Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg on Wednesday attended an extraordinary meeting of the European Parliament’s Environment Committee to talk about the European Climate Law.
“The EU must lead the way – you have a moral obligation to do so”, Greta Thunberg said on Wednesday before MEPs. “In November 2019, you said that climate change was an existential threat. Now you must prove that you mean it”, she added. She said that the new proposal for a climate law published on Wednesday by the European Commission is “a surrender”: “Nature does not bargain, and you cannot make deals with physics. We will not allow you to surrender our future”, she concluded.
MEPs highlighted the challenge of bringing other continents on board to raise climate ambition before the Glasgow climate conference to take place in November. While most MEPs agreed that the EU needs to raise its own emission reduction goals, several MEPs said that raising the EU’s 2030 goals from 40% to 55%, as proposed by the European Parliament, would already be ambitious, but is met with much resistance from member states.
Following the meeting, the Chair of the Committee Pascal Canfin (Renew, FR) said: “Today we hosted Greta Thunberg. To win the battle against climate change, we need the energy of youth. Here in Parliament, and notably in the Environment Committee, we are fighting for climate neutrality in 2050. The climate law that was presented today cannot deceive young Europeans who are mobilised for the climate and all European citizens, and we must therefore succeed.”
Greta Thunberg met with EP president David Sassoli before the meeting at 12.30.
A video of the opening statement of Greta Thunberg is available here.
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