Consultation: | FYEG General Assembly 2021 |
---|---|
Agenda item: | 2 New FYEG Political Platform |
Status: | Submitted |
Submitted: | 07/06/2021, 14:12 |
History: | Version 1 |
PP2-IIInew: FYEG Political Platform - A Sustainable Europe
Political Platform text
3. A Sustainable Europe
The climate crisis is the largest threat facing humanity. FYEG considers the
current economic system of material growth and environmental exploitation as a
root cause of climate change. To stop climate change, we need a shift towards a
democratic economy able to properly address environmental damage, the use of
natural resources and the voices of groups affected (see chapter 4). Without
urgent action, it will jeopardise many human achievements and fundamental
rights, endanger food and water supply, and put many territories at risk.
Climate change is also likely to have important geopolitical consequences.
FYEG considers climate change a real injustice. Those who are the most
responsible for climate change are least likely to be affected by it, whereas
those who are the least responsible will bear the brunt of its negative effects.
FYEG believes it is essential to adopt an intersectional approach highly
critical of capitalism when analysing the causes and effects of the climate
crisis. We advocate for just solutions to the climate crisis that take into
account the racial, gender, class, age, disability, and colonial dimensions of
the climate crisis.
Since the adoption of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change* in 1992,
the Paris Agreement* in 2015, and the declaration of climate emergency by the
European Parliament in 2019, and thanks to the work of many activists and
scientists, awareness of the seriousness of the crisis has grown. But the
actions that have been taken to tackle climate change, including those of the
EU, are still widely insufficient. The world is still on track for an increase
in global temperatures way above 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial
levels*.
The climate crisis is not the only global existential crisis humanity is facing.
The biodiversity crisis is also a reality, the seriousness of which is still
being underestimated. The sixth mass extinction*, resulting from human activity,
is accelerating. Various sources of pollution are still the cause of many
diseases and deaths.
FYEG considers these crises as symptoms of an economic system that relies on
unlimited economic growth, the exploitation of animals and nature. We need to
rethink that relationship and offer concrete solutions to these crises.
a. An urgent and just transition towards climate neutrality
FYEG supports the objective of maintaining global warming below 1.5 degrees
Celsius. Much stronger action is needed to fight climate change, directly
tackling root causes. This implies changing our entire economic system in an
extremely short time altering our production and consumption patterns, in a just
way, for emissions to drop overall. These types of shifts cannot be done by the
market; instead, strong action from the state is needed.
European countries historically holds greater responsibility for climate change
than most parts of the world. This means that European Countries holds a bigger
responsibility to tackle climate change and its worldwide consequences. European
countries and the EU must be the frontrunner in reducing their greenhouse gas
emissions. Countries with the most resources should be even more ambitious and
reach their climate objectives earlier.
FYEG supports the objective of reaching climate neutrality in Europe by 2030.
We encourage EU member states to implement a general tax on greenhouse gas
emissions. The amount of the levy is equal to the damage that the greenhouse gas
can cause per kilogram. In addition, this amount can be higher if it appears
that the objectives are not being achieved. FYEG is also in favour of further
using the European emission trading system by drastically lessen the number of
emission rights.
Europe must also provide support in reducing their greenhouse gas emissions to
poorer countries, including via financial support and technology transfer. It
must also assist them in tackling the effects of climate change, as well as
supporting them in making their societies, their economies, and their food and
water supplies more resilient to climate change. We must also be careful to
ensure that Europe’s path to climate neutrality does not involve externalising
emissions to third countries. Instead, it should aim to reduce the emissions
caused in third countries as a result of European consumption.
Globally, but also within Europe, the transition towards a climate neutral
economy must be socially just. We are concerned about the unequal impact of
climate change and of environmental hazards which often disproportionately
affect poor people and marginalised groups. We need to make sure our response to
the climate crisis does not reinforce existing inequalities. For example, the
extraction of rare minerals needed for this transition should not be at the
expense of the populations of the countries in which those minerals can be
found.
