Climate change is at the heart of the Future of Europe

(EurActiv, 24 Apr 2019) EU leaders must prioritise climate action to combat dangerous climate change when they gather in Sibiu for the ‘Future of Europe’ summit on 9 May, write the plaintiffs of the People’s Climate Case, who are taking the EU institutions to court to protect their fundamental rights and to prevent dangerous climate change.

The plaintiffs of the People’s Climate Case include: Sanna Vannar, president of Sáminuorra, Sweden (on behalf of the Saami youth); Maurice and Renaud Feschet, farmers, France; Maike and Michael Recktenwald, hotel and restaurant owners, Germany; Vlad Petru, farmer and shepherd, Romania; Armando Carvalho, forest owner, Portugal; Alfredo Sendim, farmer, Portugal; Ildebrando Conceição, beekeeper, Portugal; Giorgio Elter, farmer and hotel owner, Italy.

Today, on behalf of all Europeans impacted by climate change, we have sent letters to our governments and the presidents of the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Council to remind them their responsibility of “duty of care” and call them to put climate action in the heart of the Future of Europe debate.

We are farmers, shepherds, foresters, hotel and restaurant owners and students from Sweden, Portugal, France, Italy, Germany and Romania. The one thing that brings us together is our vulnerability to climate change.

We need all the European decision makers to understand that the impacts of climate change which brought Greta Thunberg to the brink of tears during her speech in the European Parliament are happening to us today and in Europe.

Armando lost his forested land in the Portuguese wildfires in 2017.

A lavender farmer, Maurice has lost 44% of his revenue from the lavender farming business in the last 6 years due to consecutive droughts in the south of France.

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EurActiv, 24 Apr 2019: Climate change is at the heart of the Future of Europe