grassroots support for climate-friendly
energy as EU leaders seal energy future
9 March 2007
As pivotal debate about Europe's future
energy policy took place at the EU Spring
Council in Brussels, Friends of the Earth
activists assembled to construct a 12 metre
high bright blue and yellow flag right
outside the meeting, demanding that
governments stop climate change, cut energy
waste and choose renewables. The flag
followed the design of the famous EU flag,
but contained symbols for sustainable energy
choices in the golden stars and was formed by
hundreds of people from across Europe,
dressed in blue on a giant frame.
Participants in the action came from
fifteen European countries. A sea of banners
at the base of the giant flag displayed the
slogan "Stop Climate Change. Cut Energy
Waste. Choose Renewables," in multiple
languages.
According to Jan Kowalzig, climate
campaigner at Friends of the Earth Europe,
people across Europe are deeply concerned
about climate change. "They are fed up with
governments protecting the dirty coal and
nuclear industries. Grassroots support for a
fundamental shift in energy policy towards
renewable energy and energy savings was today
thrust right under the noses of the most
powerful politicians in Europe."
Individual stars in the installation -
each 2 metres high - were annotated with
signatures, collected out on the streets
across Europe in the last few weeks.
Thousands of people have endorsed renewable
energy and energy efficiency, calling for a
shift away from energy based on dirty fossil
fuels and dangerous nuclear power.
Each star of the giant EU energy flag
represented a specific demand to EU leaders
as they agree an action plan today that will
govern Europe's energy future for the coming
decades.
* A wind turbine and a sun called for
greater promotion of renewable energy:
Friends of the Earth insisted that EU leaders
adopt a binding target of 25% of primary
energy demand to be met by renewable energy
by 2020, broken down into specific sectoral
targets to stimulate investment in all areas,
such as heating and cooling and
electricity.
* A low-energy lightbulb symbolised the
demand for a greater commitment to increasing
energy efficiency. Friends of the Earth
highlighted that although the EU has
acknowledged that it has the potential to cut
its energy consumption by 20% by 2020, the
summit will still fail to make concrete
commitments to achieve it.
* An anti-nuclear symbol called for a
phase-out of nuclear power. Friends of the
Earth is opposed to nuclear power playing any
role in Europe's future energy policy, as it
is dangerous, sensationally expensive
compared to renewable energy and leaves a
legacy of radioactive waste for hundreds of
years.
* An anti-coal symbol represented the
demand for a phase-out of subsidies for
fossil fuels. Friends of the Earth exposed
the glaring hole in the proposed new energy
policy, which aims to improve the functioning
of Europe's energy markets but does not
address billions of Euros of subsidies to the
fossil fuel industry.
* An anti-oil symbol demanded a reversal
of unsustainable trends in the transport
sector, for example by forcing carmakers to
make more fuel-efficient cars. The action
plan for Europe's new energy policy almost
ignores the transport sector, which is absurd
considering that transport guzzles 70-80% of
foreign oil imports and that the EU aims to
reduce its dependency on foreign oil.
Friends of the Earth also reiterated that
the target adopted by the EU today for
reducing domestic greenhouse gas emissions
should be at least 30% by 2020 compared to
1990 levels. Governments will today adopt
only a 20% unilateral target, despite
recommending that 30% is the level of
reduction necessary to avoid catastrophic
climate change.
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