Thomas Waitz and Mélanie Vogel, co-chairs of the European Green Party, react to the wildfires on the Greek islands, the severe storms in northern Italy and the wildfires in Palermo:
"The far-right Meloni government is not reacting fast enough, neither to the emergency nor to the structural policies. They are very silent about these tragedies, or call it “bad weather”, as in Prime Minister Meloni’s tweet. Right-wing parties like to talk a lot about protection and security. But today we see that they don't protect their citizens in these tragic circumstances".
"Conservatives and right-wing parties often pretend that climate change is something 'far away'. But with these temperatures and disasters, the fight against climate change is nothing less than a fight to preserve the conditions in which men, women and children can live. The planet's fire alarm is sounding. It is not just about nature. It is also about us. It is not something 'far away'. Climate disasters are happening on our doorstep".
An alliance of the European People's Party and the far right, including right-wing MEPs from Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Greece, tried to kill the Nature Restoration Law in the European Parliament on 12 July. In June, French President Emmanuel Macron and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, called for a 'pause button' on climate policy.
Thomas Waitz and Mélanie Vogel react: "What is their response to the people suffering from the heat, floods, storms and wildfires in Europe? 'Pausing' climate policy is irresponsible and dangerous. If politicians really want to help the people and the firefighters, we must press the 'fast forward' button on climate and nature policy. So that today's children can live a happy life without having to fear climate disasters,' Thomas Waitz and Mélanie Vogel conclude.
