We offer concrete solutions to build a safe and healthy future in light of the climate crisis.

We urge Belgian and European leaders to dare to face the truth and act accordingly to guide us collectively toward a world where the opportunity for a happy life, to provide one’s family with a comfortable job, to nourish oneself with healthy food, to be in good health, to live in a pleasant environment, and in a world where cooperation and sustainability are at the heart of our concerns.

Nadia Cornejo, Vice President of the Climate Coalition.

Demands for the Climate March 2025

Belgium is thirsty for investments in climate and society.

Another historic heatwave. Another Europe in flames. Once again, concern over water levels. And always: yet another winter that too many of our fellow citizens will have to endure in poorly insulated homes, on crowded busses, in neighborhoods where the air is polluted.

Our country needs a wave of social and sustainable investments. Yet, the climate plans of our governments remain dramatically insufficient. Cuts to international climate aid are a true shame, budgets for a wave of social renovations remain laughable, and resources for a healthy environment are nowhere to be found.

Every tenth of a degree matters. Every euro counts. And in the meantime, we continue to pamper the major polluters, with Belgium spending billions of euros each year on subsidies for fossil fuels.

Worse still: the timid progress of recent years is now facing unprecedented threats. In Europe, short-sighted industrial interests are leading the charge against climate and environmental policies. Crucial advancements for a viable planet are once again under threat – with the support or silence of Belgium. Such a setback would be catastrophic.

Our country, like the rest of the continent, has the resources and skills to do better: to prevent the planet from burning further and to ensure that the strongest shoulders bear the heaviest burdens. The current trajectory is unacceptable.

Six demands: 

Belgium, it is time for a true climate ambition. 

The Climate Coalition marches to demand that Belgium uphold its commitment to the Paris Agreement and comply with the judges’ ruling in the Climate Case. As time works against us, we want our country to protect its citizens and ensure a viable future for all. This requires the adoption of ambitious goals, translated and implemented into concrete measures at the national, European, and international levels:

• In Belgium, governments must achieve a 55% reduction in their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030, in accordance with the judges’ ruling in the Climate Case. This -55% target should be the benchmark for the ambition outlined in the National Energy Climate Plan (NECP), which needs to be established as soon as possible since our country has been lagging since June 2024.
• On a European scale, during the upcoming climate ministers’ meetings at the ENVI Council, Belgium must support the goal of reducing European GHG emissions by -90% by 2040. 
• At COP 30 in Brazil, we expect Belgium to sit at the negotiation table with a strong position aimed at drastically reducing the curve of global emissions. The work ahead is substantial and must be addressed collectively, first by setting a strong target for 2035 as the European Union and by contributing our fair share to international climate financing.

A just transition as the cornerstone of climate policy.

The Belgian climate plan currently lacks a clear strategy for a just transition. This is problematic: those who contribute the least to the climate crisis – such as people living in poverty – are suffering the most severe consequences. Inequalities, gender, racism, and other forms of discrimination further exacerbate this vulnerability. On a global scale as well, low-income countries are largely not responsible for the crisis, yet they bear the brunt of its effects, such as floods and droughts.

A just transition is therefore essential. It must ensure that the shift towards a climate-neutral society does not lead to greater inequalities, but rather offers new opportunities. This requires a socially just climate policy and the active participation of groups that are too often sidelined today.

This notably involves:

• A plan for employment and training for workers, leading to green and decent jobs;
• Ensuring that no one is left behind, for instance by investing heavily in affordable and efficient public transport, energy-efficient social housing, and collective renovation programs;
• Addressing the root causes of inequality and poverty through, among other things, fair and progressive taxation, education, employment, housing, and healthcare;
• An international climate finance system where the strongest shoulders bear the heaviest burdens, so that low-income countries can truly confront the climate crisis.

