Press Release
Brussels, 27th August 2024
Climate and social justice movements across Europe are coming together with a demonstration in Brussels, on October 5th. Over 30 groups are joining together as United for Climate Justice (UCJ) to demand an end to fossil fuel subsidies. Ahead of the new legislative cycle and the installation of the new European Commission, UCJ demands that the incoming Commissioners take immediate steps towards ending fossil subsidies.
Totalling over 405 billion EUR in 2023 in Europe, and 7 trillion USD worldwide, the subsidies continue to support fossil fuel and undermine other efforts to tackle the climate crisis. Often in the form of implicit subsidies such as tax breaks and rebates, EU fossil subsidies doubled in 2022. These subsidies may also be directed towards investments in fossil fuel infrastructure in the Global South, prolonging entanglement in the fossil economy.
“We are mobilizing across Europe, and Brussels will be the focal point on October 5th,” Dr Angela Huston Gold, spokesperson of UCJ added. “Europe is now the fastest warming continent. Climate collapse is not a distant threat and the window of opportunity to avoid the worst consequences is closing fast. The EU declared a Climate and Environment Emergency in 2019, but all the emissions reduction targets are about to be missed. We will be in Brussels to demand Europe’s leaders to end fossil subsidies now.”
Last year, Europe saw close to 50,000 heat related deaths. Extreme weather events have also led to loss of homes, shocks to supply chains and additional wide-ranging economic impact are to be expected.
Huston Gold: For decades, the Global South has been bearing the brunt of the fossil fuel economy’s devastating effects —ranging from environmental degradation, deaths and health crises, to a vicious cycle of debt traps that rob countries of their future. Today, Europe is experiencing the repercussions of the same fossil economy. As the climate crisis accelerates, the need for urgent action becomes undeniable. UCJ draws on support from different movements to ensure a more sustainable and equitable future for all.
Despite Promises, Urgent Action Needed
In the Netherlands, Extinction Rebellion began blockading a highway in protest against fossil fuel subsidies in 2022. By October 2023, the majority of the Dutch house of representatives voted for a motion to work out the phasing out of fossil subsidies. During COP28, the Netherlands created an international coalition, alongside Austria, Belgium, Spain, Ireland, Finland, Antigua and Barbuda, Canada, France, Denmark, Costa Rica, and Luxembourg, to phase out fossil subsidies globally.
However, despite these pledges, no further steps have been taken and policy notes are increasingly omitting plans to phase out fossil fuels and related subsidies. In April 2024, UCJ launched its first Europe-wide campaign with decentralized actions across the continent followed by mobilizing hundreds of activists to Brussels in May. Ahead of the European elections in June, the organization coordinated more decentralized climate actions across Europe, including eight blockades in Germany alone. The upcoming protest on October 5th is expected to draw close to a thousand participants, underscoring the growing momentum against fossil subsidies across the continent.
Open call on September 5th to join the action
An open call for climate and social justice movements will take place on September the 5th. Join the Stop Fossil Subsidies Telegram group, or visit the website for more info.
What is United for Climate Justice (UCJ)?
United for Climate Justice (UCJ) is a platform of climate and social justice movements. It receives support and endorsement from non-governmental organisations within and outside of Europe.
Together, they are coordinating the Stop Fossil Subsidies campaign grounded in scientific evidence of the climate crisis, with civil disobedience serving as their primary tactic. They advocate for rapid and systemic cultural, economic and political change, driven for and by the people themselves.
