Tens of thousands urge climate action at Brussels demo

On October 11th, tens of thousands of people gathered in Brussels, Belgium, to march through the city's streets and demonstrate at the headquarters of the European Union. The main purpose of the event was to demand more aggressive action to address climate change, ahead of a crucial United Nations summit scheduled for next month. Recent heatwaves across Europe have raised concerns about the effects of human-induced climate change on the continent.

Delegates from various countries will attend the upcoming summit in Antalya, a Turkish resort town, but there are low expectations for any significant breakthroughs. This is largely due to the United States withdrawing from the process under President Donald Trump and waning momentum in Europe.

Economist Etienne de Callatay, who attended the march, highlighted the widespread concern among the population, not just the protesters. He urged politicians not to be deterred by potential electoral repercussions and to take bold steps on environmental matters. Aurore Schreiber, a representative from a development cooperation NGO, attended the protest with her family to ensure that politicians heard the message from citizens, particularly young people and the most vulnerable.

Schreiber emphasized the need for greener, fairer supply chains that consider workers' rights and wages. The police estimated the number of participants in the march, which is part of a series of similar events in Brussels, to be around 45,000. Following a disappointment last year in Brazil, the European Union is setting lower expectations for next month's COP31.

With the United States withdrawing from negotiations, international efforts to combat global warming have faced setbacks. Additionally, surging energy prices have strengthened the position of major oil and gas producers, making them less inclined to discuss phasing out fossil fuels.

The EU maintains its position as a global leader in climate action and remains a primary international donor in the field. However, the bloc has recently weakened its own environmental legislation, and is struggling to compete with China and the United States. As a result, Brussels has pursued a more business-friendly approach, such as proposing to delay the implementation of a law targeting methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas, by a year.