cities

the cities are no longer yellow

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Astronauts who have been lucky enough to travel to space more than once in the last decade are privileged witnesses of a chromatic change on a planetary scale. From their vantage point 400 kilometers high, they have been able to see that the cities, previously faint spots of amber, now shine with an intense white light. It’s not a metaphor. It is the visible trace of one of the most rapid and widespread infrastructure transformations in recent history: the great replacement of public lighting. We have retired the old sodium vapor streetlights and massively embraced LED. This change, driven by regulation in favor of energy efficiency, has redrawn the night map of the Earth, a phenomenon that can be seen more clearly from space. The invention that earned a Nobel Prize in Physics. Old sodium vapor lamps, especially low-pressure ones, were monochromatic in nature. They emitted light in a very narrow band of the spectrum, resulting in that characteristic and ubiquitous yellow-orange hue that tinted our streets and skies. LED lights work in a completely different way. His breakthrough, which earned Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physicswas the invention of the high-efficiency blue LED. By combining this blue LED with a phosphor coating, it was finally possible to generate a bright and affordable white light. This diode is not only more efficient (exceeding 300 lumens per watt, compared to 16 for an incandescent bulb), but it offers a much broader spectrum. Southern Europe in 2025 from the International Space Station. Image: Don Pettit The cities changed color. To the eyes of a night observer in space, cities have gone from being yellow to glowing bluish white. Milan is the paradigmatic case: it completed its transition to LED in 2015, and appears in an ESA comparison with before and after photos taken by astronauts André Kuipers and Samantha Cristoforetti. But it is by no means the only case. Los Angeles was a pioneering city: it ordered the replacement of 140,000 streetlights in 2009. Buenos Aires modernized its lighting with smart LED streetlights between 2013 and 2016. New York finished replacing 500,000 bulbs in 2023. Barcelona plans total remote management of public lighting by 2028. But India is the country that carries out the largest replacement in the world, with more than 13 million LED streetlights already installed. The b side of this transformation. Like any revolution, the LED has a dark side. Light is cheaper, so cities are not only replacing old streetlights, but also increasing the number of light points or their intensity. The result is that we are leaving a brighter planet, where it is most difficult to escape of light pollution. The statistics indicated otherwise, but it must be taken into account that light pollution is measured by satellites, and satellites are partially blind to blue light. This means that the actual increase in light pollution, especially that perceived by human beingsis much higher than official figures indicate. To make matters worse, blue light is the one that interferes the most with our biological clock, and can affect the quality of sleep, in the same way that disorients migratory birds and the moths. The future is adjustable. The solution is not to go back to sodium. The efficiency of the LED is indisputable. The key, as with any technology, is in its application. The next phase of this transition is not about changing light bulbs, but about installing smart streetlights. It is estimated that almost one in four streetlights will be smart by 2030. When connected, they can regulate their intensity depending on the time or traffic, detect faults in real time and collect environmental data. This remote management will allow one of the new lighting maxims to be applied: using only the necessary light, when and where it is needed. In parallel, other solutions have emerged to protect biodiversity, such as red light streetlights being tested in Nordic cities so as not to disturb the bats. and the idea of ​​bioluminescence as an organic way of generating light without any electrical consumption and with minimal environmental impact. Image | The Iberian Peninsula in 2012, by astronaut Don Pettit In Xataka | Why sunlight doesn’t illuminate space: solving the question a child sent to the ISS

Japan is so desperate for its bears that it will allow hunters to shoot them in cities. Problem: you run out of hunters

