At just 12 years old, the youngest member of Belgium's delegation addressed world leaders at COP29, calling on them to "do more" to stop climate change.
Ferre Van Steenbergen from Antwerp made the call in a letter on the sidelines of COP29, where he was given the opportunity to read at a reception organised by the Belgian Embassy in Baku, the Azerbaijani capital hosting the climate conference this year.
"There is more than enough money and knowledge in the world, but we need to invest in the right things. Like better technology, electric cars, renewable energy and eating less meat," said the young Belgian.
As reported by Belga, Ferre’s journey to the COP29 summit began over a year ago. He shared his desire to speak at the international climate event with his grandparents, who are active members of the Belgian organisation Grandparents for the Climate (Grootouders voor het Klimaat).
The reception in Baku was attended by Belgian ministers currently at COP29: the Federal Minister for Climate, Zakia Khattabi, and her Brussels and Flemish counterparts, Alain Maron and Melissa Depraetere.
In his letter, the young boy addresses the ministers and leaders of all the countries gathered at the UN summit on climate change, calling on them to pay more attention to children, whose future is at stake.
According to scientists, the commitments made at this stage by the 198 countries party to the Paris Agreement would lead to dramatic global warming of almost 3°C.
"Many of you will be old or dead by 2050. We only have 10 years left to take action. If we don't, even the scientists don't know what's going to happen," added Ferre, who travelled to Baku with his grandparents.
The young man from Antwerp leaves again for Belgium on Wednesday, where he is expected at school on Thursday, to share his experience at COP29.
Belgium given 'low' rating on climate performance
On Wednesday, a new ranking published by a group of NGOs at COP29 highlighted that Belgium's slightly improved climate performance when compared to last year, but achieved a "low" rating overall.
The "Climate Change Performance Index" (CCPI) has been published annually since 2005 during the UN climate change conferences, by NGOs Germanwatch, the NewClimate Institute, and the Climate Action Network. About 450 energy and climate experts, many of whom are members of environmental NGOs, contribute.
Despite rising four places to 35th over the past year, Belgium is given an overall "low" rating, indicating its performance is not aligned with the Paris Agreement goals to keep global warming well below 2°C and to strive to limit it to 1.5°C.
Experts who assessed Belgium's performance call for a more ambitious National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) aligned with European carbon neutrality targets. They also recommend that Belgium adopt an adaptation plan for flood protection, water management, and urban resilience.
