Overview of campaigns around Europe

Overview of campaigns around Europe

The following text presents an overview of the progress that the 18 countries involved in the Big Ask campaign are making towards climate laws.

For more information, please contact info@thebigask.eu or follow the links to the Big Ask around Europe.

Austria
The proposal for a climate law is included in the Austrian coalition agreement, and the federal environment minister has mentioned several times that he is in favour of such a law. This means that all major parties and the government support a law. The federal government and Länder (states) are currently negotiating the content of the law. The Big Ask campaign is lobbying to ensure that this is a strong law with ambitious annual emission cuts, supported by the federal government and Länder.

Belgium
The coalition agreements for the newly elected Brussels and Walloon governments both include the proposal for a climate law, as well as medium and long term emission targets. The federal environment minister also supports the idea of a climate law, and has introduced a law proposal to the federal council of ministers. The Big Ask campaign is building public pressure for a strong and socially just law through a series of activities including a film clip made with award-winning film director Nic Balthazar in 2008, and a follow-up clip made in 2009.

Czech Republic
The Big Ask campaign has already managed to secure the support of the Green party (currently members of the governing coalition) and the opposition Social Democratic Party to include the 2% annual reduction target in manifestoes for the upcoming elections. A similar demand is included in the manifesto of the Christian Democratic Party. A law proposal has been submitted to the parliament by a cross-party coalition of MPs. The Big Ask has also received significant support from prominent former political figures and celebrities. The campaign is working with Environmental Law Service to increase enforceability of the law, and preparing for the parliamentary elections in Spring 2010.

Denmark
The United Nations “COP15” climate conference was held in the Danish capital of Copenhagen in December. The Danish campaign for a climate law used momentum created by the UN talks to gain support for a law proposal from the opposition Radikale Venstre (liberal party) and Enhedslisten (red-green alliance) opposition parties. The law proposal is currently supported by over 20% of MPs and has been debated in Parliament.

England, Wales, Northern Ireland
The Big Ask achieved a major victory in November 2008, when the groundbreaking Climate Change Act became law, due to massive support from the public and celebrities such as Radiohead front-man Thom Yorke. Friends of the Earth is now following the implementation of the law, to ensure that it is strong and socially just. The campaign is focussing particularly on opposing offsetting of carbon emissions as a potentially dangerous loophole in the law and for the finance to implement the necessary cuts.

Finland
The Finnish government foresight report has announced the desire to study the feasibility of a climate law. The campaign continues to build momentum, working with a growing number of activists and local groups to hold face-to-face lobbying meetings with members of parliament, and organising actions in Helsinki and across the country. A 4,000 strong "human flood" action in September 2009 has led to support for the climate law proposal from the head of the Finnish negotiation to the UN climate talks in Copenhagen.

France
The law resulting from the “Grenelle de l'environnement” was passed in July 2009 and includes a target of 75% emission reductions by 2050 and annual emission reduction targets, although there is no compliance mechanism. The law also includes targets for building efficiency and transport, although there are some omissions such as consumption norms for building renovations.
Friends of the Earth France joined the Big Ask campaign in spring 2009, and have focussed on securing a strong French position in the climate negotiations at the international and European level. They brought several hundred activists to Copenhagen.

Germany
The Big Ask campaign in Germany has focussed on building support through speaking to members of the public at events such as the Radiohead concert in Berlin in 2008, and the Energy Union tour in 2009. Friends of the Earth is also campaigning for a strong and just agreement at the UN climate negotiations, and was active in Copenhagen in December 2009. BUND (FoE Germany) is working to oppose a number of "false solutions" to climate change, has managed to stop a Carbon Capture and Storage law passing through the German Parliament. It has halted the construction of 2 new coal power plants due to resistance of local groups.
FoE Germany is preparing events for the UN climate conference in Bonn in June 2010.

The proposal for a climate law is firmly on the political agenda in Hungary, and the Hungarian parliament adopted a landmark resolution on 22nd June 2009, setting out the content for a national climate law, focussing on reducing the total consumption of fossil energy, and increasing energy security. On 21 January 2010, the National Council for Sustainable Development adopted the final version of the framework bill (with 40% emission reductions by 2020 compared to 1990). The bill was submitted to the Parliament in February and debated in March 2010, but was not adopted due to lobbying from industry. It wil be debated again following the elections in April 2010.

Ireland
Climate legislation is to be drafted by the Irish government, after the Green party-Fianna Fáil coalition agreed on the need for binding legislation to govern climate change policy. This move follows intense lobbying by the Big Ask campaign. An opposition climate law proposal has already been submitted to parliament. The campaign will focus on lobbying as the law proposal passes through the legislative process, and building public pressure to ensure that potential loopholes in the law (offsetting and the exclusion of ETS sectors) are closed.

Italy
The campaign in Italy has focused on implementation of the EU target of 20% energy efficiency, and calls for this target to be increased to 30%. This is necessary to avoid the shift to nuclear power, and to allow the money to be invested into renewable energy and the transformation of the economy.

Netherlands

A coalition of 30 organisations proposed a draft Climate Bill in 2008, but it has not been possible to achieve a majority in parliament. The Dutch Minister of Environment proposed measures which would result in a legally binding climate policy in 2010, however the collapse of the government in 2010 means that discussion on the law wil be delayed until after the election in June 2010.

Malta
A climate law proposal submitted to parliament in February 2009 by the opposition environment spokesman was not successful, but the campaign continues to lobby the government on climate strategy, and build public support for binding national legislation on climate change.

Scotland
The Big Ask in Scotland achieved a major victory in June 2009 when the Scottish Parliament adopted a climate change law with targets for 42% emission cuts by 2020. The law, which complements the UK-wide legislation adopted at the end of 2008, sets ambitious medium and long-term targets for emission reductions, and is binding on all government departments and local governments. It includes aviation and shipping emissions, and limits the amount of reductions that can be offset. The campaign drew significant support from members of the public and celebrities.

Slovenia
The adoption of climate law was incorporated in the governmental coalition's agreement and subsequently put in the government’s legislative program for 2009.
Currently, the first draft of climate law is already prepared. The Big Ask will follow the further legislative process closely to make sure the law incorporates the main demands (mid- and long-term emission reduction goals, annual reduction targets, effective compliance mechanism).

Spain
The Big Ask campaign in Spain is building public support for the idea of a climate change law, working with the Spanish climate coalition to introduce the concept of nationally binding climate legislation into public and political debate. The EU Presidency in the first half of 2010 gives some opportunities to promote an agenda for climate justice.

Sweden
Sweden has adopted a number of laws which deal with the response to climate change. The most recent law, adopted in 2009, is very weak. It contains no annual emission targets, and an unacceptably high level of offsetting.

Young Friends of the Earth Europe
Young FoEE is a grassroots network of young people and youth organisations working together on social and environmental justice issues. We work collectively on a local, national and European level, to inspire other young people, organise great actions and events and get lots of attention in the media, in politics and amongst the general public on what we think as young people in Europe.
In 2009, the ‘Act Now’ campaign was lead by the Young FoE Climate Team. This group of 30 young people from 15 different countries from across Europe followed the international and European politics on climate change and took action at a national, European and International level.