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Tuesday was not an easy day Numatain Gunma prefecture, north of Tokyo. Around seven thirty in the afternoon the police received the notice that a 1.4 meter bear He had sneaked into a supermarket with several dozen customers and destroyed the fish and sushi sections. He also injured two people, one in the parking lot and another inside the store. It is not an isolated case. Not anything exclusive to Numata. Japan has a serious problem of encounters with bears. To solve it, the authorities have decided to use their most experienced hunters, but they won’t make it easy either. There are less and less. What has happened? That Japan has a problem with encounters between bears and humans, episodes that in most cases result in scares or injuries, but that sometimes end with the worst outcomes. It’s not something newbut statistics show that the problem is far from being solved. CNS News assures that between April and September 108 people suffered injuries caused by bears, reflecting a similar rate to the year between March 2023 and 2024, when the Government recorded a record of 219 attacks. Is it that serious? Many of the encounters end in scares or injuries, but the Japanese media also talk about an all-time high number of deaths: seven, the highest number since records began in 2006. The people who have suffered attacks also include both locals and tourists from other countries. In fact, just a few days ago a Spaniard received the blow in the village of Shirakawa-goWorld Heritage Site. In Shiretokoanother place popular with tourists, the trails were closed after an attack in August. What is the reason? Better to talk about ‘reasons’, in plural. When analyzing the problem, a cocktail of causes is usually cited in which environmental issues are mixed with other social and demographic issues. At the end of the day the record of attacks arrives in full abandonment from rural areas and farmland and with a serious population decline that the country has been dragging on for several decades. There are those who include other causes in the equation, such as the effect of climate change on food availability or fluctuations in acorn and beechnut harvests, which cause food scarcity among the adult population. The truth is that Japan is losing inhabitantsis suffering a rural exodus, has seen the borders between populated centers and forests blur and the country has also seen a clear increase in the bear population. Yomiuri Shimbun ensures that the number of black bears has tripled since 2012, with tens of thousands of copies, to which are added the brown from Hokkaido. And how to solve it? The big question. A month ago the country took an important decision and not exempt from controversy: Amended its wildlife protection and management law to relax rules governing what hunters can and cannot do in densely populated neighborhoods. To be more precise, the new regulations allow municipalities to commission hunters to carry out “emergency hunts” for dangerous animals in inhabited areas. Until now, the general rule prohibited killing wild animals with weapons in public spaces. It could only be authorized (and exceptionally) by the police in cases of imminent danger. After the legislative changemunicipal governments may authorize hunts against brown or black bears in densely populated areas provided that certain requirements are met: first, it must be an emergency measure; second, there can be no room for other solutions; and third (and most importantly) it must be ensured that no stray bullet will end up harming a resident. The idea is that only authorized hunters intervene. End of the problem? Not quite. Japan has decided to rely on hunters to solve bear attacks, but the problem is that in the country (like in Spain) there are fewer and fewer hunters. The diary The Mainichi published on Thursday a extensive report in which he recalls that the number of licenses in force in Japan has been decreasing as the population has decreased, the fields have been abandoned and society has changed. If in 1976 there were 500,000 first-level permits approved, since 2012 the figure has always been below 100,000. Who will shoot the bears? In Japan, there is also debate about who will be able to kill bears in neighborhoods full of houses and people. The Government already has announced that the measure will be accompanied by training workshops to guarantee that the system works correctly, which also includes planning security measures, restricting access and evacuating residents. “Emergency shots” are not in any case the only solution that the country has on the table. On the trails of Fukushima, for example, they have installed devices with sensors that seek to scare away animals. The idea: that they emit an annoying buzzing sound that becomes more intense when the bears approach. Images | Suzi Kim (Unsplash) In Xataka | Wolf hunting throughout Spain depended on a red button that changes its status. And Europe has decided to press it

The most expensive cities in the world to live in 2025, explained in a very illustrative graphics

