PMore than 150 climate activists, including Swedish Greta Thunberg, blocked the boulevard du Jardin Botanique in the city center of Brussels, near Rogier, on Saturday afternoon. United under the United for Climate Justice (UCJ) platform, they called for an end to government support for the fossil fuel economy across the European Union (EU).
From 2:30 p.m., the activists – attached to each other – sat down on the boulevard, before being quickly put away by the police. “Zero-emissions now!”, displayed a sign. This day of action follows an open letter sent by UCJ at the beginning of October to the EU institutions, and co-signed by more than 130 academics and organizations (including Oxfam and Greenpeace). Several activists, including Greta Thunberg, were arrested.
Fossil fuel subsidies “distort energy demand, perpetuate dependence on dirty energy sources and undermine European energy security, while supporting industries that contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions” , underlines the letter. In direct contradiction to the EU’s own environmental goals, they “fuel the global climate crisis, disproportionately affecting vulnerable communities in Europe and the Global South.”
“This climate crisis, which is only escalating, is existential. Every second that our leaders continue to finance fossil fuels, they impact all generations to come,” said Greta Thunberg.
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Activists are urging EU leaders to “walk the talk” and implement a commitment to eliminate environmentally harmful subsidies across the EU by 2025, in line with the Paris Agreement.
The action took place on the sidelines of a climate march, which started at 2:00 p.m. at Place du Luxembourg and will end in the afternoon with a “popular assembly on climate justice” in Mérode.
