During and in the immediate aftermath of the European Parliamentary elections, most voters seem to have been preoccupied with what they consider the most pressing issues in their own country, namely the cost of living, immigration and defence.
Since then, it has become clearer that the existential threat of global warming will be partly helped, but also hindered, by the election results.
It will be helped that the two climate conscious centrist groups have an overall majority in the new parliament. Ursula Von Der Leyen, the incumbent centrist leader of the EU Commission, the organisation’s top authority, is a firm believer in the bloc’s ‘Green Deal’ to do all possible to tackle the climate crisis and achieve net zero CO2 emissions as targeted. Portugal is among Europe’s most supportive countries in that goal with the elimination of fossil fuels.
The overall turnout for the elections was just over 50%, about the same as in 2019. In Portugal, only 36.5% of eligible voters went to the polls. It was an even lower turnout elsewhere. This, and the fact that the Green parties did so badly in the elections, will hinder climate activism.
The Greens fell from fourth to sixth overall in the parliament by losing a third of their seats since the last elections in 2019. The loss was mainly in France and Germany, it is thought that the losses were due not only to the big gains by the far-right, but also because many younger voters did not vote at all.
Another setback has been the results for the European Renew party, which lost 23 seats and is reduced to 79, though it is still the third largest party after the two centrist groups.
The shift to far-right populism during the EU elections was particularly strong in Germany and France. It could make it much more difficult o progress with Green Deal policies, which may fizzle though not be ditched
The Green Deal, first announced in 2019, aims to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions levels by at least 55% by2030, compared to 1990 levels.
Climate scepticism seems to have been substantially increasing in Europe in recent years while more attention is focused on worries about the cost of living, in the face of inflation, immigration, especially from the Middle East and other non-EU countries, and defence due to Russia’s aggression.
As summer approaches, we are again going to be challenged by alarming if not cataclysmic temperature rises and associated extreme environmental disasters.
Grim news, but we must face the truth.
Written by Len Port - Photo courtesy of Depositphotos.com
