Credit: Greenpeace Luxembourg/ Schëppe Siwen

On Wednesday 31 July 2024, on the occasion of its 40th anniversary, Greenpeace Luxembourg joined forces with Schëppe Siwen, a Luxembourgish punk-folk band, aiming to raise awareness among the general public about the importance of protecting and restoring nature and forests.

As part of this collaboration, Schëppe Siwen and Greenpeace Luxembourg will launch a limited edition of 200 vinyls produced from recycled materials this September. The production of these vinyls will be ensured by the German company "Matter of Facts", recognised for its commitment to sustainable development. The vinyls feature the song "D'Welt Brennt" (the world is burning) and can be pre-ordered through the Schëppe Siwen online shop.

The funds raised from the sale of these vinyls will be donated in full to the organisation to support their campaign projects aimed at protecting forests, biodiversity and the climate. The non-profit organisation will also have an awareness stand during the concert to launch Schëppe Siwen's new album, which will take place on 9 November at the Atelier club (and is already sold out).

Greenpeace noted it has been committed to the protection and conservation of nature and more specifically forests around the world. Even small countries like Luxembourg, for example, are becoming complicit in deforestation in South America or Indonesia, by importing and consuming products (soy, corn, rubber, wood, palm oil, coffee or cocoa) from industrial agriculture, the main cause of the destruction of forests around the world.

However, while the EU regulation on deforestation, adopted in May 2023 and aimed at reducing the impact of European consumption, is a first step towards respecting international commitments on climate and biodiversity, these rules do not cover financial flows that contribute to the destruction of ecosystems. Since the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015, European banks have lent around €256 billion to companies that risk destroying forests, savannahs and other climate-critical natural ecosystems, Greenpeace added.

Faced with the climate crisis and the drastic decline in biodiversity, Greenpeace emphasised it is calling on the Luxembourg government and the EU to review the legislation and “put an end to financial flows aimed at the destruction of nature and to direct financial flows towards supporting the restoration of ecosystems and the transition to more resilient and ecological agriculture”.