The Basque Coast Geopark has recently hosted the presentation of the first 100 geological heritage sites of the International Union of Geological Sciences. The flysch of Zumaia (Gipuzkoa), the mercury mines of Almadén (Ciudad Real) and the volcanic relief of La Palma (Santa Cruz de Tenerife) are among those chosen.  

The Spanish Confederation of Scientific Societies (COSCE) has just published a report, submitted to the EU, which proposes and compares different possibilities for reform of the regulatory framework for genome editing techniques.

Food policies must ensure that the entire population has access to sufficient quantities of the foods that make up a healthy diet without endangering the household economy. 

The H5N1 virus that is causing an unprecedented epidemic among wild and domestic birds has a very low capacity to infect humans. The three cases where infection has been found have been due to close contact with dust raised during the handling of affected poultry.

The alarming shortage of nurses in all of Spain's autonomous communities drastically compromises the health of the public. This is one of the main conclusions of the new report on nursing ratios in Spain published by the General Nursing Council, which also analyses the situation in relation to other European countries.

This week marks one year since the start of the last volcanic eruption in Spain, a phenomenon that made national and international headlines from 19 September 2021, when the volcano began to spew lava outwards, until several months later. The eruption posed a forecasting and management challenge for scientists and authorities. The balance of what we have learned is positive at the scientific level, but the reality is that much remains to be done. 

Last week saw the conclusion of the XL Annual Meeting of the Spanish Society of Epidemiology under the theme: "Challenges of the 21st Century: Environment, Climate Change and Social Inequalities". Climate change is the most important environmental challenge with an impact on public health facing society today. It is also a social challenge, as it further accentuates inequalities and inequities in health.

The so-called Oceans Treaty, promoted by the UN, has had to be stopped, not concluded, due to the impossibility of reaching an agreement. After a process of more than 16 years, only half a session separates us from the word failure. Let us hope that the resumption of the last session, possibly in the spring of 2023, will offer us the agreement we all wish for.

In the coming days, our children and young people will return to their schools. In addition to their education, schools offer the possibility to improve and maintain their health also through healthy and sustainable nutrition. This is one of the current challenges in Europe; a much more complex challenge than it may seem.  

A return to coal in Spain is not feasible in the short term, as many of the old thermal power plants have been dismantled. In the long term, the future of electricity production lies in renewable technologies, not only because of their environmental implications, but also because of energy independence with respect to third countries. In the short term, it is essential to continue using conventional technologies.