The news came from Utrecht last night that the city’s municipality has declared a state of climate emergency.
What’s going on here and what’s the emergency?
A motion was passed by the Party for the Animals (PvdD) which gained the majority in the city council. This motion was to rally everyone behind efforts to limit global warming.
Super blij met de demo van @XRUtrecht en @UCN_2030 voor de deur van @RaadUtrecht. En nog blijer dat motie van @PvdDUtrecht om #klinaatcrisis uit te roepen, een meerderheid heeft!! pic.twitter.com/PPjrPJmT7t
— Maarten van Heuven (@MaartenHeuven) July 11, 2019
Utrecht is the third city in the Netherlands to do, following Amsterdam and Haarlem. Globally, international cities like London, Paris, and Sydney have already declared a state of emergency.
Mooi! Utrecht volgt o.a. de steden Amsterdam, Haarlem, Londen, Parijs en Sydney en roept klimaat-noodtoestand uit. PvdD Den Haag pleit hier ook voor, helaas haalde onze motie het net niet tijdens de afgelopen #raad070 https://t.co/gvfoKjN27Z
— PvdD Den Haag (@PvdDDenHaag) July 12, 2019
Haha. Nou daar zal het klimaat weer diep onder de indruk van zijn. Geneuzel op de vierkante micrometer. Alleen maar voor de politieke ego's en de bühne. #Utrecht
— Eduard Bos (@eduard_bos) July 12, 2019
Maarten van Heuven, the council member for PvdD, told NOS that efforts should be made towards transitioning to more sustainable energy, increasing the biodiversity of the country, encouraging diets which are not meat-based, and increasing the accessibility and ease-of-use of public transport (you hear that NS?). He was happy that the motion was passed with a clear majority, with a total of 33 out of 45 seats. GroenLinks, Denk, Student and Starter, PvdA (different from the PvdD! I know, I got confused too), and D66 all voted in favor of the motion.
Their efforts in The Hague have been relentless and will hopefully be realized soon, because we may well be running out of time. Have you been taking steps individually to transition into a more sustainable lifestyle? What have they been? Let us know in the comments below!
Feat Image: Jasmin Sessler/Pixabay
