Tens of thousands of people marched through the Belgian capital Brussels on Sunday to urge EU leaders for stronger action to tackle climate change.
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Record-breaking temperatures and consecutive heatwaves across Europe this summer have heightened concerns about the impacts of human-induced climate change on the continent.
Belgium, like many other European countries, has seen an unprecendented rise in excess deaths during these extreme heatwaves.
President of the Green Party in Flanders and Brussels, Aimen Horch, told Euronews that climate demands have remained unchanged, however the sense of urgency to take action has never been greater.
“People actually died from the heat. They felt that the conditions of their homes made it impossible to sleep at night. They saw the wildfires in the High Fens, one of the country’s most important nature reserves, and saw that the government did nothing,” Horch said.
Many demonstrators at the march, including Horch, voiced their frustration at politicians’ lack of action, as climate goals appear to be losing priority on the political agenda, with many governments scaling back their ambitions.
“We have to fight in the European Parliament and here in Belgium to make sure climate stays on top of the agency, because the urgency is not gone. The heatwaves are not gone. The impact of climate change on people’s daily lives is not gone”.
Sunday’s protest was organised by Climate Coalition, in collaboration with other groups.
The organisation listed five key demands, including the phasing out of fossil fuel subsidies and taxing the fossil fuel sector, more green spaces, a fair climate transition, more support for citizens and businesses to move away from fossil fuels, and more international co-operation in fighting climate change.
Police estimated that 45,000 people took part in the march—the latest in the series of demonstrations in Brussels—while organisers put attendance at around 60,000.
The march was attended by NGOs, trade unions, civil society movements, youth movements, universities, human rights groups and political parties.
Low expectations for COP31
The march takes place ahead of a major UN climate summit in Antalya, Turkey next month, bringing together delegates from around the world.
Following last year’s disappointing outcome, hopes for a major breakthrough this year remain low, as the United States under Donald Trump steps back from climate efforts and climate action continues to slip down the global political agenda.
The situation looks even less promising as soaring energy prices have strengthened the position of major oil and gas producers, making them less willing to consider phasing out fossil fuels.
The US retreat from climate cooperation, alongside the absence of Chinese and Indian leaders from last year’s COP30 summit in Belém, Brazil, left the EU pushing for progress on climate finance.
The bloc is expected to make energy security a key argument at COP31 in Turkey, arguing that clean energy can ensure more secure and affordable supplies while reducing reliance on foreign suppliers.
The EU maintains that it remains a global leader in climate action and is the largest donor of public climate finance in the world. However, the bloc heads into the summit after recently having watered down some of its own environmental policies.
As it struggles to compete with major powers such as China and the United States, Brussels has increasingly shifted towards a more business-friendly approach.
The most recent example was the European commission proposing to postpone the implementation of a law targeting methane, an extremely polluting greenhouse gas, by one year, from 2027 to 2028.
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