Eliminate subsidies for fossil fuels

The gradual elimination of the €15 billion in subsidies for fossil fuels is crucial for a successful climate transition. Each year, public money is spent fueling the problem rather than being directed towards solutions. For today, billions are directed towards the problem instead of the solutions. Favorable prices for gas and oil for industry amount to about €4 billion, another €4 billion for company cars and fuel cards, and excise tax exemptions for kerosene and maritime transport totaling €1 billion. The levers for action are clear; it is now time to seize them.

We call on Belgium to:

• A legally anchored phase-out plan for fossil subsidies, with protective measures for vulnerable groups. 
• Combat the numerous exceptions and subsidies for fossil fuels in energy taxes. 
• Eliminate tax loopholes such as salary cars by providing equivalent compensation.

Fair fiscal levers: the big polluter pays!

We are calling for a tax reform that applies the polluter pays principle and ensures that those with the broadest shoulders contribute their fair share to generate the necessary resources for investing in the transition. Specifically, we are asking for:

• The establishment of a minimum effective corporate tax rate, along with a permanent mechanism for taxing the excess profits of fossil fuel companies, which could particularly be used to finance the losses and damages of the communities most affected by climate disruption and to insulate the homes of the most vulnerable individuals.
• A strengthening of the progressivity of the tax system, as well as a globalization of income (wages, capital income, etc.), and an exemption for low incomes.
• An effective wealth tax applied to large fortunes.
• The implementation of a tax on recurrent air travel. 
• Making the receipt of tax benefits and other subsidies for companies contingent upon the adoption of a climate plan aligned with the Paris Agreement and a just transition plan negotiated with workers.

Protect the rules that safeguard people and nature.

European, Belgian, and regional authorities are tackling crucial legislation: from the protection of natural areas and the proposed ban on PFAS (“forever chemicals”), to transparency regarding companies’ environmental and social policies.

Essential laws for the protection of human rights, climate, biodiversity, and public health are being weakened, delayed, or even eliminated, without genuine public debate or transparency. While polluters enjoy open doors, the space afforded to citizens and civil society continues to shrink. 

What is presented as “simplification” is, in reality, a political choice that prioritizes profit over well-being. And the price to pay is steep: slowed climate action, regressing social rights, increased inequalities, and diminished democracy. Meanwhile, sustainable companies are calling for clear and stable rules.

No one emerges victorious from this dismantling—except for a small group of actors clinging desperately to outdated fossil models. Belgium must, along with other member states, put a stop to this drift.

• European legislation must rely on the best available knowledge, on transparent procedures, and on stakeholder participation, rather than on opaque negotiations behind closed doors.
• Establish rules that work in practice: provide clear explanations, ensure adequate oversight, and involve citizens, unions, and civil society organizations in policy-making.
• Choose not deregulation, but laws that protect people and the environment: with strong rules regarding social security, workers’ rights, climate and environment, privacy, equal treatment, and health. Also take responsibility for the damage caused outside of Europe – such as pollution related to mining or toxic substances affecting other countries.
• Ensure that companies are held accountable: make the rules more transparent, facilitate victims’ access to justice, and firmly combat abuses.

 Making nature an ally 

The fight against biodiversity loss is a crucial lever to limit climate disruption, mitigate its effects, and tackle the other major societal challenges associated with it in terms of socio-economics, health, and food security. Yet here at home, less than 5% of natural spaces are in good ecological condition, and the resources to restore nature are dwindling like snow in the sun.

• We call on public authorities to invest in nature, our greatest ally in the face of climate disruption. Public investments are necessary to restore and protect 30% of the land and marine areas of our country. To limit the pressures on nature and allow it to reach its full potential, we must also curb land artificialization and support farmers in their transition to more nature-friendly agriculture.
• The right to nature must be guaranteed by ensuring access to nature for everyone according to the 3-30-300 rule (see 3 trees from each home, 30% canopy cover per neighborhood, a green space within 300 meters).
• Traduit avec Neurooo.com