While we believe that technological progress has an important role to play in
solving the climate and biodiversity crises, we are critical of approaches that
tend to overestimate the positive impact of uncertain future technologies to
avoid addressing core issues and engage in systemic change. An example is carbon
capture and storage*, often used as a reason for less ambitious emissions
targets, in spite of the fact that the technology has not yet been fully
developed.
Current mainstream environmental and climate policies do not affect everyone in
the same way. FYEG calls for those policies to be both socially just and to
fight inequalities. We call for support measures for every worker at risk of
losing their job because of the transition towards a carbon neutral economy*.
They should receive help including, but not limited to, having a job guaranteed
and having access to retraining. It is also important to reinforce our social
welfare mechanisms (see chapter 5) and to take into account the gender and
racial aspects of a just transition*. Failure to tackle the climate crisis would
have terrible implications for all, including workers. We should make the
transition a just transition.
b. Energy
In order to meet our climate objectives, a deep transformation of our energy
system is needed.
Europe must phase out all fossil fuels, starting with coal and fracked gas*,
which must be phased out in Europe by 2027 at the latest. Fossil fuels must be
replaced by renewable and emission-free solutions: wind energy, solar energy,
marine energy, , and waste heat recovery*. The production of electricity should
be 100% renewable by 2035 at the latest. Taxpayers’ money must therefore not
finance fossil fuels. The opening or extension of fossil fuel extraction sites
must be prohibited immediately, and existing sites should be closed as soon as
possible. New fossil fuel infrastructure should not be built in Europe. This
includes gas infrastructure.
It is also crucial that the energy gap in certain areas in Europe can be quickly
filled in and that an optimal energy mix across the continent is achieved.
FYEG supports energy democracy and stands for the development of a decentralised
and interconnected energy system. Energy systems should be localised. We support
forms of collective ownership of energy production, such as energy cooperatives.
Networks to transport energy are crucial to enable this transition; they should
be owned, developed, and operated as commons, for example being publicly owned.
The cleanest and quickest way to achieve the energy transition is to reduce our
energy consumption. Efforts should be made to improve energy efficiency, to
renovate all buildings, and to transform the industry. Governments must organise
the renovation and insulation of all buildings by 2030. This would also play a
key role in reducing energy poverty across Europe.
Although nuclear energy* emits less carbon emissions, it raises high risks and
many serious long-term concerns that by far outweigh the benefits and we
strongly take a stand against any attempt to frame nuclear energy as a climate
change solution. These include issues regarding the extraction of uranium*, the
disposal of nuclear waste, the safety of nuclear installations, the security
measures and level of state control required, the huge consequences of potential
accidents, the link with nuclear weapons, the long time it takes to build, the
fact that it does not improve the stability of the electricity grid and the
significant cost, which could much more efficiently be used to pay for renewable
energy sources. Potential solutions such as nuclear fusion* will be unable to
provide a concrete response in time to solve the climate crisis. We therefore
believe that the construction of new nuclear plants should be avoided at all
cost, and that nuclear energy should be phased out as soon as possible across
Europe. The phase-out of nuclear energy should be carried out in a way that does
not endanger climate objectives. European countries should not export their
nuclear technology or build nuclear plants outside of Europe.
We believe natural carbon sinks* such as forests, oceans, wetlands, and
peatlands have an important role to play in reducing the concentration of
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Policies should be adopted to protect and
enhance their potential. On the other hand, technologies such as geo-
engineering* are often presented as solutions to fight climate change, but their
large-scale efficiency remains undemonstrated and their risks remain unclear to
the public. While their full potentials are still yet to be seen, these
technologies should never be used as an excuse to continue the burning of fossil
fuels and delay real climate action.
c. Water, food and agriculture
Water is the backbone of life and agricultural production. It therefore must not
be considered as a commodity. Water sources and resources must be protected from
potential pollution through agriculture, mining, production, construction and
waste disposal. Food is essential to life. It therefore cannot be considered as
a commodity. FYEG stands for food and agricultural policies that guarantee that
every person has access to local, healthy, diversified and quality food.
