Dispatch from Croatia | August '24

Stories to watch in the weeks ahead

• Missing plans – Most EU member states have not submitted updated National Energy and Climate Plans (NECP) to the European Commission, and Croatia is among them. These plans outline how member states intend to meet the union's 2030 climate and energy targets. The deadline was 30 June. The Ministry of Economy stated that the final version of the NECP is "in the final phase" of development, but the public consultation has not been opened yet.
• Come ride the bus – The need for better quality public transport will take centre stage at CIVINET's annual conference on 10 and 11 October. CIVINET is a network of cities and sustainable urban mobility stakeholders across ​​Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. The network aims to create the basis for quality alternatives to private cars and therefore reduce the negative impact of transport on climate change.
• Questionable hydropower location – The State Inspectorate, an administrative body responsible for consumer and environmental protection, filed a criminal complaint against the official who issued the location permit for a private hydroelectric power plant in the village of Donja Suvaja at the source of the Una River, on suspicion of abuse of position and authority. Local residents had opposed the plant, claiming that the investor started work without necessary documentation. They plan to continue with protests until all the permits for the project have been cancelled and hydropower plants removed from the county’s spatial planning. The source of the Una is a protected hydrological site located in the Lika region near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The latest from Croatia – last month in recap

• A unique green energy site – The government gave consent and guarantees to Hrvatska elektroprivreda (HEP) – a public electricity company – which plans to construct a solar (PV) park with a capacity of nine megawatts (MW) in Korlat, in the Dalmatia region. The solar farm has a financial value of 62 million euros and will be located right next to the Korlat wind park.
• Taking power into their own hands – The Faculty of Science and Mathematics at the University of Zagreb (PMF) installed a 185 kilowatt (kW) PV system with its own funds. The project was worth 300,000 euros.
• Record sea temperatures – Climate change is already affecting the Adriatic Sea. On 15 July, the sea temperature in Dubrovnik reached 29.7°C – the highest ever since Croatia's records began. Due to higher sea temperatures, there are more and more jellyfish, especially in bays where the sea is shallower and heats up faster. In the northern Adriatic Sea, there was an algal bloom in July – algae accumulated on the surface of the sea giving the appearance of green slime, an increasingly common occurrence due to rising global temperatures.
• Shout it from the rooftops – During the July heat wave, Greenpeace Croatia activists sent a message from the rooftops of Zagreb for the government to include mitigating climate change and adaptation measures among its priorities. The activists highlighted that Andrej Plenković's government supports the expansion of liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals and other gas infrastructure – projects worth hundreds of millions of euros – even though the fossil fuel industry is the biggest culprit behind climate change. The government, on the other hand, wants Croatia to become an energy hub for Central Europe.
• Connection failed – Greenpeace in Central and Eastern Europe published a report titled “Connection Failed”, which showed that European cities are still much better connected by air than rail. Zagreb is very poorly connected by direct cross-border railway lines: there are connections to only four of the analysed cities, although 26 could be reached by a direct journey of less than 18 hours. A direct night train runs only to two analysed cities: Munich and Zurich.

Marina’s picks – highlights from upcoming events and top reads

• Hana Matović, a biology student and activist, cycled on a monocycle from one side of Croatia to the other with the intention of raising awareness about climate issues. She held lectures in the cities she passed on her journey, trying to inspire people to engage in climate activism. VoxFeminae talked to Hana about her journey and mission, an interesting read on enthusiasm and motivation. You can also follow her project, klimaTURA, on Facebook and Instagram.
• The Green Energy Cooperative has published the Handbook for Energy Solidarity: Practical Ways to Address Energy Poverty for Energy Communities. Learn how energy communities can reduce energy poverty.