Friends of the Earth has reacted positively to the announcement by the federal Minister for Climate and Energy, Paul Magnette, to begin work on a climate law after the upcoming regional elections.
The Minister made the announcement during an interview on French speaking public radio. He stated that he considers current Belgian climate policy to be inadequate, and made specific reference to the UK climate law that was approved at the end of 2008.
The British climate law came about as a result of the Big Ask campaign of Friends of the Earth. The campaign is currently running in 17 European countries. In Belgium, Friends of the Earth has worked with award-winning film maker Nic Balthazar to produce a film clip in support of the campaign.
“Finally the government has admitted that they are not doing enough to tackle climate change. That does not come too soon, because we only have between four and ten years to achieve a radical reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. For this reason the federal and regional politicians must start work this year on a climate law that will set annual emission targets,” said Jeroen Verhoeven of Friends of the Earth.
Friends of the Earth emphasises that the climate law must be socially just for people in Belgium and in developing countries. According to the environmental organisation, investments in sustainable renewable energy technology, energy efficiency, and energy saving represent the best way out of the current economic crisis.
