Wednesday, 16th October 2019

Climate action is number one priority in GUE NGL. It is not a stand-alone fight: it includes struggles for decent jobs, high living standards for everybody and gender and racial equality. GUE NGL oppose those policies that subordinate safeguard of biodiversity, essential natural resources for life and common goods as water, energy, air, clean environment and good health to forces of profit seeking. We claim an immediate engagement for a substantial increase of climate action in the short term aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to almost zero and to improve the CO2 removal capacity of natural sinks within two decades. IPCC reports in October 2018 and the recent one in September 2019 on the state of Oceans and Cryosphere are our last alarm bells for stopping mass human and environmental destruction caused by human-induced climate change. Our group is fully involved in and supports all demonstrations ‘Friday for Future’ and youth movements. Could be next UN Fighting Climate Change Conference in Santiago de Chile an effective turning point as claimed by millions of people in the world?

Simultaneous interpretation in EN, FR, DE, ES, PT, EL, CS, FI

PROGRAMME

Welcome speech by Manon Aubry Co-Chair of the GUE NGL Group

14.45 Introductory remarks by Anja Hazekamp, GUE NGL MEP

14.50 First panel:  The COP 25 challenges, the recent SDG commitments by the UN and youth movements, chaired by MEP Nikolaj Villumsen

Petros Kokkalis, GUE/NGL MEP

Wendel Trio, Director Climate Action Network Europe

Charoula Kafantari, Member of the Hellenic Parliament, Greece

Lynn Boylan, former GUE/NGL MEP in COP 24

Silvia Pastorelli, representative Extinction Rebellion

Susann Scherbarth, Climate Change Friends of the Earth Campaigner

Idoia Villanueva Ruiz, GUE/NGL MEP

16.50 Second panel:  Safeguard planet biodiversity against forest fires and unsustainable trade agreements, chaired by MEP Joao Ferreira

Mick Wallace, GUE/NGL MEP

Mikel Otero Gabirondo, EH Bildu Member Autonomous Parliament

Freek Bersch, Campaigner of Milieudefensie, Friends of the Earth Europe

Vasiliki Grammatikogianni, journalist, Greece

Jouni Nissinen, Finnish association for Nature Conservation

Nikolaj Villumsen, GUE /NGL MEP

After each panel a public debate will be open to all MEPs, participants, campaigners from NGOs, civil society representatives, political party guests.