More than 20,000 people participate in climate march in Brussels, European Commission building defaced with red paint: “We are all committed to a better climate policy” | Brussels

As usual, the march was organized by the Climate Coalition, a coalition of a hundred NGOs, trade unions and citizen movements. Last year, according to the police, more than 25,000 demonstrators descended on Brussels. This year there were 20,000 according to figures from the Brussels Capital Ixelles police zone. From the Pol Bury fountain near Brussels North Station, the participants left around 1:15 PM towards the Cinquantenaire Park in Brussels, where speeches and music performances followed.

_{(Read more below the photo)}

This edition, one important message in particular stood out: ‘every tenth of a degree counts’, according to the Climate Coalition. According to the coalition, the ‘rumbling in the margins’ must come to an end. In the first nine months of 2023, the average temperature on our planet was 1.4 degrees Celsius higher than in the years 1850-1900. This is less than the 1.5 degree Celsius upper limit, as agreed in the Paris climate agreement of 2015. According to the Climate Coalition, every tenth of a degree of warming is crucial to keep the consequences of global warming within limits, in terms of human rights, energy supply, food production, biodiversity and more.

_{(Read more below the photo)}

“The dramatic consequences of the climate crisis can be seen all over the world, but also here, as in recent weeks in the Westhoek,” says Zanna Vanrenterghem, vice-chairman of the Climate Coalition. “The UN climate summit COP 28 must ensure that world leaders actually realize their climate commitment.”

“We demand that Belgium and Europe finally work on thorough insulation of our homes, more and better public transport, less pollution, better air quality, more nature and the sustainability of our industry,” she says. “We need a master plan for the climate. Our governments have been condemned for violating our human rights with weak climate policies. The climate crisis is extremely urgent. That is why a coherent approach is needed with measures such as a stop on fossil subsidies.”

“I don’t know exactly how many people are here now, but there are hundreds of organizations here. I see the trade unions and various human rights organizations next to me. We are all committed to a better climate policy.”

_{(Read more below the photo)}

Renske (9) from Wilrijk is participating because she believes that global warming is a major problem. “The problem has been going on for so long now,” it sounds. Moreover, Renske has a good solution ready. “We could all live in a tent,” she laughs.

There was a lot of traffic disruption due to the climate march. The city still recommends avoiding the area around the Cinquantenaire Park, the North Station, the Little Ring, the Wetstraat and the Koning Albert II avenue. If you have to go to Brussels, it is best to take public transport.

PORTRAIT. Who is Sultan Al Jaber, the oil baron who promises to save our climate? (+)

CO2 underground abroad, that has never happened before, Yara Sluiskil is the first (+)

▶ “By 2050, all homes must have an EPC label A”: but what does that value actually indicate? (+)