European Parliament Declares Climate Change Emergency

Ahead of the UN COP25 Climate Change Conference in Madrid, the European Parliament has declared a climate and environmental emergency in the continent and across the globe. After a vote of 429 MEPs in favour and 225 against, Europe became the first continent to make this declaration.

It has also urged the EU to submit a strategy to reach climate neutrality as soon as possible, with a deadline of 2050 at the latest.

"The European Parliament has just adopted an ambitious position in view of the upcoming COP 25 in Madrid," said Pascal Canfin, Chair of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, during the debate last week. He added, "Given the climate and environmental emergency, it is essential to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 55 per cent in 2030.”

While the debate was on, some members brought up the environmental impact of having everyone travel from Brussels to Strausbourg, which produces an estimated 19,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions. Reducing the carbon footprint of all member states is not without its challenges, since some countries, like Poland, are still heavily reliant on coal.

"It's about declaring a state of emergency, I would say in terms of climate and environment, but also to act accordingly, to take very concrete actions in line with this emergency. So it's not only declaring emergency it's also acting, taking the right political decisions, having this mindset,” French MEP Pascal Canfin said.

Earlier this year, Britain became the first country to declare a climate change emergency. The leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions is animal agriculture - and a simple switch to a vegan diet can help fight the problem. 

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Read: UK Becomes The First Country to Declare Climate Change Emergency

Read more: Greta Thunberg Wants You To Go Vegan For Climate Change