The organization recalls that the European Commission has taken a first step towards opening an infringement procedure against Belgium for having presented its energy and climate plan late. “It is therefore more than time to pass the second in order to pursue solid climate policies,” she asks.
The exhibition of the debris should push the population and the Belgian government to become aware of the situation. “Climate disasters will only be more frequent and intense, whether in Spain, the Philippines, Brazil or Belgium,” explains Benjamin Clarysse, president of the Climate Coalition. “The price we pay is enormous financially but also in human lives.”
Despite the urgency, the Coalition deplores “the reluctance” of the Walloon and Flemish governments to release additional funds for climate and biodiversity policies. “Federal negotiators are even considering reducing Belgium’s contribution to international financing of the fight against climate change,” regret its members.
According to the organization, the necessary means must be made available for climate action. “The problem is not a shortage of funds, but a lack of political courage to use them properly. Money should go to climate solutions, not to finance polluting practices.”
