraine. Not mincing words, Zelenskyy said this could turn the conflict into a “world war.”
“From our intelligence, we’ve got information that North Korea sent tactical personnel and officers to Ukraine. They are preparing in their country 10,000 more soldiers, but they haven’t yet moved them to Ukraine or to Russia.”
A video clip shared by Ukrainian authorities purportedly shows North Korean soldiers receiving equipment and Russian uniforms at a training camp in Russia. A language expert who viewed the video told the British newspaper The Telegraph the people seen in the clip were speaking with a North Korean accent.
New NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte chose his words carefully in response.
“[We] have no evidence that North Korean soldiers are involved in the fight. But we do know that North Korea is supporting Russia in many ways - weapons, supplies, technological supplies, innovation - to support them in the war effort. And that is highly worrying.”
At a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the possibility of North Korean troops joining Russia to fight in Ukraine is unsettling.
“This is a concerning development. But it confirms what we have already known for a while, namely that North Korea is part of this because they support Russia. All I can say is that it is deeply, deeply worrying.”
Frederiksen said the fact that some of the “worst regimes in the world” are allying themselves more and more closely with Russia is disquieting.
“Iran and Russia are moving closer to each other. And unfortunately, there is also a Chinese involvement. Russia would not be able to sustain a full-scale war for two and a half years, at the same time as they are moving so rapidly to rearm without help from China. This is a worry to us all.”
She says the war in Ukraine is already having global consequences, driving up food and energy prices as well as inflation, and this latest development could make things much more complex.
Lithuania’s Foreign Affairs Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis didn’t beat around the bush reacting to the North Korean development.
“At the beginning of the year [French President] Emmanuel Macron hinted at putting boots on the ground. At the end of the year, North Korea actually did it. We are still on the back foot, reacting to escalation instead of reversing it. Macron's ideas should now be revisited, better late than never.”
🇺🇦 🇫🇮
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pitched a peace plan to western allies, and it has already received the backing of the Finnish government. Finland’s Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Smyhal met in Helsinki on Friday.
After the meeting, Prime Minister Orpo called the 10-point peace plan a step towards a just peace.
“The idea of the victory plan is clear: when peace negotiations with Russia take place at some point, Ukraine must have as powerful and strong a negotiating position as possible.”
Zelenskyy’s peace plan includes:
Inviting Ukraine to join NATO
Working with allies to strengthen Ukrainian defenses, including getting permissions to use donated weapons to strike deep inside Russia, in order to provide a deference against future Russian aggression.
The continuation of Ukrainian military operations inside Russia to avoid the creation of “buffer zones” within Ukraine.
Containing Russia using a non-nuclear strategic weapons package deployed on Ukrainian soil.
The United States and European Union providing joint protection of Ukraine’s critical natural resources.
Other addendums of Zelenskyy’s peace plan remain secret, only to be shared with the highest echelons among Ukraine’s allies.
Ukraine has also asked Finland to host a meeting of the peace plan’s subsection pertaining to environmental security.
"It was an honour that Finland was asked to host the meeting of the environmental safety subsection of the Ukrainian peace initiative. In this way, we can also contribute concretely to the promotion of Ukraine's peace initiative. Monitoring and evaluating the state of the environment are among Finland's strongest areas of expertise.”
🇫🇷 🇺🇦
France has also thrown its support behind Zelenskyy’s peace plan. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot expressed his country’s support while in Ukraine on Saturday. He told reporters in Kyiv that he will work closely with Ukrainian officials to secure the support of other nations as well.
NATO 🇺🇦
New NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is again offering assurances that Ukraine will join the military alliance one day. Rutte made the comments in a statement ahead of last week’s meeting of NATO defense ministers, which was also attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“Ukraine will become part of NATO. Until that happens, the country must have what it needs to resist the Russian invasion.”
However, Rutte avoided offering any kind of concrete timeline for when Ukraine would be asked to join NATO.
🇫🇷 🇺🇦
While NATO’s new secretary general remains coy over when exactly Ukraine might be invited to join the military alliance, that is not the case for the French government. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot was in Ukraine over the weekend, where he said NATO should extend an immediate invitation.
“Regarding the invitation to Ukraine to become a member of NATO, we are open to it. It is a discussion we have had with our allies.”
🇬🇧🇨🇦🇺🇸🇯🇵🇩🇪🇫🇷🇮🇹 🇺🇦
On Saturday, defense ministers from the G7 countries, USA, Canada, Japan, Germany, Great Britain, France, and Italy, issued a joint statement that Ukraine has their firm support in its path of "full Euro-Atlantic integration" and eventually joining NATO.
