The mathematician Mihhail Berezovski from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in the US state of Florida has looked scientifically at the aviation accident statistics in the USA and found that there is hardly any place that is safer than a seat on a commercial airliner. And that probably also applies to scheduled flights in Europe, because accidents are just as rare here as in the USA.
Every now and then, terrible crashes with many deaths dominate the news, which increases many people's fear of flying. In fact, these accident victims are of little statistical significance given the enormous number of passengers. In reality, simply staying at home is eight times more dangerous than getting on a scheduled flight.
After the elections in the capital and in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Merz will have to negotiate whether he will remain in office. It may be more dangerous for him at home than on the plane to New York. But it doesn't help, he has to expose himself to this risk: government circles say that the Chancellor's presence in Berlin is necessary.
More background information here: The Chancellor has to go into the basement to take a breather
“State of the Union,” which sounds very important, is the name of the US President’s annual address on the state of the nation. But there is also a “State of the Union” in Europe – here it is a speech on the State of the Union. It will be held in front of the European Parliament and, as in previous years, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, will speak again today.
And we are all curiously asking ourselves: What will she promise us this time? Well, maybe not that excited after all, because unfortunately it is the case, as my colleague Michael Sauga writes: The President of the EU Commission loves big goals and big words, but often little follows from them:
In 2019, von der Leyen said that a new “Green Deal” should make Europe “the first climate-neutral continent in the world.” We are a long way from that.
An economic stimulus program called “Next Generation EU” was intended to establish a new financial order for the EU. This experiment failed, says Michael.
And last year, von der Leyen announced a major “roadmap for the internal market,” which has so far been primarily an announcement.
A little less pathos would make sense, says Michael. And suggests an EU project that is urgently needed: a joint European AI offensive. As far as I'm concerned, von der Leyen doesn't have to make a big announcement about it. Just do it.
Today the issue before the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig is about the air we all breathe - and whether the federal government is doing enough to make it cleaner and healthier. The matter is a little complicated, but I promise: it's worth following me briefly at this point.
Since 2016, an EU directive has required its member states to reduce pollutants in the air by 2030, including allowing fewer nitrogen oxides and particulate matter in the air we breathe. Every four years, EU governments must submit an updated national air pollution control program detailing what they want to do to reduce pollutants.
The last German air pollution control program dates from 2024. Deutsche Umwelthilfe has filed a lawsuit against it because it considers the program to be insufficient. She was partially successful with her lawsuit: The Berlin-Brandenburg Higher Administrative Court sentenced the federal government to change its air pollution control program in 2024 because it was based on outdated forecasts (more on this here). The government has lodged an appeal against this ruling and the Federal Administrative Court is therefore deciding today whether the 2024 ruling applies or not.
When Environmental Aid originally filed a lawsuit against the first air pollution control program in 2020, Angela Merkel was still in power. The following traffic light government then assumed a final coal phase-out by 2030 in its updated air pollution control program. And the success of the measures provided for in Robert Habeck's Building Energy Act. That's all history.
If the federal government is finally ordered to update its forecasts today, it may soon have to do more to combat particulate matter. And we would all have healthier air to breathe.
More background here: The federal government must ensure cleaner air
