The renowned young climate activist, Greta Thunberg, will attend Saturday’s blockade of the A12 highway in The Hague, led by Extinction Rebellion (XR).
The protests aim to pressure the government to end tax breaks for companies that use fossil fuels. So why will a big name like Thunberg be present?
Well, it’s a big day. New international actions against such fossil fuel subsidies will be announced, according to XR.
READ MORE | How do the Dutch feel about climate change?
The 37th time lucky
This isn’t the first time the climate organisation has occupied the Utrechtseweg in The Hague. Last September, XR stood their ground every day for almost a month.
Saturday marks blockade number 37 after previous attempts ended in hundreds of arrests. Perhaps it will be “Greta” luck next time?
Spokesman Joost Thus told the XR, “The A12 blockades have ensured that the injustice of fossil subsidies is clear to everyone.”
And there are no signs of slowing down… other than for A12 commuters.
The success of the blockades has “set in motion an international movement” Thus continues. ‘Stop Fossil Subsidies’ actions will take place across six European countries this week.
Why are they protesting?
The blockade calls for a stop to fossil fuel subsidies, which make large-scale fossil fuel use easier and cheaper for titans like Shell, Tata Steel, and KLM in the Netherlands.
AKA, the government’s support of tax breaks making burning fossil fuels more profitable.
READ MORE | Renewable energy in the Netherlands: everything you need to know
In February, the outgoing cabinet presented a plan to phase out these fossil subsidies. However, the XR points out a concerning pattern of postponement.
The abolition of fossil subsidies could potentially be pushed back to 2035. This is a HUGE delay from the original agreement of 2020 made at the G20 all the way back in 2009. 😬
Whether you’ll be lining the A12 on Saturday or not, 72% of Dutchies favour abolishing the subsidies, a survey by the EIB revealed last year.
Time will tell if Saturday’s announcements bring us closer to making this happen.
What do you think of the planned A12 blockades? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Blocking traffic to help amplify the activists’’ voices seems like a good option. If the government is using taxpayer money to subsidize the fossil fuel industry is it also creating an account to pay for moving 18 million Dutch to higher land when the flooding becomes too much? Which country will agree to house all the Dutch, Flemish, Danish, and Northern Germans? Sweden? France? Maybe they’ll have to emigrate to parts of Africa? Seriously, what’s the long term plan for the Dutch? House boats?
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