Your Weekly Navigator, Sept. 17 2024

 Humanity either makes, or breeds, or tolerates all its afflictions.

- H. G. Wells

How to Survive After Flooding: Essential Steps

After a flood, the immediate danger may subside, but the aftermath presents serious risks to health, safety, and infrastructure. Here's how to navigate and recover safely:

1. Assess the Damage

• Stay Informed: Continue monitoring news updates (e.g., SKY News UK, accuweather.com) and emergency apps for important announcements about road conditions, power outages, and water safety.
• Check Roads & Bridges: Be aware that chunks of roads or bridges may be missing. Avoid areas until they are declared safe.
• Inspect Your Home: Your belongings might be waterlogged, contaminated, or covered in mold. Handle everything cautiously.

2. Health & Safety Risks

• Contaminated Water: Floodwaters often carry sewage, chemicals, and other harmful substances. Assume that the water is unsafe until authorities declare otherwise.
• Electrical Hazards: Be cautious of fallen power lines and potential gas leaks. Appliances that got wet may short-circuit.
• Mold: Mold develops quickly in damp environments. It can cause respiratory issues, so clean and dry affected areas as soon as possible.
• Mudslides: Saturated hillsides can trigger mudslides, burying roads and structures. Avoid areas with visible signs of soil instability.

3. Water Safety & Purification

• Boil Water: If authorities issue a boiled-water alert, follow these steps:
  • Bring water to a rolling boil for 1 minute to kill bacteria, parasites, and viruses.
  • Let it cool before drinking. To improve the taste, pour it into a new container and let it sit, or add a pinch of salt per quart.
• Use Bleach: If boiling isn’t possible:
  • Add 6 drops of unscented bleach (sodium hypochlorite) to 1 gallon of water.
  • Let it sit for 30 minutes before drinking. This method is safe for human consumption and is used by municipalities to purify water.
• Chemical Purification Tablets: Use a chemical purification kit (e.g., backpacker tablets) to disinfect water. A single $10 package can treat up to 15 gallons.
  • This method is useful for mobility but doesn’t eliminate all contaminants like oil or lead.

4. Avoid Contaminated Water

• Even with purification, methods like boiling or bleach do not remove chemicals such as oil, gas, or heavy metals.
• Stick to bottled water or water from your home's system if there’s any indication of toxic contamination in the water supply.

5. Health Concerns in Shelters

• Close Quarters: Flooding often forces people into shelters where disease can spread quickly. Watch out for:
  • Dysentery
  • Cholera
  • Hepatitis A
• Hygiene: Be obsessive about hand washing or use hand sanitizer regularly to minimize the risk of illness.

6. Ongoing Flood Risks

• Waterlogged Ground: Any area previously flooded will be highly susceptible to flooding again with even a small amount of rain or runoff.
• Stay Vigilant: Avoid entering floodwaters and be aware of emergency workers operating in the area. Stay out of their way and heed their warnings.

7. Emergency Preparedness

• Sign Up for Alerts: Many cities offer text, email, or phone notifications for boil-water alerts and other safety updates.
• Stock Up on Essentials: Keep at least a gallon of bleach at home, and consider investing in water purification tablets or a portable filtration system in case of future emergencies.

By following these guidelines, you can help ensure your safety and health in the critical period after a flood, minimizing both immediate dangers and long-term impacts.

Dear Daily Disaster Diary, Sept. 12th 2024

 Victories that are easy are cheap. Those only are worth having which come as the result of hard fighting.

- Henry Ward Beecher

The recent debate in Pennsylvania, one of the nation’s most crucial swing states, offered Vice President Kamala Harris an opportunity to go beyond the expected political platitudes. 

Instead of simply acknowledging her support for fracking, she should have seized the moment to make an impassioned case for ending our dependence on fossil fuels. 

After all, the future of our planet hinges on transitioning toward clean energy, a reality Donald Trump and his enablers in the GOP have chosen to deny.

