Politicians who “deny the obvious climate emergency put our children and grand-children at risk.”
That is the claim of European Greens and comes in the wake of a major announcement by the EU on climate change.
After years of deliberation, the European Commission has now presented the EU’s 2040 climate target.
The proposal of a 90% emissions reduction target is a pivotal step towards the EU committing to domestic climate action, but, say the Greens, falls short on the EU reaching net zero emissions by 2040 at the latest and is “therefore not aligned with 1.5°C science and equity.”
Separately and in response to the record-breaking heatwave, hitting during the very week the EU 2040 climate targets came under discussion, European Green Party co-chair Vula Tsetsi said:
“We are worried.”
She told this site,
“We stand in solidarity with everyone who has difficulty coping with these dangerously high temperatures. We think about the children, the elderly, people whose house gets too hot, the farmers who see their crops being destroyed, and so many others.”
She added,
“The heatwaves and heat domes are also a stark reminder of why climate action matters. But even today, far-right populists try to distract people by referring to ‘one or the other hot summer from the past’ to pretend that this is ‘normal’.
“This is not normal.”
She went on,
“The June heat records have been shattered across Europe. What we are witnessing is a dangerous paradox: while the climate crisis is accelerating, many governments are retreating from their commitments and weakening the very instruments to protect people and the planet. We must act now – to protect people, to protect nature, and to ensure a liveable future for the next generations’,
she said.
Further comment comes from European Green Party co-chair Ciarán Cuffe who added:
“This week’s heatwave will lead to hundreds if not thousands of excess deaths in Europe. It is the consequence of failing to act on climate. We must act now, and be ambitious in our efforts to reduce the severity of future events like this. We cannot kick the can down the road.
“The evidence is clear. 2024 was the warmest year on record. The frequency, intensity, and duration of heatwaves has risen sharply in recent decades. While the far right is spreading lies and fake news, the centre and right-wing parties should not cowardly bow to their pressure. In the scorching European summer of 2022, tens of thousands of people died because of the heat. EU top climate scientists insisted in June that cutting Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions by at least -90% by 2040 is the bare minimum to stay in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement.
“As Greens we will always strive for the highest ambition because climate action is protecting people and protecting our health.”