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In 2025, the cost of living in some cities is a combination of high prices in goods, services and housing, which can only face who have income enough for it. For those who do not reach enough income to cover those basic needs that each city demands are dedicated to poverty or to move to other cities More affordable, something that is already beginning to happen in our country in large cities such as Madrid or Barcelona. The “Numbeo Index” Numouso is a database Collaborative that collects the prices of restaurants, services and goods in the main cities of the world and, based on this data, it produces listings in which you can analyze which cities are the highest cost of life, in which the price of housing has a greater impact or determining the economic effort of its inhabitants to live in them. For establishing a reference point in the comparison, Numbeo uses New York data as a reference value 100 in all its data. That implies that, if another city has an index of 112 in one of its parameters, it means that, in that parameter, that city is 12% more expensive than New York. If the value of the index is 88, it implies that it is a cheaper 12%. Based on these data, the portal Visualcapitalist.com has elaborated a graph in which it is clearly represented in what cities in the world is more expensive to live. The most expensive cities to live The graph prepared by VisualcapitalistNew York leads the global ranking as the most expensive city in the world. According to data collected by Numbeo, New York is positioned as the most expensive city, with a fork in the rent price ranging from $ 1,100 to $ 4,108 for an apartment in a room and up to $ 8,174 for a three bedroom apartment. The Swiss cities of Zurich and Geneva are followed in the ranking, with an index of the Cost of life more rental of 93.2 and 90.6 respectively, indicating that living in them is around 7 and 10% cheaper than doing so In New York. In the fourth position there is San Francisco (85.3) that sneaks between the Swiss cities of Basel (83.9) and Lausana (83,4). If we focus on more expensive cities to live From Spain including the cost of life, we find Barcelona in position 137 with an index of cost of life including rental of 48.29, followed by Madrid (47.38) that occupies the 142nd position of the global ranking. Palma de Mallorca (43,79) and Malaga (39,24) follow them closely, occupying positions 180 and 203 of the world respectively. The weight of rent when living in a city The price of housing is a determining factor when establishing the cost of living in a city. For this reason, the list changes completely when the data is filtered to unlink the cost of the home of the equation. In that scenario, New York no longer leads the List of more expensive cities to livebut goes down to seventh place. Those who do maintain consistency are the Swiss cities, which remain the most expensive in the world to live, with Zurich (112.54) leading the list, followed by Geneva (111,41), Basel (110,71), Lausana (110.55) and Lugano (108,38). From the Spanish perspective, all cities fall several positions indicating the impact of the rental price at your cost of life. Barcelona (with a cost of life without rent of 57.03) goes on to position 183, while Madrid (55.79) falls less positions until 187. In the case of Palma de Mallorca (55,13) and Malaga (48,02) the fall is just ten positions, indicating that the housing price impact It is less than in Madrid and Barcelona, ​​but the cost of the rest of the index factors (food price, Public Transportation Pricerestaurants, services, etc.) It is higher in these cities. Living in some cities is more difficult A very important fact that can be extracted from this database on the cost of life in large cities, is the purchasing power index, which uses the salary average of that city and compares it to the base reference that is that of New York. The result leaves us a photo of which citizens do a minor economic effort to live In a certain city. In this scenario, the inhabitants of Mannheim in Germany are the ones who must make less effort to live in the city with an index of 198.64, which implies that these citizens can buy 98.64% more goods and services than a New York with their salary. The Swiss Basel (194,85), Bern (186.76) and Lausana (180,45) sneak into the top five, occupying positions two, four and five respectively. Only truncated Swiss hegemony the city of Erlangen (189,69) in Germany, which is placed in third position. Spanish cities draw a slightly different panorama, being Valencia (131,73) Alicante (113,27), Seville (102.62) and Madrid (101,39) the only ones in which its inhabitants They have greater purchasing power than a New Yorker in the field of his city. On the other hand, Barcelona (88,37), Málaga (86,34), Palma de Mallorca (86,34) are cities where the opposite happens, its inhabitants have a lower local purchasing power rate by having a lower average salary and a higher life cost. In Xataka | The cities with more billionaires as residents, gathered in this illustrative graphic Image | Visualcapitalist.com

a hypersonic weapon that hides in cities

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In a context of growing strategic rivalry with the United States, China has intensified their Naval operations long range as part of an explicit demonstration of its global ambition. If the domain of the Pacific becomes fundamental, the construction of the aircraft carriers that Beijin has never had are The best track of his efforts. Now, they have also added a powerful form of deterrence. Presentation of a strategic weapon. China He has spread An unusual two -minute footage showing the launch of its supersonic cruise missile DF-100considered one of the key pieces of deterrence against US carriers and bases in the Pacific. The video, part of a documentary for the 98th anniversary of the EPL, confirms for the first time Specifications already advanced in the Zhuhai Air Hall of 2024: range of 3,000 to 4,000 km, Mach 4 cruise speed, high precision, great penetration capacity and impact time of about 40 minutes. These characteristics place under direct threat Military facilities in Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and American bases in Okinawa and Guam, opening the possibility of hitting even beyond the second island chain. He DF-100 It is dual platform, capable of launching from off -road vehicles or from H-6N bomberswhich expands its radius of action about 6,000 km. Technical characteristics. The footage, although blurred to protect sensitive data, shows A conical eye Designed for supersonic penetration, large rear fins for high maneuverability and wings Strake type For stability. The system uses a Three stages propulsion: Solid starting rocket, supersonic combustion stator for sustained flight in the stratosphere and a high altitude propeller for the terminal phase. This configuration allows you to keep speed Mach 4 throughout the journey and execute evasive attacks at low level. Its guided combines inertial navigation, correspondence of land or images, and positioning By Beidou satellite to achieve precision at the level of meters. It can attack both mobile and fixed objectives of high value, including command centers, logistics knots and key points to paralyze operations. Mobility and operational flexibility. Unlike the tests in common desert areas, the launch was shown in An urban environmentwhich, according to analysts, seeks to show that DF-100 can operate from unconventional locations such as cities, hindering its detection and destruction by adversary forces. Under that prism, this flexibility would allow to deploy it quickly and from unpredictable positions, reinforcing its value as a weapon to “hit and disappear.” Its ability to launch from multiple platforms and in varied environments increases the tactical options of the EPL and complicates the countermeasures enemy. Strategic context. We have Cash before: the public appearance of DF-100 It is part of a moment of growing global military competence and responds, according to experts, to the will of Beijing of Project strength and reaffirm its arms modernization. Although the EPL rocket force has recently been dotted with corruption scandalsthe demonstration emphasizes that their material abilities remain intact. The DF-100, the only land cruise missile capable of maintaining supersonic speed During the whole flight It reinforces the Chinese strategy to deny access and limit the projection of American naval power in the Western Pacific, positioning itself as one of the “master letters” of the Chinese arsenal in a possible confrontation scenario. Image | CCTV In Xataka | China has realized something: missiles are not necessary if you are able to monitor 1,500 km away In Xataka | China’s domain is spreading far beyond rare earths. Even where the US had no rival: the sea

