2024-01-28 17:05:00
To the tunes of reggae and beating drums, around a hundred Extinction Rebellion activists blocked traffic on Cantersteen, at the bottom of Mont des Arts, this Sunday followingnoon. Under the amused gaze of onlookers, they demanded the end of fossil fuels and asked the government to take strong measures a few months before the Belgian and European elections.
“We ask the Belgian government to gradually stop the use and import of fossil fuels as well as to remove subsidies granted to them,” explains Alena, member of the movement. “The transition to a future without fossil fuels must prioritize justice, access to affordable energy for all and the preservation of nature.”
In 2020, Belgium subsidized fossil fuels to the tune of 12.9 billion euros. “The same year, only 13% of the energy produced in Belgium came from renewable energies. Despite the disastrous climatic consequences they cause, the Belgian government plans to subsidize the construction of at least four new thermal power plants,” she adds.
This was the first action in a series of protests that will continue until the elections. “We all want a clean and fair future, where we and our families can be healthy and safe. But instead of prioritizing health and safety, the Belgian government is investing and embarking on new fossil fuel projects that lead us directly to destruction,” adds Alena.
“With the wave of actions, we celebrate and unanimously support the opinion of the Belgian public, which is clearly in favor of stronger measures in terms of the fight once morest climate change and once morest fossil fuels,” says Xavier. “According to the European Investment Bank, 82% of Belgians consider the climate crisis to be the biggest threat of the 21st century, and 70% of them are in favor of stricter government climate measures.”
Extinction Rebellion activists are often talked regarding for their shocking and sometimes provocative actions. However, no excess was recorded during this Sunday’s action.
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