After members of the European Parliament on Thursday voted 429 to 225—with 19 abstentions—to declare a climate emergency both on the continent and globally, activists called on the European Union to match those lofty words with deeds and take immediate action to combat the increasingly urgent crisis.
“Our house is on fire. The European Parliament has seen the blaze, but it’s not enough to stand by and watch,” said Greenpeace E.U. climate policy adviser Sebastian Mang. “To put out the flames, we have to take immediate measures in line with the science, drastically reduce emissions, protect and restore the natural environment.”
Highlighting key demands from climate campaigners, Mang added that “holding fossil fuel companies responsible, investing in rail and public transport, supporting communities investing in renewable energy, banning pesticides, and ending subsidies for factory farms are just some of the bold ways to take action now.”
Wendel Trio, director of Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe, concurred that “declaring an emergency is important, but any such statement needs to be followed by emergency action.”
“To act at the scale of the climate emergency, the Parliament needs to push for real, immediate action,” Trio said. “The E.U. needs to increase the climate target to at least 65% emission cuts, and adopt policies and measures that can reduce emissions immediately. People will continue to strike and go to the courts until the climate crisis is taken with more urgency and seriousness.”
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The symbolic declaration from E.U. lawmakers preceded a pair of youth-led climate strikes, planned for the next two Fridays, as well as the the United Nations COP 25 climate summit, which begins Monday in Madrid.
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