Climate change offers Europe a chance to change the way the world solves problems by drawing in poorer countries, says sociologist Ulrich Beck in an exclusive essay for DW-WORLD.DE.

Ulrich Beck is a professor of sociology at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich and the London School of Economics and Political Science. His publications focus on the possibilities of European integration.

Climate change is a problem that the younger generations (particularly in Europe) take very seriously, both personally and politically. Although climate change represents a horrible danger to humanity, it also offers a wonderful chance to turn politics into collective action.

The EU deserves praise for its groundbreaking efforts against climate change. It can take on a global leadership role and has the possibility to bring about a paradigm shift in world politics.

But the situation also raises great expectations. The world is hoping for progress from Europe in the cosmopolitan project and evidence that it's possible to reduce carbon dioxide emissions without cutting back on social benefits or economic growth.

When several years ago, Malta decided to build a new university, they sent expert engineers to examine how universities were built in Sweden. Sweden is a land where the sun is very rarely seen. So, the Swedes built their universities with their sides of glass facing the sun to absorb as much sun as possible.

The experts came to Malta and did the same idea. When the university was ready, it was discovered that it was a place fit to bake humans. They had to invent shades for the windows.

Now, the same thing is happening with the wind energy. These rotors were invented for the land of Denmark where the land is all flat and mostly under water. So, the Maltese authorities are obsessed with the idea of building the wind farms on water. They forget that Malta is blessed with several hills, not flat like Denmark. The hills are bare, nothing grows on them because of the force of the wind that blows over them. Malta is a hilly country, from north to the extreme south. Bare hills that are useless except for this purpose of wind power.

SAINT-ÉMILION, France: For François Despagne, it was the challenge of a lifetime.

His family has owned the same property in Saint-Émilion for seven generations. But in 1996, in the classification of St. Émilion wines that takes place roughly every 10 years, Château Grand Corbin-Despagne was downgraded from Grand Cru Classé.

"When you're declassified, you're the ugly little duckling," Despagne said. "People lose faith in you." Worse, it becomes harder to sell the wine at the best price. One Bordeaux broker called him then and said: "You're in trouble, you're declassified. I'll buy your stock for half-price," Despagne said, still disgusted. "It was hard, morally."

Despagne, trained as a biologist and oenologist, went to work full-time for his family. He convinced them, and the banks, to invest €2 million, or more than $3 million, in a new tasting hall, new vats, new tractors, new bathrooms. He dug 150 holes to analyze the soil on his 26.8 hectares, or 66.2 acres, then identified 53 different parcels, all planted slightly differently. Where the soil is richest, he grows grass between the rows of vines, to compete with them and force the roots to dig deeper. He put in 27 new vats, to make smaller batches from the different parcels, and reduced the yield by 25 percent, to get a more concentrated wine.

Female bottlenose dolphins whistle 10 times more often than usual after giving birth in order to help newborns recognise who is "mum".

The findings by a US team appear in the journal Marine Mammal Science.

These "signature whistles" are unique to each animal, allowing them to be used for identification.

Bottlenose dolphins are highly social; in their first weeks, calves encounter many adult females that they could potentially mistake for their mothers.

Internet users could face an annual charge of up to £30 to download music, under plans to be unveiled today that aim to tackle illegal file-sharing.

Ministers are backing proposals that would enable millions of broadband users to pay an annual levy which would allow them to copy as much - previously illegal - music from the internet as they wanted. The money raised would be channelled back to the rights-holders, with artists responsible for the most popular songs receiving a bigger slice of the cash.

John Hutton, the Business Secretary, and Andy Burnham, the Culture Secretary, will unveil a package of proposals, beginning with thousands of prolific downloaders receiving letters warning them they are breaking the law by copying music and sending it to friends. The Government sees that move as the last chance for internet service providers (ISPs) to get a grip on the growing problem of piracy.