The arcade boom in Madrid and other Spanish cities

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The recreational have come back to stay. The neuralgic center of meeting so many young people from the eighties and the nineties seem to ride the wave of nostalgia, and they are more than a curiosity, or temporary exhibitions to rediscover the classic games. Throughout Spain, and especially in Madrid, they are emerging from arcade theme bars to associations that make their background available to visitors, and that guarantee a nostalgic zambombazo … and discovery. Madrid, Mecca del Arcade. Although they begin to abound throughout Spain, without a doubt the main core of recovery of recreational is in Madrid. The relocation in Vallecas of The Arcade temple (which is also an association in the southern Madrid area dedicated to the dissemination, preservation and restoration of Arcades and Pinballs) has caused this type of premises to speak again, which in most cases are arms of associations of friends of the retroinformatics (for example, NEXTAGEconsecrated to the recovery of dance machines). It also happens in Retro Factory From Alcorcón and Parla, which, like the Arcade Temple, includes in its facilities a video game memorabilia museum. But there are more variants in the capital: in Zoo arcade They are also dedicated to the repair and conservation of old machines, in a business parallel to the premises that allow players to test the recreational. And finally it is Next Levelthe most accessible of all these projects: bars with machines of all kinds that already have two very central stores in Madrid and have just opened an additional one in Barcelona. Retro Spain. Although they abound in Madrid, of course they are not the only places where retro recreational machines can be accessed. Some examples, apart from the new Next Level store: Arcade Planet and Check Point Arcade Bar In Seville, Arcade Levels in Zaragoza or Pixelandgames In Logroño. To all of them are added video game museums that usually include machines to try, such as the Muvi of Cangas, the Vintage Arcade Museum from IBI (Alicante) and the recent Video game museum from Madrid. Do you have change? As for the way of accessing the games, all these proposals work very similarly: in no machine you have to take coins, but the games are open to infinite credits. In some of these stores you have to pay a rate for spending all day (as in the specialized in Japanese machines Arcade Rebirth) or for a limited time (usually one hour, in most cases). And on the other hand there are bars like Next Level, where a consumption is required to play. Disseminating spirit The interesting thing about some of these proposals is the disseminating spirit that leads to riding something that works economically, but also disseminates the culture of arcade. Manuel Vargas, from The Arcade Museum, tells us that “I had been thinking about making an association with several colleagues”, and apart from the aforementioned exhibition, between their walls they have “105 arcades and several old consoles that can also be played. The space is about 600 meters, and we have a conference room for magazine presentations, books and games.” On the other hand, Curro Quevedo, from Zoo Arcade, tells us that they also related to that spirit, made “a chronology of the arcade world from the former like ‘Space Invaders’ to the last dance or augmented reality machines.” He also tells us that in his 42 machines “we have sought that each machine is unique and has different types of hardware and different controls to be able to see their evolution a bit.” Referring to the competition that has emerged in recent times between similar premises, he affirms that, related to that spirit of wanting to spread historical games, “nobody thinks of competitors, since they are not very profitable businesses, it is more about being able to share a passion” How does nostalgia work? By cycles: We return again and again to claim fashions, successes and trends from past decades (or decades as a whole, in fact), and then tired, declare them “burned” and let some time pass before The next generation decides to rescue that point from the past again. The eighties, after the absolute saturation we have lived with products such as ‘Stranger Things’, now go through that Phase of tiredalthough recreational rooms, for what is seen, seem to have dodged that trend. They are more active than ever. Fever for recreational. The recreational machine rooms were in the eighties A unique meeting point for the youngest: Not only the video games that were in them had a visual quality and a spectacularity far superior to the eight -bit consolers and microorder in the houses. They were also sites where relationships were developed and generated their own fauna that then did not translate with any subsequent environment: hence the powerful nostalgia effect they arouse. Games can be recovered through emulation (or even with Own Machines at home), But the atmosphere is not. That is why they sprout as mushrooms, a multitude of bars and recreational premises (removing the neighborhood danger plus that the rooms had a few decades ago, of course). Header | The Arcade temple In Xataka | How one of the most famous Windows saves emerged: the hypnotic 3D pipe network in motion

