The top official of the United Nations has called for an end to the 'war against nature.' Humanity has been waging war against the planet for decades, and now it is fighting back, said Secretary-General António Guterres in Madrid. Guterres criticized the “completely inadequate” efforts made so far to combat climate change. According to him, there is a lack of political will to take the necessary measures.
The fight against climate change has for the first time reached the very top of the priorities list of European citizens. This emerges from the results of a poll published by the European Parliament on Friday, on the occasion of the Climate Summit taking place over the next two weeks in Madrid.
At that conference, the final decisions will be made and details finalized of the Paris Climate Agreement from five years ago. That agreement will officially come into force at the end of this year. Numerous heads of government will make their appearance in Madrid in the coming days. In the run-up, the European Parliament this week symbolically declared a state of emergency on climate and environmental issues by a majority of 429 to 225 votes.
The European Parliament has been regularly conducting polls on the opinions and expectations of European citizens regarding policy for years. For this edition, in October, more than 27,600 people from the 28 member states were personally interviewed. When asked to name up to three priorities for Members of the European Parliament, 32 percent cited the fight against climate change and the preservation of the environment, oceans, and biodiversity.
Climate change was the most frequently mentioned priority in eleven member states. Sweden topped the list (62%), followed by Denmark (50%) and the Netherlands (46%). Belgium ranked ninth with 38 percent. The topic is much less prominent in the Central and Eastern European member states, where fewer than 30 percent placed it on their priority list. Bulgaria was at the bottom of the list with 14 percent.
Many people also believe that the worldwide protests by climate youth are actually achieving something. Almost six out of ten respondents think that the demonstrations contribute to more political measures at the European level (59%) and nationally (58%). In Belgium, this is respectively 57 and 55 percent.
The newly appointed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was also present at the opening session of the climate conference in Madrid. With this, she wanted to emphasize that the fight against climate change and the transition to a sustainable economy will become one of the spearheads of her policy. Although Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Estonia have not yet wanted to support this goal, von der Leyen hopes these member states will come on board. The Commission President also sees economic benefits. She wants to make the Green Deal the new EU growth strategy.
It remains a fact that the United States has withdrawn from the Paris Climate Agreement, but von der Leyen, who immediately contacted the leaders of the G7 and G20 by phone upon taking office, also sees positive developments on the international stage. “It is good news that China itself says it is aware of climate change. That the country is introducing a trade in emissions rights shows that the issue is also high on the agenda in China.”