The Luxembourg branch of non-governmental environmental organisation Greenpeace has published its reaction to the State of the Nation address of Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel.
Greenpeace Luxembourg stated that it "applauds" the government's analysis of the current situation but considers the presented measures "insufficient" to combat climate change and social injustice.
"The urgency of the situation, crystallised by increasingly recurrent meteorological events, requires greater action, which is not limited to observation", explained Raymond Aendekerk, Director of Greenpeace Luxembourg. "The measures taken so far for climate protection, the reduction of fossil fuel consumption and personal transport, ecological measures in agriculture, etc. were not sufficiently targeted. Many opportunities have been missed". Mr Aendekerk also argued that current and planned spending on climate and biodiversity protection often depended on money coming from unsustainable sources.
For Frédéric Meys, Campaign Manager of Greenpeace Luxembourg: "Although the word 'responsibility' comes up often, some actors seem to be able to escape their responsibility, because billions are still invested in projects harmful to the climate and human rights through the financial industry or the Luxembourg state pension fund. In addition, the vast tax reform announced has not been carried out except for a few modifications such as the property tax or the tax on speculation".
Greepeace Luxembourg noted that agriculture had gained a little more space in this address with the new land law, which is set to curb the growth in the number of dairy cows, which the non-governmental organisation deemed good for climate, water and nature protection. "Nevertheless, very poor communication and a lack of feasible alternative proposals lead to resistance from the agricultural world", the Greenpeace statement continued..
Quoting the Prime Minister himself, Greenpeace Luxembourg recalled: "Climate change is not inevitable, but time is running out". The non-governmental organisation concluded that the government was headed "in the right direction" but that its actions remained insufficient "given the scale of the emergency in which we find ourselves".