“We emphasize our intention to continue providing assistance to Ukraine, including military assistance in the short and long term, the ministers said after today's summit in Naples.”
Ukraine’s defense minister was also in attendance at the meeting.
🇩🇰 🇺🇦
Denmark is sending its 21st military donation to Ukraine. The package is worth 2.4 billion Danish kroner (about $482 million Cdn). The Danish Defense Ministry is citing “operational security” in withholding specifics in this latest donation, which is a shift on how it has communicated the contents of previous donations.
That said, Denmark’s Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen did hint at what part of the package might contain.
“The 21st donation package has been prepared with a view to providing the greatest possible military support for the Ukrainians' acute needs and at the same time supports Denmark's ambition to support the long-term development of Ukraine's defense capability. At the same time, the government is working to shortly decide on further purchases directly from the Ukrainian defense industry, including in the area of drones.”
Per the Danish donation model, some of the money will go to helping Ukraine establish its own defense industry so weapons and ammunition can be churned out closer to the front lines. As part of that model, Denmark will also pay to procure military equipment for Ukraine directly from defense contractors, ideally those working in the country.
The Danish Defense Ministry did say that Denmark is teaming up with Germany to feet Ukraine more air defenses. The money will also funnel more money to the British international Ukraine fund, which will also help underwrite more international weapons donations for Ukraine. Denmark is also enhancing its training activities but didn’t provide specifics. Denmark helps train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s and provides other training programs as well as contributing to the training of Ukrainian troops on Britain.
Lastly, this latest package also includes the donation of “high-priority equipment to support Ukraine's building of new brigades.”
🇳🇴 🇺🇦
Six Norwegian F-16 fighter jets will “in the near future” be handed over to Ukraine, according to Norway’s Minister of Defense. The news came out of a meeting between Bjørn Arild Gram and his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov last Thursday.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre:
“Russia has been attacking Ukraine by air since the start of the war. These attacks have caused great suffering among the Ukrainian population and led to extensive damages. Combined with air defence systems, the fighter jets will be vital to enabling the Ukrainians to defend themselves against Russian air attacks. Norway has taken part in the training of Ukrainian fighter pilots in Denmark since the autumn of 2023 and will continue to support training activities moving forward.”
Norway has phased out its old fleet of F-16 fighter jets in favour of the new high-tech F-35 jets. There are at least 35 F-35 fighter jets in Norway, with another six in the United States, where they are used for training pilots.
-
Norway is stepping up support to help Ukraine’s medical system deal with sick and wounded soldiers.
Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram:
“The Norwegian defence sector will contribute with advisors and teachers and take main responsibility for the support of one out of several medical rehabilitation centres in Ukraine. We will do this in close dialogue with our allies, and the project as a whole is organized through a steering group in NATO.”
Norway will also donate technology and IT support for the initiative along with personnel for counseling, teaching and mentoring, as wounded soldiers are treated and undergo rehabilitation.
🇫🇷 🇺🇦
Ukraine’s Air Force continues to undergo a transition to more modern fighter jets. While the first deliveries of American F-16s have begun to arrive, French Mirage 2000 warplanes will soon follow suit. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the first deliveries of the French fighter jet will come in the first quarter of 2025. He says, as is the case with the F-16s, Ukrainian pilots and mechanics will be trained to fly and maintain the aircraft.
🇸🇪 🇫🇷 🇬🇧 🇩🇪 🇵🇱 🇮🇹
Europe continues to prepare for the worst-case scenario, war. Sweden has joined France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, and Italy to develop a ground-launched cruise missile with a range of between 1000 and 2000 kilometres.
Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson:
“During the NATO Defense Ministers Meeting, I had the opportunity to sign the letter of intent to make Sweden a part of this initiative. The war in Ukraine has shown that long-range deep strike capabilities are needed not only for deterrence but also to prevent an enemy from launching attacks just out of range for us to be able to stop them.”
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, countries across Europe have exponentially increased defense spending in order to stock up on cutting-edge weapons and equipment, all while working to increase the size of their collective armies.
🇸🇪
Sweden joined NATO in March, and it already plans to increase defense spending over the 2% of GDP threshold within four years. The Swedish government has announced that it will increase defense spending by 174 billion Swedish kroner (about $22.8 billion Cdn) and increase civil defense funding by an additional 37.5 billion kroner (about $4.9 billion Cdn). The increases would see defense spending rise to 2.6% of GDP by 2028.
Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson says Sweden’s security situation has become much worse since Russia invaded Ukraine, and the increase in military spending is because we are in “serious times.”
“Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine shows the devastation and destruction that Sweden and allies may face. Russia levels cities and attacks civilian infrastructure and the civilian population. Sweden is now building capabilities in our defence to face this threat.”
The boost in defense spending will help increase Sweden’s military by 27,000, including a 10,000-person boost to conscription. It will also drive an increase in weapons, including new capabilities, such as long-range strike capabilities in the form of cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, and rocket artillery. Sweden will also add more artillery platforms and increase its fleet of Gripen fighter jets, Blackhawk helicopters, and surveillance aircraft.
Not done there, the plans are to also revamp Sweden’s navy with upgrades for existing corvettes, the addition of air defense missile systems, and procuring new Luleå class combat ships.
“The focus is to enable the armed forces to become a more credible NATO ally. The bill finances, among other things, four brigades by 2030, restocking of military supplies, spare parts, ammo, new innovation, and space capabilities. Greater resources will be allocated to renovating, modifying, and extending the lifespan of existing equipment, such as tanks and infantry fighting vehicles. As well as replenishing stockpiles of ammunition, air defense systems, and supplies in all branches.”
🇫🇮 🇺🇦
Finland has pledged to help with the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Ukraine, especially with the winter months fast approaching. Russia’s relentless attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure could mean a rough winter for many Ukrainians if temperatures plunge into the deep freeze.
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo came out of the meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart with a promise that Finland would provide aid.
“The humanitarian situation in Ukraine will be difficult when winter comes. I was happy to be able to tell Prime Minister Smyhal that Finland will send 11 aid packages of equipment to Ukraine in the coming months to help them through the winter. In this context, I would like to thank Finnish companies for their steadfast support and donations to Ukraine.”
🇳🇱 🇺🇦
The Netherlands-led ‘Drone Action Plan’ has signed its first contract to get Ukraine more drones. Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans says a €42.6 million contract has been signed with a Dutch company called DeltaQuad to supply Ukraine with reconnaissance drones.
“Ukraine is currently in dire need of advanced drones. We are taking the lead on F-16s, encouraging European production of artillery shells procured via the Czech Republic, and looking for new forms of support, including our drone action plan. If Russian aggression prevails, the costs will be much higher.”
The unarmed drones can fly for long periods of time and over long distances. They obtain real-time battlefield information, intelligence gathering, and surveillance.
The drone initiative has a budget of €400 million and is designed to not only procure drones for Ukraine and the Netherlands own armed forces but also to spur drone innovations that could have an impact on the battlefield. High on the list are drones that can operate undetected, resist jamming, and operate autonomously should they lose contact with their operator.
🇨🇦 🇺🇦
Canada is planning on sending more military aid to Ukraine. In a statement released on Friday, Defense Minister Bill Blair said a $64.8 million donation package would include small arms, ammunition, and protective gear. It will also allocate more money for training Ukrainian troops.
"The military assistance announced today provides Ukraine with important resources needed to defend itself against Russian aggression. Canada will continue to do what it takes to help them achieve victory.”
Last month, the Canadian government said it would send Ukraine over 80,000 small unarmed rockets along with 1,300 warheads.
🇺🇸 🇺🇦
U.S. President Joe Biden has finally arrived in Berlin to meet with American allies after postponing his trip due to a powerful hurricane impacting the U.S. eastern seaboard about a week ago. Biden told reporters over the weekend that there is still no consensus to give Ukraine the long-range weapons it has been asking for. For months now, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has requested long-range weapons from the Western allies in order to hit targets deep inside Russia.
🇷🇺 🇧🇷
The G20 summit will be held next month in Brazil, but don’t expect Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend. Putin has confirmed he won’t be coming to Brazil, saying his presence would only disrupt things. The real reason, of course, is that Brazil is a signatory member of the International Criminal Court, which has issued an arrest warrant for Putin for war crimes in Ukraine. Should he show up in Brazil, the country would be obligated to arrest him and turn him over to the ICC for trial.
🇫🇷/ 🇷🇺
France has granted six Russian deserters visas. The soldiers fled from Russia to Kazakhstan in 2022 and 2023 and then eventually to Paris. Russian deserters generally flee to neighbouring countries like Armenia or Kazakhstan, but Russian authorities have been increasing efforts to find them and get them deported back to Russia.
