The tourist sector enjoyed a peak season with full campsites, hotels, and long queues at ice cream stands. Elsewhere in Western Europe, the summer of 2026 caused human misery and economic distress, with extreme heatwaves, large-scale wildfires, crop failures, dried-up rivers, and thousands of heat-related deaths. This is exactly what our climate models predicted, sighs VUB professor Wim Thiery. In this video, the first in our new series Future Thinkers, the VUB climate scientist explains how much we have to gain from the climate transition.
Science has done its job, Wim Thiery explains in this video. Climate models are powerful and robust, thanks to historical weather data, artificial intelligence, and satellite observations. The trend is clear: under unchanged policies, the future looks bleak. However, we know how to phase out fossil fuels. The technology exists. Feasible? Check! And affordable? Also. Two percent of global GDP would suffice to realize the transition. The climate transition train has departed, Wim Thiery warns. “China has understood it; Europe is dragging its feet. If we jump on board, we will create the innovation and the new jobs here. Otherwise, we will be the losers. Belgium promised in Paris to reduce emissions with the highest possible ambition. It is now up to our policymakers to fulfill these promises and secure the future of our children.”