SIGN THE OPEN LETTER

On behalf of all of us, ten families are taking the EU to court to demand realistic action on climate change. [1] Yesterday the European General Court accepted their case [2] - a huge step forward for the People’s Climate Case.

Only decisive action can limit global warming. And this problem is bigger than any one country. For us in Europe, it is the EU that must act quickly. Yesterday the court told the European Parliament, and all the EU heads of state, that they are accused of not adequately acting to protect European citizens from climate change. They now have two months to react.

The ten families are going to court for all of us. If they win the case for us, the EU has to act faster and more decisively to prevent climate change. Now is when we have to show solidarity.

With our open letter we stand by them, and also send a clear message to the accused in Parliament and the Council of the European Union: Act now, while there is still time, it is not too late.

Please sign our letter of solidarity

Farmers predict this summer’s harvest will be hit hard by the heat [3] and cities are struggling to keep local trees alive. [4] Some will lose their homes to the fires, and heat related deaths are expected to rise. Sick and elderly suffer the most. All this is just a glimpse of what lies ahead if we don’t rise to the challenge together.

Europe's death toll from weather disasters could rise 50-fold by end of this century a recently published study reported. Instead of 3,000 people a year now dying from extreme heat, it could be more than 150,000 people a year by 2100 if there is no significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. [5]

And this is only one of the predicted disastrous consequences we face if the EU does not act fast and determined enough. The lawyers of the people’s climate case put 5,000 pages of evidence together to prove that the EU doesn’t take the steps possible and necessary.

But evidence alone won’t be enough. We have to combine the evidence and the example of these ten families and make both heard.Already 90,882 citizens from all over Europe signed our letter of solidarity. Let’s double this number right after the day the defendants get the accusation (and will definitely check the internet to see what is going on). Use your voice to show the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament that ten families struggle not only on their own behalf, but for us all.

Please sign our letter of solidarity

Giorgio Elter is from one of the ten families. He lives in a small village in the Italian Alps and produces local organic foods. He is witnessing that the regional plants in the mountains do not bloom anymore, or bloom much too early. He explains his motivation to sue the EU, “For us, this legal action is very important to raise awareness among our decision makers on the need to take more radical actions (...) before it is too late for all of us.” [6]

Ten families took action and are challenging the EU. Let’s support them.

With hope,

Mika (Bordeaux), Jörg (Lübeck), Virginia (Madrid), and the rest of us at WeMove.EU

PS: The People’s Climate Case is the litigation action initiated by families from Portugal, Germany, France, Italy, Romania, Kenya, Fiji, and the Saami Youth Association Sáminuorra. They are taking the EU institutions to court to prevent dangerous climate change. Citizens from all over Europe are signing our letter of support - please join. Share it with people you know who care.

 

References

[1] https://peoplesclimatecase.caneurope.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/application-delivered-to-european-general-court.pdf
[2] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=OJ:C:2018:285:FULL&from=EN
[3] https://www.ecowatch.com/european-drought-threatens-harvests-2589844659.html
[4] https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/04/world/europe/europe-heat-wave.html
[5] https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/europe-heat-waves-1.4236629
[6] https://peoplesclimatecase.caneurope.org/plaintiff/family-elter-from-italy/

 

WeMove.EU is a citizens’ movement, campaigning for a better Europe; for a European Union committed to social and economic justice, environmental sustainability and citizen-led democracy. We are people from all walks of life, who call Europe our home whether we were born in Europe or elsewhere. To unsubscribe from WeMove.EU, please click here.