Although he has been a journalist for many years simon kuper He wrote about football – in fact, he wrote several books about the beautiful game and also several articles. Barca and he admires Johan Cruyff-, now type the general columns in ‘Financial Times’.
In fact, he recently wrote an article in the British newspaper that more should (or shouldn’t) be spent on guns. former prime minister boris johnson, To give just two examples.
Now, Kuper explains that he “spent a year in Madrid trying to understand Spain.” And among his conclusions, Spain’s overall “most livable country in the world“-“for more privileged foreigners than the average Spaniard”– points out that “climate change can be particularly devastating here.”
priority discussion
And he adds that although impact of climate change It should be a priority for Spaniards, “they spend more time arguing about national unity” and “the great modern trauma of Spain”. Illegal referendum for the independence of Catalonia in 2017″.
And he undoubtedly bases his explanation on the fact that Catalan flags (or “versions”) have proliferated in Barcelona. star shaped‘, the unofficial pro-independence flag), while rojigualdas are proliferating in Madrid.
But speaking in passing, Kuper said, “political corruptionHe assures that there are good things too, such as the fact that the average life expectancy of Spaniards, now 84, may be “the world’s highest”. [el año] 2040″.
“Empty Spain”
And another of the country’s problems is ” Spain emptied“, Kuper, the main question the Spaniards and their rulers have to worry about right now is, climate change destructionespecially in the center of the Peninsula and in Madrid, “a booming city, Spain’s London and a kind of tax haven”, which “overtakes Barcelona as a business centre”.
“The coming crisis in Spain is climate change. […]. The orange dust on our balcony, brought from the Sahara this spring, felt like a prophecy,” writes Kuper. Some areas exceed 40º, which is uninhabitable.”
“North of Africa”
To reinforce his warning, he says, “the barren, cracked fields seen from train windows look like North Africa. Harvest at Jerez began on July 28, the earliest date in the region’s history. Desertification is already affecting about a fifth of Spain’s territory.” .
And he warns that “tourism will gradually shift from the south coast to the beautiful, cool north as the summer heat turns from temptation to threat.”