Farmers and agricultural workers play an essential role in ensuring this right
to food and their own rights should be respected, as enshrined in the United
Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural
Areas*. Farmers and agricultural workers should be able to earn a decent revenue
from their work. We believe in a model consisting of numerous small- and medium-
scale farms, guaranteeing thriving countrysides.
Industrialised agriculture is responsible for substantial greenhouse gas
emissions, massive biodiversity loss, water scarcity, soil depletion, and a
range of public health issues (e.g. antimicrobial resistance*). A transition
towards a form of agriculture which respects the environment, preserves soil,
water, and the climate, and is based on agroecological practices and organic
agriculture is urgently needed. Artificial fertilisers and pesticides* must be
phased out within a reasonable time frame, starting with the most dangerous
(e.g. neonicotinoids and glyphosate). A rapid drop in animal farming and in the
consumption of animal products is also needed with the goal of phasing out
industrial livestock production. Traditional indigenous livelihoods such as
hunting, fishing and animal herding must be procted. In general, we consider it
desirable that as little meat as possible is consumed, taking into account
health concerns and the aforementioned issues. This would improve public health
and animal welfare as well as drastically reduce the environmental impact of
food production. The precautionary use of antibiotics in animal farming must be
banned imediately and the maximum amount of animals held per area must be
drastically limited.
Food systems should be rebuilt on the principles of food sovereignty*,
eliminating corporate capture of food, reducing food waste, prioritising short
supply chains and locally produced food, ending imports of deforestation-driving
products such as soy or palm oil, and making sure that European agriculture is
not exported in a way that harms agricultural systems in other countries. To
achieve this, we need a food production system that ensures environmental and
economic sustainability and food security for all, without endangering the food
security* of future generations. It is of utmost importance to find ways to
guarantee an economically viable system that does not have negative effects on
nature and the wider environment.
To this end, FYEG looks positively towards promising new methods of food
production. Research capacities have to be significantly strengthened and
mainstreamed in order to find ways of reducing the environmental impact of the
food system, while guaranteeing farmers' rights and ensuring decent living
conditions in rural areas. Forms of urban farming such as vertical farming can
offer solutions to provide cities with sustainable food, since they reduce the
use of some natural resources, such as land area and water. Since sustainable
methods of clean meat-production could potentially help the transition to a
vegetarian society, while also coming with potential risks, research into safe,
efficient and environmentally-friendly clean meat*-production needs to be
intensified.
This transition towards a more sustainable and fairer agricultural system
requires changes in the regulatory framework as well as ambitious public
policies. FYEG stands for more transparent labelling, with details of origin,
composition, methods of production, use of pesticides, animal welfare, and
nutritional values. A thorough reform of the Common Agricultural Policy* is
needed, taking environmental issues, animal welfare as well as working
conditions into account in its subsidy scheme. The promotion of sustainable and
plant-based diets should also be encouraged.
GMOs in agriculture have both positive and negative effects. GMOs are meant to
provide better yields, increase nutritional capacity, or be more resistant to
pests and extreme weather conditions. Yet, they can also increase corporate
control through patents, increase farmer dependence on biotech firms, and
threaten biodiversity through increased unforeseen mutations and increased
herbicide and pesticide use. Associated with mono-cropping practices, GMOs make
overall ecosystems less resilient to pests. We believe the use of GMOs,
including new GMOs, should be regulated and subjected to individual scientific
assessments for and by public institutions, concerning all risks to consumers,
farmers, and the environment, prior to authorisation. FYEG believes that
heirloom seeds and the development of agroecology represent a better solution to
the challenges faced by our food system. Moreover, in a world where the amount
of food produced would be sufficient to feed all, increasing yield productivity
is not the only leverage point to reduce hunger. Food distribution, the
reduction of food waste and shifting towards vegetarian diets are all part of
the solution. We firmly believe in food and land sovereignty. Financial
interests must never be placed above the environment and biodiversity, nor above
people.
d. Transport
Transport is responsible for almost a quarter of greenhouse gases emitted in
Europe and is one of the only sectors in which emissions have risen in recent
years, despite important technological progress. Transport is also one of the
main sources of air pollution, which is responsible for the premature deaths of
400,000 people in the EU each year. Changes in both practices and modes of
transport are needed, with a shift towards zero-emission travel a priority.