While Trump peddled his dangerous lies and false promises, Harris should have stood strong, advocating for the Biden administration’s bold vision—the very vision laid out in the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, designed to usher in a clean-energy future. 

Electric vehicles, renewable energy, infrastructure modernization—these aren’t just political talking points. They are the path forward for this country, for job creation, and for reversing the climate crisis Trump and his acolytes choose to ignore.

Likewise, when confronted with Trump's vicious and xenophobic lies about immigrants, Harris should have done more than simply defend. 

She should have reminded us all that, aside from Native Americans, this nation is immigrants. We are a tapestry of people from all walks of life, whose work, innovation, and culture have powered this country from its very founding. 

The constant scapegoating of immigrants to stoke fear and division is the same tired playbook that Trump and his cult followers cling to—but Harris should’ve forcefully exposed it for what it is: a desperate distraction.

To get to the heart of this, we need more than just words. Imagine using AI for real-time fact-checking during these debates—like subtitles flashing up each time Trump spins another of his 30,500 lies since taking office. 

How different would these debates look if there were a buzzer every time a candidate dodged a question? The truth is, debates shouldn’t just be performances. They should be moments of clarity, where voters see who has a plan for the future, and who is selling them a false past.

So, who lost that debate? Sure, the clueless cult leader peddling fear and denial. But Harris didn’t fully win, either. The audience lost out, too, because instead of a vision for progress, we got a defensive response, when we need leadership. 

Harris should be the voice of policy continuity, pushing for the real, necessary reforms that have been laid out but are far from complete.

Make no mistake—those reforms are vital to America’s future. And they’re also good for business. Clean energy, electric vehicles, and the independent power industry all stand to gain from a government that takes climate change seriously. 

The fossil fuel era is ending, and as a nation, we should be leading that transition, not getting left behind. But leadership requires more than just defending what’s already been done—it requires boldness, vision, and a willingness to take on the lies head-on.

So, Kamala, let’s hear how you’re going to get it done. 

You want to watch the planet die a slow death? Vote CONservative. You want to build a future worth living in? Vote Democrat—and push for the policies that will save lives and ensure a sustainable future for generations to come.

Dear Daily Disaster Diary, Sept. 9 2024

The trouble with our times is that the future is not what it used to be.

-  Paul Valery 

For those of you just waking up from a coma, let me break it to you: Trump did it. He and his army of lawyers have managed to push his court date beyond Election Day. 

The real question now is, how far will Trump go to stay out of jail? With nothing left to lose, the stakes are higher than ever. 

Would he burn America before facing justice?

YES.....

Remember, in both 2016 and 2020, Trump repeatedly claimed the election would be rigged against him. Back in 2016, it was just his ego on the line. Sure, he won the Electoral College, but that wasn’t enough. Trump’s vanity was so bruised that he insisted he hadn’t lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton. 

He even launched a pointless investigation to prove there was electoral fraud. Because in Trump’s world, he never loses—not an election, not a court case, nothing. 

And somehow, a free society continues to reward him for it.

But let’s not kid ourselves—this isn’t just a Trump problem. Many countries have handed power to leaders who followed the same playbook. 

Look at Italy’s late Silvio Berlusconi, who spent decades bouncing between election victories and courtrooms. Or Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, who’s trying to crush Israel’s independent judiciary to avoid facing justice. 

Then there’s Venezuela’s president, who launched a campaign of repression against his own people, mirroring the tactics of his idol, Hugo Chávez.

These figures aren’t about ideology; they’re about survival. They build cults of personality, conflating their personal persecution with the broader victimhood of their supporters. 

That’s why, with each indictment, Trump’s support among Republicans only grows. The more he’s attacked, the more they believe he’s the only one who can save them.

Sure, it’s easy to blame Trump for misleading the public. But at the end of the day, it’s the voters who are at fault. 

They can’t seem to separate rhetoric from reality, facts from fantasy. 

