A Self-Sufficient Beacon

Anonymous

March 19, 2025

This image was generated with Dream Studio AI.

On the last day of Ukraine's first term as president of the Council of the EU, it is important to remember how far we have all come on renewable energy.

Spurred by the challenges of the 2020s to divest of suppliers that pollute both our world and our society, it is an enduring achievement to witness a now self-sufficient European Union.

Interconnections stitch all of our nations together, beaming nuclear energy from France, Germany, and Italy to the peripheries, from where, in turn, renewables like wind and tidal pour back to the mainland.

Partnership with Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco have opened the Northern Sahara as a solar powerhouse. There is growing interest amongst all countries that fringe that vast desert to participate in the scheme, too. It not only provides a wealth of clean reliable electricity to both the providing nations and their investing partners north of the Mediterranean, but also has served to boost the stability of both sets of countries, offering a lifeline away from petro-destabilisers so intent on harvesting profit that they would sacrifice climate and society both to swell their coffers.

This renewable boom is enabled by the power of the EU's Eastern flank, which has fortified the border with Russia to become an impregnable signal of the sole Beacon of Democracy's will to not just survive, but to thrive.

As a threadbare Moscow struggles to grasp the collapse in oil and gas revenue, greenshoots are emerging where ordinary people mobilise to cast off the old shackles and guide Russia into the common prosperity we have painstakingly crafted.

Of course, for the Russian Federation all roads to EU membership lead through Kyiv, whose mineral wealth has propelled a war ravaged nation to peace and success at breakneck pace. This point was well made by ex-president Zelensky, whose speech at the closing ceremony of Ukraine's presidency received a ten minute standing ovation.

"The hand of friendship will always be extended," he said, "but unless Russia makes full amends for the horrors wrought by its recently deceased president, trust will remain beyond our power to give."

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Szkoła przyszłości

By 2040, the school will be student-friendly. It will teach you how to acquire and verify information, not just how to reproduce it. Children will use new technologies in a wise and sensible way thanks to the fact that there will be a modern education system. A system that will not be based only on assessments that are not an objective evaluation of knowledge. A system that will educate children in areas that are close to their time. I hope for an education system that will teach young people how to distinguish real information from fakenews.

Moderní digitální věk

I would like even more advanced modern technologies, such as self-driving cars, to be all the more digital and modern. I would certainly like much more modern buildings here in Prague, a lot of skyscrapers and modern glazed buildings, more large shopping centers, etc. I would very much like to see more American fast foods in the Czech Republic, to significantly expand the number of Subway branches, to have Dunkin Donuts, Arbys, Baskin Robins, Little Ceasars, Dennys and many other brands from the USA come here. Walmart would be great.

Čistý svět

It's an ordinary morning in 2040. The sun is shining through the window of my apartment and the city is slowly coming to life behind it. Outside, there is a quiet electric tram that connects neighborhoods without the need for cars. Transport has changed significantly over the last 20 years – combustion engines are a thing of the past, streets are quieter and cleaner. I read a little news at breakfast. Most people today work from home for at least part of the week, which has helped reduce stress and congestion. But I am looking forward to the office – work is different than before, more collaborative and less routine. On the way, I stop at a small bakery where the clerk serves me fresh bread wrapped in reusable packaging. Waste is no longer carried here – most shops have switched to a circular economy where materials are put back into circulation. In the evening I walk through the park, which used to be a parking lot. Cities have adapted to climate change, more trees have been planted, and every piece of free space serves people. Life in 2050 is not perfect, but in many ways it is better – slower, more sustainable and focused on quality instead of quantity.

Красивото Европейско бъдеще.

I imagine the future as a green nature.Everything around us to be in green huge trees.To have a lot of green meadows full of flowers.To have a lot animals in the forests and mountains and no endangered species.Do not exterminate the animals and destroy nature.Cottages to accept tourists , who enjoy the landscapes and do not pollute around.Eco paths ,which lead to beautiful places.Almost all people to sport in the forests ,on the eco paths.I imagine there are many roads that can be nicely asphalted, so that you can quickly and conveniently reach the beautiful places .Balkan ,sea , sights, monuments in different places.All buildings to be renovated,to look completely different from today.To be able to travel in Europe in a very affordable way without borders, checks and barriers.Everyone can afford to visit all places in the country and Europe without problems.The policy of each country to coincide with the policy of all European countries, so that there can be understanding and everything can be right.Let there be no wars that make people fear and worry about their future.I imagine wages to be much better, so that people can afford all these things and not worry that they will not be able to have everything they want.And finally to summarize, I want a single Europe accessible to all and beauty corresponding to our continent.

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A Self-Sufficient Beacon

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