Keep the Green Deal Alive
We’re running out of time. The catastrophic consequences of climate change are in plain sight and every week we witness news about record-breaking temperatures, devastating natural disasters, and irreversible loss of biodiversity. It took thousands of young, brave activists mobilising, protesting, and pushing in 2019 for the European Commission to finally take this reality seriously and launch the EU on the path to a just and green transition. That's what the European Green Deal aims to achieve: a 55% decrease in emissions by 2030, improved energy efficiency, minimised waste, and nature restoration.
And let’s be clear - the Green Deal is not that radical. But it is something.
Yet, despite the urgent warnings from scientists and the pleas of activists, the conservative European People’s Party (EPP) is backing away from the Green Deal because they want to appease far-right climate denialists. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is supposed to be the most powerful person in the EU institutions, and yet she would not protect her Green Deal from being attacked by her own party, which tried to overturn the Nature Restoration Law. This is embarrassing.
Let's flood Ursula's inbox with emails and demand that both the European Commission and the European People's Party put an end to this reckless course of action.
Why this is wrong:
A transition to a sustainable world is also a transition to a better world for ordinary people - if pursued correctly. Without a stable climate, there won't be any jobs at all. There are no jobs on a dead planet. There are no people on a dead planet. There is no future on a dead planet.
A just society hinges on both good living conditions and a thriving environment. The pursuit of a better climate must go hand in hand with our commitment to racial, gender, and social justice. Achieving sustainability and flourishing means addressing ecological displacement, racism, inequality, and austerity. Things do have to change to save our planet, but it is not the individual citizen that is responsible, it is corporations and the richest in our society. It is the rich people flying private jets and the energy companies reaping massive profits that should bear the cost of fixing the mess they created.
Instead of favoring the rich and corporations, nature should be at the core of the decision-making of EU institutions, governments, local authorities, businesses, and consumers.
Whether it’s cleaner air, better public transportation, healthy food, or walkable cities; the policies we need to save the climate will also improve your life. The climate movement is not just trying to save our lives. It’s about making our lives better. It’s about fighting for joy.
Demands:
It’s our fucking future.
We demand that Ursula von der Leyen does not give up on the Green Deal - the policy that was supposed to be her legacy.
Not only protection of the Green Deal but a significant increase and expansion of its climate ambition.
We call for the inclusion in the Green Deal of previously overlooked issues such as legislation on forest monitoring, animal welfare, and binding EU measures to curb the release of microplastics.
We demand a greener Europe, one with greater ambition.
This isn't merely about saving wildlife or preserving beautiful landscapes; it's about the very survival of humanity. The failure of those in power to act has pushed us to the edge of a disaster. We can't wait for small steps or lukewarm commitments anymore. The time for bold, decisive action is now.
We’re fucked unless we act.
Together we are powerful, we can vote, we can protest, and we can force the changes needed for our planet.