It’s becoming clearer why the Founding Fathers initially only gave voting rights to property owners—they feared the masses wouldn’t be capable of making wise decisions. 

And honestly, looking at today’s landscape, who could blame them? Social media has turned into the primary “news” source, replacing facts with a flood of fake news.

Modern U.S. elections start with a roughly 50/50 split, but thanks to the quirks of the Electoral College, Trump only needs around 47% of the vote to be back in the White House. That’s his get-out-of-jail-free card—and it could be America’s funeral.

If you’re not worried yet, you should be. The future of the nation hangs in the balance, and it’s time to wake up, sorry get out of Dodge......

Sincerely,

A.G.

Dear Daily Disaster Diary, Sept. 4th 2024

 Common sense is the knack of seeing things as they are, and doing things as they ought to be done.

- Josh Billings

Dear Daily Disaster Diary,

Are you ready for the next COP/Circus show in Azerbaijan? The rallying cry, "The 1.5-degree limit must be upheld!" has echoed from climate activists for years. 

This goal, enshrined in the Paris Agreement, represents the world's ambition to limit global temperature rise. The "1.5 degrees" has become shorthand for preventing the worst impacts of climate change. 

Beyond this threshold, we face devastating floods, storms, extreme heatwaves, rampant hunger, and the spread of diseases. However, the 1.5-degree slogan inadequately conveys these dangers. 

It offers a single number to describe climate change and assumes a level of understanding about climate dynamics that most people lack. A 1.5-degree increase in Norway is far different from 1.5 degrees in Namibia. 

In short, this number fails to communicate the vastness of the problem and obscures how rapidly our window of opportunity is closing. 

We need a more tangible, less abstract target for climate action that people can rally around. Sea level rise would be just that; we should set a firm upper limit on its increase. 

This is a far more visible indicator of climate change than any temperature metric. It paints a vivid picture: abandoned cities, eroded coastlines, contaminated drinking water, sewage backups, destroyed habitats, and skyrocketing insurance claims. 

The limit would be around half a meter (19,68 inches), roughly corresponding to the 1.5-degree target. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that even if temperatures stay at or below 1.5 degrees, global sea levels will rise between 30(11,81 inch) and 70(27,55 inch) centimeters by 2100. 

If emissions remain unchecked, we could see up to two meters (78,74 inch) of rise. 

This increase will intensify the risk of storm surges, push water further inland, and inundate communities that have never experienced flooding before. 

Roads will become impassable, power and sewage plants will be submerged, communication systems will fail, and healthcare systems will collapse. 

Over 10% of the global population lives in low-lying coastal areas vulnerable to sea-level rise. Major global cities like Miami, Mumbai, New York, Shanghai, and Tokyo are at high risk. 

In the United States, a study found that nearly half of coastal communities have failed to make any preparations. The result? Higher costs for taxpayers. 

Retrofitting with levees, new bridges, or other flood control systems is typically far more expensive than building resilient infrastructure in the first place. A clear upper limit on sea-level rise would help the public visualize the looming losses. 

Rising seas provide stark images of the threat: before-and-after photos of coastal erosion, flooding during fair weather, economic damages in coastal areas, or maps showing the expanding reach of storm surges—including the encroachment of the sea into inhabited areas. 

Around the globe, nations have failed to adequately account for the long-term risks of climate change. This failure has led to behaviors that ignore the dangers of a higher waterline, such as continuing to develop flood-prone areas. 

An official limit would encourage more informed decisions by identifying coastal infrastructure as immediately at risk. 

Nations should take the lead in pushing for a cap on sea-level rise. Not least, adopting such a limit at this year’s climate conference would emphasize that the existential threat to small island states and thousands of coastal communities is being taken seriously.

We live in hope.

Sincerely,

A.G.

Dear Daily Disaster Diary, September 3rd, 2024

 The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress.

- Charles F. Kettering

We might not be spiraling into chaos overnight, but let’s not kid ourselves—the risks of climate change are undeniably growing. 