While keeping up efforts to reduce aircraft emissions, Europe needs to fly less.
This can be achieved by introducing a EU-wide kerosene* tax, and an end on both
the construction of new airports and the extension of existing ones. Train
travel should be favoured over air travel. An effective policy could involve the
phase-out of commercial flights for trips where it is possible to use an
alternative, more environmentally friendly means of transport with a journey
time of less than 10 hours. At the same time, train networks should be further
developed, including the construction of high-speed trains and the introduction
of more night train routes, with the aim of achieving a network of high-speed
lines connecting major cities in Europe. We should prioritise the renovation of
existing train tracks over the construction of new ones whenever possible in
order to minimise the environmental impact. At the same time, existing secondary
lines in rural areas should be maintained and the frequency of their service
increased. Efforts should be made to achieve a 100% decarbonised network by
2035. Travelling across Europe by train should be made easier, for example by
the introduction of a European train ticket system.
For everyday shorter journeys, regions and cities should continue developing
public transport networks as well as safe and efficient cycling and pedestrian
networks. We aim to eliminate the use of private cars in city centres and
residential areas. Comprehensive urban planning* plays a crucial role in
creating socially accessible and ecologically just cities and residential areas
in which people can live, work, and spend free time without having to travel
long distances. Insecurity in public transport which disproportionately affect
women and gender minorities, should be tackled in order to make public transport
really attractive to all. During air pollution peaks, teleworking should be made
mandatory. Rural areas should not be left out: regions should guarantee public
transport solutions, relying on intermodality between cycling, buses, trains,
and private cars. New fossil-fuel vehicles should no longer be available for
purchase in Europe by 2025, and their use should be phased out as soon as
possible. FYEG also supports efforts to introduce fare-free local public
transport throughout Europe, starting with people belonging to vulnerable groups
and young people.
Further efforts should be made to ensure that public transport is fully
accessible for all, including people with disabilities.
e. Rethinking our relation to progress
Technological innovation and new technologies can bring about substantial
positive change in society. Progress in the medical sector, in digital
technologies, in energy production, and in the development of clean vehicles is
crucial to fight the ongoing crises Europe is facing.
Technological progress is not always a synonym for social and societal progress.
We are firmly attached to the precautionary principle, meaning that innovations
should be assessed thoroughly and should be proven harmless for the environment,
human health, and society as a whole before being authorised. Uncertainty should
not be used as a reason to postpone measures to prevent environmental
degradation or preserve public health. New innovations should be open to
scientific and public assessment to determine their potential costs and
benefits.
While we believe that technological progress has an important role to play in
solving the climate and biodiversity crises, we are critical of approaches that
tend to overestimate the positive impact of uncertain future technologies to
avoid addressing core issues and engage in systemic change. An example is carbon
capture and storage*, often used as a reason for less ambitious emissions
targets, in spite of the fact that the technology has not yet been fully
developed.
f. Animal rights
While most European citizens agree that the welfare of animals should be
improved, not a lot is being done. We need to consider animals as subjects and
sentient beings who should be protected from harm, and we should reflect
critically on our place within the animal realm. Animals have rights that should
be respected and be taken into account when transitioning towards a sustainable
and just agriculture and society. We have to provide an appropriate and painless
livelihood especially for animals kept as farm animals.
Animals should not be subject to cruel treatment. FYEG stands for the immediate
ban of the cruellest practices, such as the production of foie gras through
force-feeding*, corrida*, fur farming, dolphinariums*, and hunting with dogs. We
also believe that animals should not be kept in conditions contrary to their
natural behaviours. We believe animals should not be allowed to be kept in a
circus and that zoos should be subject to a much stronger regulation.
Every year, nearly 70 billion land animals are slaughtered worldwide for food.
With the industrialisation of animal farming, the conditions in which farm
animals live have become worse and worse. It is essential to both reduce the
consumption of animal-based products and improve the welfare of farm animals.
