By Shannon Yong
Post COVID-19 Europe is currently facing a climate crisis, and now faces a dilemma. To concentrate resources on their pursuit of a greener world, or to divert their attention to repairing their economies ravaged by the pandemic? Polarised opinions beset the European Union, where the future of the controversial European Green Deal remains uncertain.
The dire consequences of climate change are evident, having afflicted every member state in the form of heat waves, crop failures and deadly natural disasters. This urgency hasn't been overlooked, with countries like France emphasising the need to act now before the crisis worsens. They propose upholding and further enforcing the Green Deal by investing more into the green transition, cutting down on fossil fuel usage and heavily endorsing renewable energy sources.
On the surface, this is a noble plan that would expedite Europe’s path to long-term sustainability. Yet, attention must also be drawn to the phenomenon of Greenlash – public resentment towards overly burdensome environmental regulations, which range from being bothersome to implement, to posing a great threat to a nation’s economic stability. The economies of many nations like Poland and Hungary are dependent on fossil fuel trade, in which the Green Deal would destabilise once enforced. Others have industries deeply entwined with fossil fuel usage, as seen from farmer-led protests in Germany, where limits on fossil fuel usage in essential farming equipment have led to food shortages and insecurity. Unemployment and recession resulting from the pandemic have only exacerbated these issues, with skyrocketing energy prices and economic crises placing the green transition on the backburner for many EU nations.
To address the Green Deal, Luxembourg has introduced a proposed resolution aimed at restructuring the European Green Deal with added mechanisms for effectiveness and transparency. New opportunities including education and job training are included in the comprehensive plan, in hopes that fossil fuel dependent nations would be incentivised to choose a greener path to prosperity. However, not all countries were convinced by the proposal, with Germany notably criticising the plan as over-ambitious, and believing that its suppression of Greenlash protests as a violation of free speech. Other countries have also addressed the plan’s lack of clarification regarding the source of funding necessary for such measures to be implemented.
As the council disperses for the break, an air of conflict remains in the air, with it being an indication of the fierce dialogue and struggle for a realistic solution to the vital matter at hand.
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