Caspian Energy (CE): How urgent and topical is the issue of climate change for Belgium and the EU as a whole?
Tinne Van der Straeten, Minister of Energy of Belgium: Climate change affects everything and everyone globally. We are confronted with more extreme weather, wild fires, flooding’s, hurricanes, water shortage, decreased air quality. Climate change has acute effects on food security, natural resources and this has an impact on migration patterns fueling tensions across countries and regions. It’s not excluded that this has a multiplication effect which might have an impact on stability in different regions in the world and imperils peace.
In Belgium, as in other European countries, climate change does already have an impact. Surface and groundwater supplies are stressed in many regions. 2020 was the warmest year on record in Belgium. This year we were confronted with heavy rains and flooding’s due to rain. Large parts of the south of Belgium were submerged, people lost their lives and next to this there is material damage that has long lasting consequences for the people in the region. We did not sit idle but we cannot afford to dismiss what happened and continue business as usual. The Fit for 55 package is just a first step, it is the push we need but we need to think even further. It is about the future of our children. We need to think like statesman who puts a mark on the future.
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