put their cities to compete with each other

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The United States dominates artificial intelligence, but China already steps on your heels and do not release the accelerator. China bets on a Focus centered on the AI Open Source and Much more efficient models From the economic point of view. But the only AI race is not with the United States, within China there is fierce competition among several cities to rise as the center of the AI. Subsidies. China is supporting AI companies with a carrier. As reported in SCMPthe Shanghai government has launched an ambitious subsidy program of 1,000 million yuan (about 120 million euros) for the artificial intelligence industry. The package is aimed at reducing costs for startups that offer AI solutions and also facilitate their adoption by local businesses. 60% of the money will be used for computing capacity, 30% will go to discounts of third -party AI models and 10% to acquire data to train the models. The other AI race. We always talk about the competition between the United States and China to lead the AI, but there is also a lot of rivalry within China itself. With this plan, Shanghai seeks to be more competitive in front of other cities that are also neuralgic centers for AI such as Hangzhou, Shenzhen or Beijing. Shanghai. It is one of the most important cities in China, but the cost of life is higher and expenses such as the rental of the offices are too high. This makes many startups choose other cheaper cities like Hangzhou. This plan seeks to attract new talent and that more companies Shenzhen. It is the technological city par excellence in China. In it they have their headquarters like Huawei, DJI and Tencent. In addition, there are many robotics companies and like Ubtech either Intellifusion. In Shenzhen they also have ambitious plans to compete in that internal race, such as this subsidy of 545 million euros which was announced months ago oriented to the AI industry. Hangzhou Shenzhen was the center of innovation, but for a while in Hangzhou they are stealing the position. Located only two hours from Shanghai, it has strengthened as the favorite destination for AI and Robotics companies. It is the home of the “six small dragons”, six startups that are leading the sector and among which are Deepseek and UNITREE. It also has its Government program To enhance AI companies and attract talent. Beijing. And the capital could not be missing. Here is the headquarters of some of the most important Chinese companies such as Baidu, Xiaomi, Bytedance (Tiktok), Meituan or JD.com. As for its role in the AI race, more than a Startup hub, Beijing rises as the core of the investigation. Here are The headquarters of the Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence and the Beijing Institute for Artificial Intelligencetwo organisms with strong government support. Compete inside to lead out. The internal race does not divert China from its global objective, in fact, it is part of its strategy to lead outside its borders. According to Guo WandaVice President of the Chinese Development Institute: ”China needs a set of nerve centers to overcome the United States, given its enormous size and talent reserve. China thus bets on a coordinated state strategy where everyone competes with each other, but at the same time compete together against the United States. Image | Ayala, Pexels In Xataka | You cannot climb to the Madrid subway with an electric scooter. In China’s, robots are already a passenger

Someone has seemed a great idea to propose a sculpture of a bull of more than 300 meters. There are already cities waiting to host it

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That the bull is since we have a kind of national symbol reason does not even mention it. But it seems that sometimes it insists on reminding us in increasingly creative ways, so the Spanish Bullfighting Academy Location for a monstrous 300 meter sculpture high that aspires to become a strong tourist attraction. After the rejection of Madrid, Castellanoleonese towns such as Ciudad Rodrigo, Toro, Benavente or Burgos have shown interest in being the hosts of this ambitious project. Colossal dimensions. The proposal contemplates a colossal structure that tripled the height of the Burgos Cathedralwith panoramic viewpoints in the animal’s horns and commercial spaces at its base. The initiative aims to emulate the tourist impact of monuments such as the Eiffel Tower or the Statue of Liberty, but using the bull as a sign of identity. The promoters seek a municipality that yields the necessary land, while the construction costs would be in charge of private companies. More tourism. The project promises to act as an economic engine for the chosen town, attracting national and international visitors. In Castilla y León, a region that has been characterized by a bullfighting tradition, several municipalities have seen a unique opportunity to attract tourism. Ciudad Rodrigo has been the first to show interest, followed by Toro, Benavente, Sahagún, El Maillo, Ledesma and Villatuelda. Even Burgos values the proposal, although Cristina Ayala, mayor of the city, I commented to Antena 3 that saw the “too large” dimensions. The reluctance. For Fernando Martínez-Acitores, deputy mayor in Burgos and Vox militant, building this bull can be “a great emblem” and “a claim for the city.” Naturally, not everyone looks good at the initiative. Daniel de la Rosa, former mayor and leader of the PSOE in the opposition qualifies the proposal as “crazy”, while animalist groups such as Proanbur the consider A provocation that extol animal abuse. In fact, its spokesman, Judith Sánchez, account That “with this bull figure, they seek to disguise something that is far from being.” What comes now. The Spanish Bullfighting Academy is evaluating the proposals received, also analyzing the technical and logistics viability. The selection process will continue in the coming weeks, everything while interested municipalities expect to know the answer. The project needs a lot at least 650 meters long for its construction, and this detail considerably limits the available options. Cover image | Jordi Vich Navarro AND SPANISH ACADEMY OF TUROMAQUIA In Xataka | The “Cayetans” are going to make noise to the squares. And it’s not just for the fond of bullfighting

