ANP Devastation in Derna after storm Daniel
Local government dependent on consultancy firms for energy transition
Municipalities and provinces are having a lot of difficulty implementing the energy transition, the major plan that aims to transition the Netherlands off gas and make it CO2 neutral by 2050. Local authorities regularly have too few staff and expertise for all the tasks that fall on their plate.
The result is that they have become dependent on a few hundred commercial agencies. Local administrators and experts warn of the consequences: consultancy firms are becoming too much in the role of civil servants, there is a lack of supervision, and there is a risk of commercial influences, which is at the expense of public money.
Thousands dead in Libya after storm Daniel
At least 5,200 people have died in eastern Libya as a result of the flooding caused by Storm Daniel. A large number of the victims occurred in the city of Derna, which has about 125,000 inhabitants. After two dams broke, water became free in the city. Some neighborhoods have been completely wiped out. Flood expert Rob Steijn explains how this could happen.