Trees

"Resin is the petroleum of the world today and in the future. The intention is that all uses of petroleum are replaced by resin," she said. "Plastics are already being made from resin. [It is used] in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry in addition to all its applications in construction or in the manufacture of varnishes and glues. The forest is the great supplier of renewable resources and energy that allows [us] to substitute petroleum products, and here the resin plays the main role."

According to several studies, at the current rate of extraction, the Earth's oil reserves are expected to run dry sometime after 2050. Yet, Blanca Rodríguez-Chaves, the vice dean of the faculty of law at the Autonomous University of Madrid and an expert in environmental policies, believes that resin could provide an adequate alternative. She maintains that most products made with petroleum – like, plastic, for instance, which is not bio-degradable – can also be made with resin and decompose more easily.

Mountain Cottage by [IG]

Once a thriving community predominantly made up of ethnic Serbs, Ličko Petrovo Selo now has only a few hundred villagers, many whom are more than 80 years old. As we sat in the hotel's reception area, Sonja Leka, a social activist and local tour guide, told me, "Some buildings are owned by people who now live abroad, vacationing here occasionally, others are completely abandoned."