The cities of the “Persianas Down”

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In Damgana small coastal villa of the French Brittany, have begun to paint the blinds of red, blue or green, more colorful options than the white that has been traditionally used for the facades. “We send them painting” Recognize the mayorJean Marie-Labesse. That chromatic change may seem a minor issue, but says a lot about the challenges facing the town. If you have decided to give the blinds a more cheerful tone is because Damgan It is basically a town on vacation and many of its windows spend almost all year closed. Giving a point of color to the blinds, the City Council intends (at least aesthetically) that Damgan does not seem what it really is: a town mired and a comatose state almost all year for the weight of the second residences. A percentage: 74%. Damgan’s case is interesting because he tells us about a phenomenon that affects many other tourist cities, outside and within France: the “boom” of The second residence At the expense of habitual housing. In the Gala Villa, yes, the trend is especially pronounced. Le Parisien assures That 74% of the properties of the municipality are second residences, a percentage that came to 80% before the City Council took action on the matter. From 1,900 to 30,000 inhabitants. In practice, this percentage translates into houses and more houses closed to lime and singing during most of the year, thousands of blinds descended in a molten to Blanco that the City Council wants to avoid. The data is eloquent. It is calculated that 4,000 homes of the municipality, 3,000 are second residences. Translated into inhabitants, that means that the town goes from just 1,900 residents of winter to 30,000 during July and August. Why is it important? Because Damgan leaves a barbaric example of something else: how the imbalance between seasonal and stable housing ends up taking its toll to the city, even threatening some of its basic services, such as schools. Labesse remember For example, the year in which the Mayor’s Office (2014) assumed a single baby in Damgan and one of the school classes that the town ended on the tightrope. “It is a crucial issue for the people,” he insists. Another front in which the weight of the holiday housing is felt is the real estate market. Le Parisien He has spoken For example with a 50 -year -old carpenter from the area that has just separated and fails to find a house. It has good income, but that does not help you much. “Workers cannot live here; they have to go 20 km, we are becoming a town for older people,” LIKE HERVÉ DU SOUICHof ‘Les Volets Ouverts’, an initiative that mediates so that the locals can stay in empty houses in the area. Beyond Damgan. The Villa of the French Brittany is interesting for what it represents, but it is not a unique case. According to French Propertyin continental France there are about 3.2 million second residences, almost 10% of the real estate park. The vast majority are from French citizens, especially on the coast, although there are also between 80,000 and 90,000 that belong to British. In certain regions of the Mediterranean, such as Languedoc-Roussillon or Provence-Alpes-Costa Azul, holiday housing represents 14% of the stock. Not much distance from Damgan are Carnac and Trinité, where the percentage of second residences is around 72%. And a good part of that house, the Parisian newspaper requires, only a few weeks are used. In Villard-de-Lansin Isère, two -thirds of homes and the percentage are even greater in some locality in the region. These data leave workers who seek stable accommodation, Recognize Labesse: “The problem is not so much the price and lack of offer.” Beyond France. Nor is France a unique case. In London the second residences and empty houses are such a serious problem that the authorities already They seek to stop him through fiscal pressure. According to The data that the mayor’s office was driving in 2023, in the city there were “30,000 empty homes” for a long time, with a particularly high concentration at certain points, such as Kensington or Chelsea. Madison Trust Company also shows that there are certain US areas, such as Marinette-Ron Mountainin which More than 25% of residences are used seasonally or recreationally. The phenomenon is well known in Spain. A sensitive part of the Ibiza and Formentera residential park, for example, are second residences. In 2023 Ibiza Diario needed That of the almost 86,000 properties of the Pitiusas, 6,200 were inhabited sporadically and 18,300 were empty. In some cases the photo is more complex, as in the town of Sant Joan, where 44% of the houses were considered not main. They are the cities of the blinds. Image | Mairie de Damgan In Xataka | In Madrid there were no economic hotels left, but there was a “virgin” space for tourists: polygons

In India there are cities that have 40ºC on the street at 10 in the morning. So they have started living at night

