During his speech on the third day of the climate conference in Egypt (COP27), Prime Minister Alexander De Croo addressed his words to young people and urged them to be "part of the solution instead of encouraging polarisation." However, initial reactions to the speech have not been positive.
The first week of the COP27 climate conference begins with speeches from heads of state and government. In their speeches, they tell how they see the climate challenges and how the climate issue can best be solved. Today, it was the turn of Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.
"Let there be no doubt: the fight against climate change is a fight for our physical survival. But it is also a fight to keep social cohesion. Some people feel the consequences of climate change much harder than others and some people will feel the consequences of climate policy much harder than others," he said, referring to farmers, people who rent old apartments and even small family businesses.
The last thing the fight against climate change needs, De Croo said, is more polarisation. "On one extreme, we see the complete denial of man-made global warming; these people are sticking their heads in the sand. While on the other extreme, we see movements trashing buildings and works of art."
He said that he "understands the anxiety" of people who are afraid that policymakers are not doing enough. "I can reassure them: we will do more. More climate investments, meaning more international financing. But I also hear the ones who are at their wit's end; the ones who fear the personal burden of climate policy."
Drastic efforts are needed to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as they need to be halved by 2030. However, with the current climate promises, the world is still heading for an increase in 8 years, and the target of limiting global warming to a maximum of 1.5°C seems far away.
De Croo remained rather vague about how he wanted to see that problem solved, and also he did not go into further detail about the Belgian efforts – instead referring to technology as a solution, calling it "more promising than ever."
Addressing the recent controversial actions of climate activists who threw soup or paint on works of art in renowned museums to draw attention to the climate, De Croo urged young people to "be part of the solution with us. That is the only way forward: not by throwing paint at each other, but by reaching out to each other. We need to keep everyone on board."
'Empty and disappointing'
Initial reactions to the speech were rather negative. Benjamin Van Bunderen Robberechts, a climate activist from Justice For Rosa who is also at the COP, told VRT that he found De Croo's words "very reproachful."
"De Croo said he wants to be constructive, but you cannot do that by using the five minutes you have to address the world to ridicule activists," he said. "He wasted those five minutes."
Joeri Thijs of the environmental organisation Greenpeace called the speech "empty and disappointing" and stressed that it was just not enough. "Like the Prime Minister, we are concerned about the polarisation in the climate debate, but he himself holds the solution to this: with a fair, inclusive and ambitious climate policy, we will get everyone on board."
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"Invest massively in insulation, in public transport and in renewable energy. Advocate internationally for an increase in taxes on the profits of the fossil energy giants," he said. "End our dependence on fossil fuels with fair transition plans for industry workers."
Additionally, Belgium would do better to do its own homework before condemning actions by climate activists.
"Belgium's climate report remains underwhelming. Our country is not meeting its climate targets and not fulfilling its climate justice commitments. The €500 million Belgium is supposed to contribute to help the most vulnerable countries cope with the devastating effects of the climate crisis have not yet arrived at their destination."