Yes, the science is clear, but now there's something else creeping into the picture: a deep sense of overwhelm that only worsens as crisis after crisis hits. 

Sure, it's tempting to sugarcoat things with uplifting stories about climate action. And yes, that's important—because hysteria paralyzes. But let's be real: nice stories alone won't cut it.

What we really need is a combination of new mindsets, financial support distributed fairly, and, most crucially, a collective will. Right now, we’re witnessing an epic battle between different factions—those clinging to outdated notions of security and those pushing for urgent transformation. 

And guess what? This tug-of-war keeps getting bogged down by narrow-minded focus on their respective “clients” or interests.

Here’s the deal: Climate protection isn’t just a chore—it’s an opportunity, both technologically and economically. And yes, success stories and positive examples can help open people’s eyes. 

But let’s not fool ourselves. The harsh realities of the climate crisis won’t just disappear with a smile and a wave. Every single opportunity that brings us closer to stability needs to be seized.

Here’s a concrete win: In January 2016, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania saw the closure of the Shenango Coke Works Facility—one of the largest coal processing plants. The result? 

An immediate drop in air pollutants like sulfur dioxide and arsenic. And here’s the kicker—a significant reduction in hospitalizations for cardiovascular diseases followed. 

A study in Environmental Health Research found that from 2016 to 2018, hospital stays due to heart disease dropped compared to the three years prior. Right after the plant closed, emergency visits for other causes saw no significant change.

Now, while these results don’t prove causality, there’s a strong statistical link between the plant’s closure and the improved health of the surrounding community. That’s not just a story—that’s a call to action!

So, let's stop dithering and start making bold moves. The bitter truth of this crisis is here, and we can’t ignore it. 

Every step towards the stability we crave counts. Let’s get it done!

Your Weekly Navigator,

 The improvement of understanding is for two ends: first, our own increase of knowledge; secondly, to enable us to deliver that knowledge to others.

- John Locke

Turbulence and Climate Change: What You Need to Know

Overview: Recently, long-haul flights have increasingly encountered turbulence, sometimes leading to emergency situations. Studies suggest that climate change plays a significant role in this trend. Turbulence, particularly Clear Air Turbulence (CAT), is becoming more common, which poses challenges for airlines and passengers alike.

What is Clear Air Turbulence (CAT)?

• Definition: CAT occurs in clear skies without any visible warning signs like clouds or storms. It can suddenly jolt an aircraft, causing discomfort or even injuries.
• Recent Incidents:
  • May 26: A Qatar Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner experienced severe turbulence over Turkey, injuring 12 passengers.
  • March: Lufthansa Flight LH 469 encountered turbulence so severe that the Airbus A330-300 had to make an emergency landing in Washington. Seven passengers were hospitalized.

Impact of Climate Change on Turbulence:

• Jet Stream Changes: Climate change is causing the jet streams—fast-flowing air currents in the atmosphere—to shift and become more unstable. This increases the likelihood of aircraft encountering turbulence, particularly over the North Atlantic.
• Increased Turbulence Hours: Studies show a 17% increase in turbulence over the North Atlantic from 1979 to 2020. This rise correlates with climate change as jet streams meander more due to altered weather patterns.
• Economic Impact: Airlines face increasing costs due to turbulence, with estimates ranging from $150 million to $500 million annually in the U.S. alone. Additional turbulence-related delays and wear on aircraft further drive up these costs.

Measuring Turbulence:

• EDR (Eddy Dissipation Rate): This unit measures the intensity of turbulence. As climate change progresses, scientists expect to use EDR more frequently to quantify turbulence events.

Tips for Passengers:

• Always Wear Your Seatbelt: Even when the seatbelt sign is off, it’s advisable to keep your seatbelt fastened during the flight. Just as you would wear a seatbelt in a car for safety, it’s crucial on a plane, too.
• Check Turbulence Forecasts: Websites like turbli.com offer turbulence forecasts up to 36 hours before your flight, allowing you to be more prepared.
• Choose Daytime Flights: If possible, opt for daytime flights. Night flights can be more stressful due to fatigue, making turbulence feel worse.