Cage farming, one of the commonest forms of industrial animal farming, must be
banned with immediate effect. FYEG defends the small-farm model in which animals
have access to sufficient space, are able to go outdoors, play and interact with
others of their kind. Newly created animal breeds that favour rapid animal
growth but often cause the animal to suffer should also be phased out. Stronger
regulation of animal transport should be put in place, with a ban on the export
of live animals outside the EU.
We support work towards the abolition of the use of animals in research and
support research into techniques that will allow scientists to replace, refine
and reduce the number of research animals they use. We recognise the importance
of animal welfare and the essential contribution that animals have made and
currently make to research that improves human and animal health. We support the
replacement (through methods that avoid using animals such as computer (in
silico) models, in vitro techniques, or human volunteers), refinement (through
improvements to scientific procedures and husbandry that minimise pain,
suffering, distress or lasting harm and/or improve animal welfare, for example,
through improved housing and husbandry and better welfare assessments) and
reduction (through good experimental design and statistical analysis) of the use
of animals in in vivo experiments. We oppose in vivo experiments where research
animals are not housed or treated in a manner in keeping with international best
practice.
Wild animals should also benefit from better protection, with the protection of
wild natural spaces and the stronger regulation of hunting (see g). The Covid-19
pandemic, which likely originated from interactions between wildlife and humans,
is one example of the consequences that zoonotic diseases* can have on
humankind, and has clearly demonstrated the need to take measures to prevent
their development.
FYEG also defends stronger regulation in order to fight overfishing, regenerate
fish populations, and restore marine ecosystems. The use of fishing techniques
with a low impact on the environment should be encouraged, while higher impact
techniques such as bottom-contacting fishing gears, electric pulse fishing*, and
fish aggregating devices* (FADs) should be banned. Small-scale fisheries have to
be prioritised immediately, and measures must be taken to stop the concentration
and industrialisation of the fishing sector in Europe. The rapid development of
industrialised fish farming in recent years must be addressed with the
introduction of stronger regulations on fishing quota, fish welfare and
environmental protection. Activities of fishing companies in fishing grounds of
lesser developed states, in particular African, must immediately end.
Furthermore the EU and European states must end bilateral contracts which allow
European companies to raid African fishing grounds. Instead the EU and European
states should support African State to build and develope coast guards which
have the ability to effectively protect their fishing grounds from foreign
intruders.
g. Protecting our natural environment
Nature should not be regarded as a commodity, as something humanity is separated
from, but as something that it belongs to. Like climate change, nature knows no
borders. We believe it is time that nature be properly recognised and protected.
FYEG supports giving rights to nature that ensure its protection under national
and international law. We want the crime of ecocide to be recognised in domestic
and international criminal law. The most destructive fishing, deforestation,
soil degradation, and mining practices should be banned. We must fight
overfishing. Hunting should be strongly regulated, no longer permitted for
commercial and leisure purposes except for indigenous peoples practising their
traditional livelihoods, and only authorised as a last resort to preserve
balance within an ecosystem.
We support the objective of giving protected status to at least 30% of our
planet’s land and seas, with 10% granted a particularly high level of
protection. The rainforests, coral reefs, Arctic ice pack, and oceans are global
commons, and decisions regarding these global commons should be a global concern
for all. We reject approaches to nature conservation that perpetuate colonial
domination and violate fundamental rights. No one should be displaced or forced
to leave their home because of a nature reserve.
We are on the brink of mass extinction. It is not enough to just protect
ecosystems; we must promote the restoration and renaturalisation of devastated
areas according to scientific criteria. Furthermore, our own human ecosystems,
such as cities, can and must be renaturalised — allowing space for new
ecosystems to flourish.
Across the world, environmental defenders are facing threats and violence, with
many being murdered for their defence of the environment. This is unacceptable.
Defending the natural world is not a crime. Those who threaten environmental
defenders must be prosecuted, and the European Union should grant protection and
offer asylum to those under threat.
The transition to a zero-carbon society might also have an impact on and
conflict with nature conservation. The impact of infrastructures such as wind
farms, hydropower plants, and high-speed railways should be minimised as much as
possible.