Odds & Ends
🇪🇺
It is official: tourism in Europe has fully recovered after two years of the global pandemic drove international tourism into the ground. According to EU statistics agency EuroStat, the number of tourists arriving in Europe last year returned to pre-pandemic normal. Every indication is that the summer of 2024 will also set new tourism records.
EuroStat says that in 2023 the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, and the Croatian peninsula saw the most overnight stays for tourists arriving from outside of the EU. Following behind those hot spots were Andalusia and Catalonia in Spain, the Greek islands, Paris and the French capital region, Venice, and Tirol in Austria. All those regions accounted for almost 40% of all overnight stays for tourists arriving in Europe in the summer of 2023.
🇩🇰
Copenhagen’s Children and Youth Committee has declared war on social media. A majority on the committee has decided that as of the end of the month, social media sites will be blocked for all children for the entirety of the school day. The municipality already uses a firewall to block a number of websites that it deems to have “harmful content.” The municipality says that system will now be expanded across all of the schools in the city to block websites for gaming, shopping, and social media.
While kids will roll their eyes at this news and some parents celebrate, the system has a rather large Achilles heel. It only blocks those sites for people using the school’s network. Anyone using their own mobile data, most kids, will be free to surf and see what they will on their devices.
-
The Danish government will table a new tourism strategy today. Media are already reporting it will contain millions of kroner in funding for tourism initiatives. One of them will be for a campaign run by Visit Denmark that will focus on encouraging people in Denmark to explore their own country.
-
Why head to the hereafter in a drab coffin when you could go in style? A new company in Slagelse is offering specially designed coffins with customized images, designs, and colours chosen by customers.
Fuglebjerg Kistefabrik Director Hanne Elsner:
“They want something you remember. And this is the future, because it is the young people who have to buy coffins for the older generation.”
The company produces about 20,000 coffins annually, with about 1,300 of those being the new design yourself option.
-
It is not very often that a penis becomes a big tourist attraction, but that is the case on the Danish island of Bornholm. In mid-September, a humpback whale penis washed up on a beach before finding its way to a display case at Nature Bornholm. The centre says since then there have been 100 to 150 more visitors per day than it usually sees as people seek a look at the large whale willy. If you want to take a gander at the over a meter long giggle stick, better get to the island quickly, as the humpback weenie will be sent to the Natural History Museum on November 1.
🇸🇪
Sweden’s record low birth rate is beginning to have seismic impacts across the country. According to Statistics Sweden population forecast by 2033, the number of children attending preschool, primary, and secondary schools is expected to drop by 12%. The Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions has analyzed the data and is warning the municipalities across Sweden will need to make a major shift in priorities.
Chief Economist Annika Wallenskog:
“We have to reduce the number of preschools and primary and secondary schools because more resources will be needed to care for the elderly instead.”
She warns other tough decisions are coming, including shifting priorities away from maternity care within the healthcare system.
For context, just six years ago the association was told by municipalities they needed 700 new preschools built to meet their needs. Today, the same municipalities need to reduce the number of preschools by about 1,000 due to the lack of children.
🇩🇪
The average German is reading less and watching screens more. A new report from the German government has revealed that on average Germans read about 27 minutes every day, which is five minutes less than was measured in 2012. This applies to printed media like newspapers and books along with digital media. On average, people in Germany now spend two hours and eight minutes a day watching TV or streaming video, four minutes more than they did a decade ago.
🇨🇿
Prague has had its fill of drunk tourists. The city is looking to put an end to pub crawls aimed at tourists organized by different travel agencies. The city will ban pub crawls between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m, and according to Deputy Mayor Jiri Pospisil, this will be a step toward attracting “more cultured, wealthier tourists” who aren’t coming to the Czech capital just to get tanked.
🌍
Microsoft is calling for national governments to put a lot more focus on cybersecurity. According to its annual ‘Digital Defense’ report, Microsoft customers are exposed to over 600 million cyber attacks each and every day. The attacks vary from phishing attempts to ransomware attacks. Microsoft says the attacks are split between cybercriminals looking to line their pockets at other people’s expense and state-sponsored attacks from countries like Russia and Iran.
-
An international research team has discovered seven new frogs in Madagascar. The fronts have been named after Star Trek captains because instead of croaking, they make a whistling noise that sounds like a sound effect from the science fiction series.
Technische Universität Braunschweig Professor Miguel Vences:
“That's why we named the frogs after Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway, Archer, Burnham, and Pike, seven of the most iconic captains from the sci-fi series.”