405.1 billion ways to
change our future
405.1 billion ways to change our future
Actions in Austria,
Belgium, Finland
Germany, Italy
Netherlands, Poland
Portugal, Spain
Sweden, Switzerland, UK
and many more to come
STOP FOSSIL SUBSIDIES
The world is on fire and the European Union refuses to take action. Our governments give 405.1 billion euros in fossil subsidies per year in discounts to large fossil companies. For reference, this is ten times more than the amount spent on climate policies (less than 40 billion Euros per year).
That means that large corporations receive tax cuts amounting to over a thousand Euros per EU taxpayer per year. This is endangering EU citizens and residents and must not be allowed.
These subsidies drive fossil fuel prices artificially down, making us believe we are profiting from them. But, the true beneficiaries are the big corporations that every year cash in billions of Euros in profits because of these tax breaks. All this while we are experiencing a cost of living crisis and increased inflation… And above that, the last seven years have been the hottest ever measured.
This has to stop now!
At 12pm on Saturday 6 April we will take on the streets in Belgium, Finland, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. We will all come back on the first Saturday of each month until fossil subsidies are abolished!
We are tens of thousands of concerned citizens: teachers, healthcare workers, scientists, social workers, civil servants and many more.
Stop Fossil Subsidies Now.
Do you want to join one of our upcoming actions on the first Saturday of every month? Please contact your local movement by clicking on their logo below.
If your local movement hasn’t joined yet, please contact us here.
FAQ
Fossil subsidies are the tax credits for companies that use a lot of oil, gas and coal. When you think of ‘subsidy’ you quickly think of money you receive from the government, but tax discounts can also be seen as a subsidy, because they stimulate companies to use oil, gas and coal without repercussions.
While you pay neat energy taxes, companies that use a lot of oil, gas and coal receive enormous tax discounts. Just think of Shell, BP and TotalEnergies and the enormous profits they cash in each year. Whilst every taxpayer in the EU (including you) loses at least €1,000 per year because of this system!
That is unfair.
We could use this money to tackle the housing shortage, pay healthcare workers decently and make all homes energy efficient, instead of giving it to the shareholders of these companies.
In addition, 57 large companies are causing the climate and ecological crisis that the CEOs and shareholders themselves are hardly affected by. Its consequences fall on ordinary people, in the form of climate disasters, famine and extreme weather.
This is currently happening mainly in the Global South, but we are also increasingly feeling the consequences in Europe. In 2023, the drought conditions were so severe that they brought water resources and agriculture to critical states. Wildfires burned 900,000 hectares of land, which is more than 1 million football fields in size. This does not even account for air pollution, a silent killer that is estimated to cause around 10,000 deaths worldwide every day.
No, that will not happen, as long as the money released by abolishing fossil subsidies is distributed fairly.
We have a very clear demand that fossil subsidies should be ended, but with social justice in mind.
By smartly investing the money that is released, for example in better care, making houses energy efficient and free public transport, the life of the average European person will not become more expensive at the bottom line.
Explicit subsidies
Are tax breaks and credits to big corporations.
Implicit subsidies
Implicit subsidies occur when the price the consumer pays fails to include external costs.
External costs include contributions to the climate crisis like greenhouse gas emissions, local health damages (primarily pre-mature deaths) through the release of harmful local pollutants like fine particulates, traffic congestion and accident externalities associated with the use of road fuels.
United for Climate Justice (UCJ) is a platform of all kinds of grassroot and climate movements. It receives support and endorsement from non-governmental organisations within and outside of Europe. As we recognise the need for global climate justice.
Together, we are coordinating the campaign Stop EU Fossil Subsidies.
We base our actions on the scientific evidence of the climate crisis, with civil disobedience serving as our primary tactic. We advocate for rapid and systemic cultural, economic and political change, driven for and by the people themselves.
For press you can get in contact through the following email adress press@ucj.global, for any other inquiries you can get in touch with info@ucj.global.
