Belgium has failed to submit a climate plan to the European Union within the set timeline, the Climate Coalition charged in a statement made public at a pro-climate event held in Brussels on Friday evening. This is mainly because of disagreements between the regions, according to the environmentalists.
Flanders, largely accountable for this situation, has demonstrated an extremely disheartening approach, climatologist Jean-Pascal van Ypersele, a former vice-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said at Friday’s event.
The event was part of an international mobilisation campaign dubbed ‘Power Up,’ launched ahead of the 28th UN Climate Change Conference, COP 28, and aimed at ending the impunity of governments and polluters.
Maintaining the status quo would backfire...
EU member states were expected to submit an updated version of their climate plan for 2021-2030, particularly outlining a strategy to reduce CO2 emissions. While the EU aimed for a 55% reduction, Belgium was willing only to commit to 47%. However, Flanders did not agree to go beyond 40%.
The 3rd of November was the deadline for Belgium to communicate its position to the European Commission. However, a meeting between the offices of the relevant ministers last week proved fruitless, so a climate plan could not be delivered on time.
At Friday’s event, which stressed the urgency of a "just and fair energy transition," van Ypersele said Flanders did not seem to understand that it is crucial to think in the long term. Protecting the region’s short-term economy by maintaining the status quo, he argued, would heavily backfire in the medium-to-long term.
Need to accelerate energy transition
Over the coming years, the whole world will have to transition to a much cleaner energy system, van Ypersele asserted. If Flanders continues to lag behind, it will inevitably suffer. The climatologist therefore underscored the pressing need for Flanders to acknowledge the necessity of organising this transition effectively.
Nearly 50 people gathered at Friday's event, held at Luxembourg Square, in the heart of the European Quarter, from 5:30 pm. In addition to van Ypersele, various personalities addressed the gathering, including Nicolas Van Nuffel, president of the Climate Coalition, and Laurie Pazienza, climate change engineer and coordinator of eco-collective Totalement Down.
Van Nuffel emphasised the urgency of accelerating the energy transition, contrary to the view of Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, who called for an environmental regulation hiatus in May 2023.
Two complementary demands
The international grassroots movement set out two complementary demands at Friday's protest. Firstly, it insisted that the ‘bill’ be paid (tagged #PayUp), i.e., for fossil fuel companies to pay financial compensation for their ‘illegitimate profits.’
Secondly, it urged governments to free up funding for renewable energy, “using all possible mechanisms at the local, national and international level,” the organisers said in a press release.
Power Up, an international mobilisation campaign, seeks to urge governments worldwide to accelerate a fair and equitable energy transition.
Two days of action are planned for 3 and 4 November 2023, and over 125 activities have been scheduled in over 45 countries, including in Brussels.