Easing Your Mind:

• Turbulence is Normal: Turbulence is a natural part of flying, similar to waves in the ocean. Modern aircraft are designed to withstand even severe turbulence, so your plane is safe.
• Rare Severe Turbulence: Although turbulence might feel intense, severe incidents that cause significant injuries are rare.

Solutions for Airlines:

• Turbulence-forecasting Technology: Airlines can use advanced forecasting tools, like those developed by the University of Reading, to avoid turbulence and choose smoother flight paths. This not only improves passenger comfort but also reduces fuel consumption and carbon emissions.

Conclusion: While turbulence may be becoming more common due to climate change, there are ways to minimize its impact. Passengers can take simple precautions, like wearing seatbelts, while airlines can adopt new technologies to avoid rough air. Remember, turbulence is a normal part of flying, and with proper measures, it’s nothing to fear.

Dear Daily Disaster Diary,

 "At this point, only Putin can save us by threatening the West with nuclear strikes if they don’t go net zero soon! They jumped for every other threat..."

- ADAPTATION-GUIDE







Ten years ago, President Obama embarked on a monumental task: convincing Americans that climate change wasn't just another distant problem but a looming catastrophe that required immediate action. 

He might as well have been trying to convince a cat to take a bath.

In 2014, a Pew Research Center survey revealed that only 40% of Americans saw climate change as a major threat. Compare that to more than 70% of Japanese citizens who got it. Even Europeans were far more concerned, with majorities in countries like Italy, Spain, France, and Germany acknowledging the risks. 

Meanwhile, Americans were more worried about Islamic extremism, financial instability, and—of course—nuclear threats from Iran and North Korea. But the environment? Meh, it barely registered.

Fast forward to 2024, and not much has changed. Despite overwhelming evidence that our planet is heating up faster than a teenager’s TikTok feed, Americans remain stubbornly indifferent. 

Climate change is still not at the top of the list of concerns. Why? Is it ignorance? Is it denial? Or is it something more deeply rooted in our biology?

Enter the book "Minding the Climate: How Neuroscience Can Help Solve Our Environmental Crisis," which sheds light on this very issue. It turns out that our brains are hardwired for short-term survival, not long-term planning. 

Our ancestors didn’t need to worry about rising sea levels; they were too busy not getting eaten by saber-toothed tigers. So, our decision-making evolved around immediate, tangible rewards. Hunt, gather, eat, repeat.

Now, let's talk climate change—something so complex and distant that it’s like asking our brains to solve a Rubik’s cube while juggling flaming swords. 

We can’t see CO2 levels rising in the atmosphere. We can't feel the planet warming (until it's too late). And when we drive our gas-guzzling SUVs or fly off on a jet for a vacation, the rewards are immediate and visible—comfort, convenience, and maybe a few Instagram-worthy photos. 

But the consequences? Invisible, far-off, and seemingly unrelated to our daily lives.

The real kicker is that the very things causing climate change—fossil fuels—are also deeply embedded in our economic and social systems. They’ve made life easier, and they’ve made some people incredibly wealthy. Trying to convince those in power to dismantle the very system that’s filled their coffers? Good luck with that.

Education isn’t helping either. While climate science is more accessible than ever, putting a price tag on education has created a society more focused on short-term financial gains than long-term sustainability. And don’t even get me started on book banning—because, apparently, knowledge is dangerous now.

The media, CEOs, shareholders, and conservative politicians haven’t exactly been cheerleaders for climate action. Instead of training our brains for the necessary change, they’ve been busy sowing doubt, protecting profits, and deflecting responsibility.

So here we are, 2024, with a planet in crisis and a public still mostly indifferent. As Vice President Harris and Governor Walz step into leadership roles, they face a Herculean task. They must somehow rewire our collective brain to prioritize the future of our planet over the comforts of today.

