Collective action hindered in Europe -- Conservatives are taking power
Collective action hindered in Europe -- Conservatives are taking power
Source [https://www.politico.eu/]
An unhealthy obsession with blocking immigration into Europe has fueled right-wing conservative parties. This xenophobia ultimately culminates into stifling climate action. We are now more dependent on individual actions.
Of course, climate change is one of the main drivers of future migration so this is very counterproductive.
Especially since south of the EU the countries are both poor and are going to be hit hard by climate change. Just picture Egypt without the Nile.
I'm going to fucking puke 😊...
So many people worried about immigrants... well... only the brown immigrants really...
I'm so sick of right wingers.
At the same time the EU has a number of laws worth protecting. The carbon market with no offsets is a good tool to go towards zero(-61% of certificates compared to 2005 for a good part of EU emissions and another system with lower goals covering transport and heating). Ban of sales of new fossil fuel cars by 2035 is also a good policy. Those policies are worth defending and that is possible, with the council having to vote on it. Realisticly as long as two out of Germany, France, Italy and Spain are still for them it is possible. So please France make sure to not elect Le Pen in the next election on the 30th.
Also there is some good news on the country level. Poland a massive polluter, which has so far done a relativly bad job in climate matters has shifted conservative, which is good since they used to be far right. Orban also got some more serious competition is Hungary.
However this is bad news. The EU parliament was probably the most pro climate parliament in the world calling for some truely progressive laws. It is really sad to see that gone.
That being said more on the ground action is needed. Local politics and so forth are good options. The EU is probably not going to enact pro climate laws for some time.
I actually voted radical left this time. Not because I'm a commie, but because they were the only party left that I could use as a "protest vote", which is what MOST of the far right's votes are. People (well, most of them) aren't clamoring for a ridiculously rigid right-wing society, they just feel completely ignored on the topic of immigration, and that ONE issue is going to be the death of the EU and all of us down the line. (the conflict about it, not the immigrants themselves).
Since we didn't even have a radical left running this time, I picked an ordinary social democrat. One whom I've met and talked to, and who seems a reasonable person... and is already a MEP. He will narrowly continue to be a MEP.
As for priorities - the transition to a sustainable economy is indeed on the back burner currently. I like to imagine that everyone knows it must happen and soon - but maybe I over-estimate people.
The local hot topics this time were economic crisis and war.