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Spain is currently the best example of A problem much deeper that arrives with infernal heat in much of the planet: How to fight the fire with the working day (and life in general). Five workers died during the first heat wave, and that is why it is prioritized Adapt the day (or suspend it) when those hours arrive in which Sol does not let us move forward. And, meanwhile, in India it is 10 in the morning and they already have 40 degrees. How the hell do they do? Heat as law. He counted The New York Times In a report how fire is fought in the city More suffocating. In Sri ganganagara semi -desert region of the Indian State of Rajastáneveryday life has adapted to temperatures that, in the middle of June, reach 49 ° C. There, where dawn already begins at 30 ° C and by 10 in the morning the thermometer exceeds 40 ° C, heat is not a seasonal phenomenon: it is a structural condition that conditions work, health, rest and human relationships. The population, mostly agricultural and without access to comforts such as air conditioning, has developed A daily choreography that folds to the abrasing rhythms of the weather and the sun. Follow the sun. The key? The working days begin Before dawn: peasants and workers take advantage of the few fresh hours to work in the fields and constructions, before taking refuge where they can when the sun is It returns unbearable. The houses are emptied at noon, the markets close, and the few active services, such as street food carts, work under temperatures that melt the asphalt. The scene is repeated every summer with an increasing intensity, aggravated by a rising humidity that multiplies physical suffering. Sunset in Sri Ganganagar The thermal abyss. We go from Sri ganganagar to another “extreme” region. They explained In Bloomberg that in the western city From Ahmedabadwhere the thermometers They usually exceed The 45 ° C at the beginning of May, the fight against heat has also ceased to be a seasonal issue to become a structural need. In this environment, exposure to the sun is no longer just a job risk: it is a threat direct to healthfood security and economic stability of millions of people. For women Like Kunwar Ben Chauhanthat sells meat in the street and has suffered fainting, dehydration and economic losses due to the deterioration of its products, the extreme heat imposes impossible dilemmas: going to work and risk life, or stay at home and lose daily sustenance. Faced with this reality, groups such as Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) Pioneer solutions like The parametric insurancewhich grants automatic economic compensation when the temperature exceeds certain critical thresholds. The measure, although modest, represents a vital lifeguard in an informal economy where many workers earn just three dollars daily. Ahmedabad Adaptation from below. In Ahmedabad, a more metropolis of 8.5 million Of inhabitants, resilience is built from the community fabric. In addition to climate insurance, initiatives such as ceilings coating With reflective paint and the installation of early alert systems are transforming the way heat is perceived and managed. The city, a pioneer in Asia del Sur, launched in 2013 Your own plan of action against heat after the devastating wave of 2010, in which they died More than 1,300 people and even 400 bats They fell dead by the burning air. Since then, the actions They have multiplied: Hospitals now have special rooms to treat heat stroke, dehydration and burns, community centers, temples and shopping centers become climatic shelters during the most extreme days, and awareness campaigns have been implemented through radio, neighborhood leaders and educators. The plan includes a alert system colored by colors that informs the population, and whose effectiveness has contributed to reduce mortality. Heat and health. Back to Ganganagar, He underlined the Times Other strategies. In the Chak Maharaj Ka clinic, patient flow increases as heat becomes unbearable. Those who suffer from previous diseases such as asthma or gastrointestinal conditions see how their ailments intensify, forcing medical staff to resort to rapid and palliative treatments. Most of the inhabitants have internalized basic strategies Survival: avoid going out in critical hours, hydrating with homemade solutions, or resting under trees when there is no other option. It happens that these methods only partially relieve a problem that threatens every aspect of life. In the epicenter of heat, in the city itself, the activity never stops at all. As In Ahmedabadworkers cannot afford to rest: if they don’t work, they don’t eat. Solidarity under the sun. Despite the relentless environment, gestures of daily humanity arise that become pillars of a shared ethic. At 3 in the afternoon, when the temperature reaches its maximum point in ganganagar, whole families go to the road with water cubes to offer relief to motorcyclists, truckers and travelers stunned by heat. The act, although simple, embodies a deep sense of charity in a society where doing good is seen as the way to Spiritual salvation. For many, giving water to a stranger is the only lasting legacy that can be offered in a world where everything else is Evapora Under the sun. Climate Innovation Laboratory. Behind the plan of action pioneer of the city of Ahmedabad there is a growing understanding that heat is not an anecdotal phenomenon, but a dangerous multiplier of vulnerabilities in a country where cities They grow disorderlycement replaces vegetation and global emissions have raised the average temperature of the planet in 1.2 ° C. From the pre -industrial era. Recent studies They warn that if global warming exceeds 2 ° C (one possibility every time closer) India will experience an increase Six older in the frequency of heat waves. Already today, More than 600 million Indians live under an unprecedented thermal threat. In that scenario, the city has become a Adaptation Laboratory urban, whose innovations (such as Insurance algorithm which contemplates variables such as night temperature, cloudiness and pollution) are being … Read more