But let’s be honest—until we figure out how to make the fight against climate change as rewarding as scrolling through social media or buying the latest gadget, we’re in for a rough ride.

Good luck, Harris and Walz. You’re going to need it.

Happy Labor Day

Famous Last Words, August 2024

 Man makes a great fuss about this planet which is only a ball-bearing in the hub of the universe.

- Christopher Morley

BERNIE: THE PODCAST EPISODE 9 - BILL MCKIBBEN

The Earth Has Already Used Up Its Resources for 2024: What Does This Mean?

According to the Global Footprint Network, Earth reached its ecological limits for 2024 on August 1st. This date marks what is known as Earth Overshoot Day, the day when humanity has consumed all the natural resources that the planet can renew in a year. 

From now on, we are essentially living on credit. The planet’s ecosystems can no longer keep up with the consumption that occurred in the first seven months of the year. This means that humanity is living as if it had 1.7 Earths at its disposal. Disturbingly, this day is a day earlier than last year’s.

The Global Footprint Network calculates Earth Overshoot Day every year. According to their analysis, it takes a full year for nature to regenerate the resources that humanity consumes from January 1st to August 1st. The calculation compares two key figures: the available productive land and the land needed to sustain current consumption levels, which includes the area required to absorb carbon dioxide emissions through new forests. 

This complex calculation method has faced criticism, with some questioning its accuracy and transparency.

For instance, the Cologne Institute for Economic Research noted in 2021 that combining renewable resources and emissions in the calculation is problematic, as they are not easily comparable. 

The issue of global warming is not primarily about land overuse; it’s mainly about the overproduction of carbon dioxide. This makes the required land area in the calculation appear larger than it might actually be, which should be clarified, according to the institute.

Even environmental organizations like the WWF have criticized the focus on land use. The Earth Overshoot Day for Germany alone fell on May 2nd this year—two days earlier than last year. 

If everyone on the planet lived and consumed like the average German, the world would have exhausted its annual budget for sustainable resources and environmentally friendly emissions by that date. In this case, humanity would need three Earths to sustain itself. 

But it's not just Germany that's struggling; many other countries are too. For example, Qatar and Luxembourg reached their Earth Overshoot Day in February, while Canada, the United States, and Belgium hit theirs in March.

If everyone lived like the average person in China, we would need 2.4 Earths. For the United States, it would be a staggering 5.1 Earths. On the other hand, countries like Jamaica (November 12th), Iraq (November 15th), and Ecuador (November 24th) manage to stretch their resources further.

Historically, humanity's resource consumption was more sustainable. In 1961, we were only using 0.73 Earths, meaning there were still reserves. 

However, since the first official Earth Overshoot Day on December 29th, 1970, the date has steadily moved earlier each year. In the last decade, it has settled around similar dates, except for one anomaly: the COVID-19 pandemic year of 2020. 

Compared to 2019, when Earth Overshoot Day fell on July 29th, it moved to August 22nd in 2020. This shift was due to reduced wood consumption and lower carbon emissions during the lockdowns. However, this effect was short-lived, and by 2021, Earth Overshoot Day returned to July 29th.

According to the WWF, Earth Overshoot Day could be pushed back by seven days if half of the global meat consumption were replaced with plant-based alternatives. 

A staggering 13 days could be gained if we reduced food waste by 50%. These simple changes could buy the Earth some much-needed time, yet the clock continues to tick earlier each year.

The question remains: Will we heed the warning signs or continue down this unsustainable path?

Dear Daily Disaster Diary,

 It is the test of a good religion whether you can joke about it.

- Gilbert K. Chesterton

Title: The West's Immigration Challenge: A Crisis of Assimilation

Dear Daily Disaster Diary,

Western political leaders have failed to recognize that advanced economies in open societies lack the socio-economic and socio-cultural mechanisms to absorb a large number of poorly educated men from developing countries or war-torn regions. 

