Luxembourg activists demand climate actions ahead of COP28;
Credit: © Anaïs Hector / Greenpeace
The 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change will be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from 30 November to 12 December 2023.
On the morning of Tuesday 28 November 2023, Greenpeace activists demonstrated in front of Luxembourg’s Ministry of Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development to remind the new Minister, Serge Wilmes, of the importance of decisive action to combat climate change.
The action takes place shortly before his departure for the 28th UN Climate Change Conference (COP) in Dubai, set to take place from 30 November to 12 December 2023. Greenpeace once again called for new fossil energy projects to be stopped and oil companies to be held accountable for their climate-damaging activities.
This year, the climate crisis has once again highlighted the devastating damage it can cause. Europe was not spared, with wildfires in Greece, waves of drought in France, and deadly floods in Italy. "The COP28 must finally take measures that do justice to the scale of the climate catastrophe. Greenpeace Luxembourg therefore calls on the Luxembourg government and in particular the Environment Minister to support our demands at this year's climate conference," explained Frédéric Meys, campaigner at Greenpeace Luxembourg.
The 1.5°C limit for global temperature rise is getting close. The current measures do not suffice to prevent further temperature rise and oil companies are planning new drilling, the non-profit organisation stressed. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reminded in its latest report that any new fossil fuel extraction project will make compliance with the Paris Agreement impossible. However, a study from 2022 showed that 425 new projects for the extraction of fossil fuels are already known, each of which can emit more than a billion tons of CO2. Greenpeace Luxembourg noted that 40% of these projects are still in the initial stages, emphasising the critical need for timely prevention.
Although the fossil fuel industry, the main cause of global greenhouse gas emissions, makes profits, oil and gas companies only contribute 1% of global investment in renewable energies.
At COP27, member states committed to setting up a fund to compensate for climate-related damage worth €100 billion per year. Luxembourg plans to contribute €220 million over five years, a sum that, based on its emissions to date, is well below the Action Solidarité Tiers Monde (ASTM) estimated contribution of an average of €324 million per year until 2030. According to Greenpeace Luxembourg, the Grand Duchy is in a position to make a greater contribution. Therefore, Greenpeace called for the introduction of taxation of profit distributions to the shareholders of oil and gas companies in proportion to the amount of damage caused. In Luxembourg, as in other parts of the world, oil companies use subsidiaries to pay large dividends to shareholders and leave the costs of the damage caused to the public.
"COP28 is crucial to reach an agreement between all states so that we can finally say goodbye to fossil fuels. Luxembourg has a duty to set a good example," concluded Frédéric Meys.