Cannes has been tired of the megacruceros. The great drama of the industry is that more and more cities think the same

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Cruises yes, but with nuances. And limits. Cannes He just added in the long run (and growing) List of port cities that have decided to put limits to the influx of large transatlantic full of tourists. The town of the French Riviera does not want to give up a millionaire business that moves thousands of visitors every year, but He has just imposed Certain conditions to the shipowners: Megabarcos are over and there will be a daily passenger stop. The measure is interesting for the weight of Cannes in the international tourist circuit, but also because with it the city of the French Riviera adds to other cities that have already opted for a similar policy (or have weighed it), as Barcelona, Amsterdam, Greece, Italy either Venice. Stoping the brake. Cannes is known above all for its film festival, but it is also an important tourist pole of The Costa Azulone of the great destinations of the country, behind only Paris. Each year they go to the French Riviera millions of tourists and a good part of them do it aboard large cruises. Statista Calculate that in 2015 they stopped in the ports of the Costa Azul, especially Nice, Villefranche and Cannes, about 546,000 passengers. I monde Precise That last year Cannes’s bay received 175 scales, in some cases of ships with capacity for more than 5,000 passengers, and added 460,000 cruise members. To understand the weight of the region on the tourist map comes with a look at The data of the Government: In 2024 the country’s ports provided for adding 1,691 scales, of which 395 concentrated in Cannes, Niza or Villefrance. Now the City Council has decided to brake. Goodbye large ships. On Friday the Cannes Consistory voted in favor of applying certain restrictions to the flow of transatlantic. It is not about closing the doors, nor cutting the arrival of cruise passengers, but of limiting them. From 2026 they will only be able to access the ports ships with less than 1,000 passengers and the total number of cruisers landed over a day will not be able to exceed in any case of the 6,000, Precise Associated Press. If a ship of more than 1,000 passengers (the industry already has large ships with capacity for more than 7,000 customers, such as the Icon of the Seas) I would like to take Cannes to his passage, he would have no choice but to transfer it to smaller ships, as long as he does not exceed the daily quota. “Less cruises, smaller”. That is the idea of ​​the City of Cannes, which emphasize What are its objectives: “Less cruise ships, smaller, less pollutants and more attractive. There will never be more than two or three giant transatlantics in the bay at the same time.” According to detail The Consistory itself, the measure seeks to reduce the number of transatlantic scales by 50% with capacity for more than 3,000 passengers, changing them for “smaller, modern, aesthetic and environmentally respectful ships.” “Cannes has become an important cruise destination, with real economic benefits. It is not about prohibiting them, but about regulating, organizing and supervising the navigation of these floating platforms, sometimes very polluting,” claims The mayor of Cannes, Davis Lisnard. “As of January 1, we will limit the scales to the cruises with less than 1,000 passengers, with a maximum limit of 6,000 passengers Diaries. A reasonable measure. “ Add and follow. The measure is interesting for the weight of Cannes on the world tourist map, but also because with its decision the French city adds to the long (and growing) list of cities that choose to restrict the flow of cruises. The argument is usually the same: the industry generates income and dynamizes the sector, but leaves a series of externalities that have earned a strong opposition in some of the most tourist ports. In Amsterdam they have come to cross out the influx of passengers of “Lobster plague” And a few days ago, during an organized protest against the mass tourism he had Replicas In other parts of Europe (Florence, Venice, Palma, Marseille, Genoa or Lisbon), complaints were also heard that compare cruises with “Basureros”. As a backdrop there are studies that warn of Environmental impact of passenger ships, which has already taken shipping companies to Find alternatives. From Mykonos to Barcelona. The result is that more and more administrations choose to restrict cruise traffic on their coasts or, at least, open the debate. It has happened with greater or less intensity in Amsterdam, Greece either Italy. The industry itself has reacted To that wave making it clear that it will be thought twice when including in its itineraries destinations in which you have appreciated episodes of Tourism Fobia. That is the idea that He left driving A year ago the director in Europe of the CLIA Association: “The possibility of adapting itineraries will be considered if for some reason we feel that not all passengers will be well treated.” Images | Xavier Photography (UNSPLASH) and JRG.Jennerich (Flickr) In Xataka | Years ago Lisbon set out to be a tourist capital. Now it has become the greatest tourist hell in Europe

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