These migrants often come from backgrounds that do not share the same institutions, culture, or moral values as the West. 

It's irresponsible to assume that all who immigrate to the West will fully adapt to our way of life simply because they arrive here voluntarily.

This assumption might have held true during the 19th and early 20th centuries when large numbers of Europeans fled wars and economic stagnation to settle overseas. 

Within one or two generations, they were fully assimilated. Similar patterns can be observed, albeit more slowly, among immigrants from Asia, Latin America, and parts of Africa. 

However, it has become increasingly clear that Muslim immigrants, in particular, face significant challenges in adapting to Western societies.

Even when they achieve economic success, as often seen in America, they still confront insurmountable cultural differences between Islam and the West. 

While many Muslims succeed in reconciling their faith with their new environment, this is a complex and demanding process. 

Unfortunately, a growing number of Muslims in America, Britain, France, and Germany are turning to Islamism instead.

This is what the guide says: 

If you break the law, there are consequences. Rwanda was never the answer. But what about Ukraine? They need people to clear mines, weave camouflage nets, and remove tons of debris. Prisons could house delinquents who assemble drones.

Your Weekly Navigator

 In skating over thin ice our safety is in our speed.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

How Safe is Germany?

This is a question that resonates not only abroad but increasingly among Germans themselves, as reports of knife violence, often resulting in serious injuries and fatalities, become disturbingly routine. 

A growing sense of insecurity grips the nation, evidenced by a survey from the Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt, BKA), which reveals that more than half of the population feels uneasy using public transportation at night. Two-thirds of women actively avoid certain areas. Yet, the political sphere remains silent on the existence of so-called "No-Go Areas."

The statistics are grim. Violent crimes, especially group assaults and knife attacks, are on the rise. 

Migrants are overrepresented in these incidents—a fact that is often glossed over in public discourse. 

According to the BKA, cases of "dangerous and serious bodily injury" involving a knife have surged by 9.7% in the past year, totaling 8,951 cases in 2022, up from 8,160 in 2021 and 7,071 in 2020. Overall, violent crime, which includes murder, manslaughter, robbery, aggravated assault, and rape, has reached its highest level in 15 years, with 214,099 cases recorded in the past year—an 8.6% increase compared to the previous year. The primary driver is the rise in "dangerous and serious bodily injury" cases, which increased by 6.8% to 154,541 cases—the highest number ever recorded.

This alarming trend is the outcome of a failed internal security policy, compounded by a uniquely European ideological confusion. Former Chancellor Angela Merkel turned a blind eye to the consequences of the refugee crisis, the climate crisis, and the euro crisis—but let's not digress. 

The anticipated correction of past mistakes never materialized with the change in power. Germany’s domestic intelligence agency views any ethnically or culturally defined concept of "people" as inherently racist, despite the fact that the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) once campaigned with the slogan "Children instead of Indians" (Kinder statt Inder) and ran a campaign against dual citizenship that excluded non-Germans. 

What were once positions of the CDU, constitutionally valid at the time, have now become the platform of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and are deemed unconstitutional.

The ideological battle between the left and right misses the point: the German people are weary of these debates. They don't want to be labeled as anti-Muslim or racist for perceiving a risk in the influx of migrants from different cultural backgrounds. 

At the same time, they have no appetite for the blood-and-soil rhetoric of far-right figures like Björn Höcke. People are fed up with political games that fail to improve their daily lives. 

They want to live in safety, to walk through a market square, attend a festival, or traverse a dark park without fear. Yet, in Germany, the simplest demands have always proven to be the most difficult to fulfill.

The Navigator said:

"Thousands of unemployed Germans could be retrained as security personnel, but where is the political will to implement such practical solutions"? 

Instead, the focus remains on ideological purity, while ordinary citizens are left to navigate a world where safety feels increasingly elusive. 

Germany, once a beacon of stability, now finds itself grappling with a reality that is anything but secure.