Lisa Badum
Member of the German Parliament & Spokesperson for Climate Policy Alliance 90/The Greens
Saving Europe means saving our climate
“FridaysForFuture” has been the rallying of kids and teenagers around the globe demanding more action against climate change. They protest knowing the climate catastrophe is fast approaching. Europe needs to act now. Eight countries endorsing a climate-neutral Europe by 2050 is too few. Merely considering a coalition of the willing for a price on CO₂ is not sufficient either. We don’t have time. Europe is about to break its promise to stop or at least slow down climate change, and in the process it is jeopardizing our future.
CO₂ is a colourless and odourless gas but extremely aggressive against the climate. Man-made climate change deprives us of our livelihood. And each year humans emit more CO₂ into the atmosphere. We want to stop this madness! This is why we call for a charge on climate-harming activities. Europe needs to put a minimum price on carbon emissions in all sectors. At the moment, nurses, firemen and each and every one of us pay for the damage caused by big climate sinners such as coal, oil and gas companies. This is unjust, because the impacts of the climate crisis – droughts, heat waves, floods – are borne by the most vulnerable members of society. 40 Euro per ton of CO₂ would be an important first step and much-needed market signal to make protecting the climate good business. The lobby for the climate stalemate has lost its supporters.
A minimum CO₂ price is also a crucial element of an increase in Europe’s climate ambitions for 2030. We call on the EU to raise its climate target from the current 40% to at least 60% by 2030 and announce the increased ambition at the UN Secretary General’s climate summit in September. European leadership is needed more than ever before in the global fight against the climate crisis.
Signatories
Bas Eickhout
Member of the European Parliament & Spokesperson for Climate Policy of Greens/EFA
Tom van der Lee
Member of the Dutch Parliament & Spokesperson for Economic Affairs and Climate Policy of GroenLinks
Lorenz Tovatt
Member of the Swedisch Parliament & Spokesperson for Climate and Energy Policy of Miljöpartiet De Gröna
Evelyne Huytebroeck
Member of the Parliament of Brussels & Ex-Minister of the Environment of Brussels
Hanna Sarkkinen
Member of Parliament of Finland & Vice Chair of Left Alliance
Ingrid Nestle
Member of the German Parliament & Spokesperson for Energy Economics of Alliance 90/The Greens
Jutta Paulus
Member of the European Parliament from July 2019 & Regional Chairwoman of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen Rheinland-Pfalz
Bart Staes
Member of the European Parliament for the Belgian Greens
Sebastian Striegel
Parliamentarian Secretary & Spokesperson for Domestic Policy of Alliance 90/The Greens in the Parliament of Saxony-Anhalt
Caroline Lucas
Green Party MP & Member of the Environmental Audit Committee & Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on climate change
Bruno Tobback
Member of Parliament for Leuven & former Minister of Environment & Minister for Pensions in the Belgian federal government
Stephanie Schuhknecht
Spokesperson for start-ups and young entrepreneurs of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen in the regional parliament of Bavaria
Dr. Julia Verlinden
Member of the German Parliament, Spokeswomen for Energy Policy of Alliance 90/ The Greens
Martina Feldmayer
Member of the regional parliament of Hesse & Spokesperson for Environment and Climate Change & Deputy Chair of the fraction of Alliance 90/The Greens
Martha Bissmann
Member of the Austrian Parliament
Ska Keller
Co-President of the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament
Pia Olsen Dyhr
Member of the Danish Parliament & Party Leader of the Socialist People’s Party Denmark
Dr. Bernhard Braun
President of the fraction of Alliance 90 / The Greens in the regional parliament of Rhineland Palatinate
Satu Hassi
Member of the Finnish Parliament and Chair of Grand Committee, former Minister of Environment and Member of the European Parliament
Tiina Elo
Member of the Finnish Parliament and Vice Chairperson of the Environment Committee