Finnish Grandparents for Climate sent today a letter to the Minister of the Environment and the Prime Minister regarding the EU Emissions Trading System.
Dear Minister of the Environment and Climate Sari Multala and Prime Minister Petteri Orpo,
Next week, EU environment ministers will negotiate, among other things, the reform of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS).
We, The Finnish Grandparents for Climate together with our European umbrella organization, The European Grandparents for Climate, are deeply concerned by reports of attempts to weaken EU climate regulations.
Any decisions made by the environment ministers now, will have long-term consequences, affecting the lives of our own children and grandchildren — and indeed all children and grandchildren across the globe.
If regulations governing the Emissions Trading System (ETS) are relaxed, for instance, EU emissions will rise, and climate targets will slip further out of reach. The scientific community is already warning of the accelerating pace of climate change and biodiversity loss, as well as the harmful impacts these have on us and future generations. There is no room for backtracking in climate action.
In recent years, “competitiveness” has been used to justify many measures where benefits are calculated in the short term while the resulting burdens are left for future generations to bear. This is irresponsible and shortsighted.
Attached is a letter from European climate advocacy groups appealing to you. Through The European Grandparents for Climate, The Finnish Grandparents for Climate is a member of these international bodies.
Act responsibly!
The petition’s key messages include the following:
- The emissions trading system must be ambitious and predictable; it must not be weakened!
- Calls to dilute the emissions trading system often come from actors reliant on fossil fuels. Weakening the system would penalize pioneers of the clean transition and lock Europe into an outdated industrial model. Responsible and forward-looking decisions make it possible to direct investments toward new, clean energy production.
Sincerely,
Matti Nummelin
Chair, Climate Grandparents
Link: Joint open letter to EU Environment Ministers on the revision
of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS1)