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“Climate politics is approaching crisis,” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said at a climate summit in December. [a] It’s a breaking point,” he said, probably not knowing how close he was. Within weeks, farmers gathered in capitals across Europe, world leaders in decarbonization efforts, to demand greater fairness and transparency in policies aimed primarily at agriculture. In many cities, street commerce was halted due to the rake revolt.
The impact of the protests on European leaders has been swift and surprising in showing how climate politics can be restored to health.
On 25 January, the European Commission launched its first “strategic dialogue” with the agri-food industry to develop a “common vision”. And on February 6, the European Union’s executive arm, the European Commission, slashed emissions reduction targets from agriculture, along with government subsidies for fossil fuels.
Although these latter measures appear to be a setback for climate action, they have resulted in a change in tone that may herald a more effective approach to slowing global warming. Significantly, committee chair Ursula von der Leyen admitted that many farmers “feel cornered.”
“It’s true. The problem has gotten even worse in recent years. Our farmers deserve to be heard,” she said in a Feb. 1 speech. To avoid a “blame game,” farmers need to take the lead in finding solutions to climate change.
She says there is a need to reap the benefits when taking steps to improve the natural environment. “Maybe we don’t make that case convincingly,” she added. “We should trust them more.”
Ms. von der Leyen then spoke about what could best heal the world’s broken politics around climate change: “We need to move beyond polarized debates and create trust. Trust is a critical foundation for viable solutions.”
Her humility to listen, discuss more broadly, and take responsibility for failed policies could help reset faith in Europe’s progress toward a greener future. She said success in combating climate change requires a bottom-up approach, or, in her words, “a willingness to listen to each other.”
With European Parliament elections due in June, he hopes the political debate on climate change over the next few months will be an “important opportunity to ensure public engagement”. She can thank European farmers for that, just as she thanked them for their hard work to produce “the quality food we eat.”
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