Europe, an ecological model

Without a doubt, Europe — a continent "where new ideas, new technologies, and better ways of living are flourishing" — has overtaken North America in its bid to address "the defining challenge of the twenty-first century." According to The Walrus, "After a century as Western Civilisation's primary battleground and museum of antiquities, Europe has again become its pace-setting think tank and laboratory." The Canadian weekly arrived at this conclusion in the course of an environmental "New Grand Tour" which travelled from Vauban (Germany) to Copenhagen, and from Berlin to Seville in search of the initiatives — carbon neutral homes, bicycle lanes, renewable energies and hide-speed trains — which have put Europe in the vanguard of the fight against global warming.