Climate march in Brussels on 10 November after Valencia floods
Rise For Climate Belgium is organising a climate rally in Brussels on Sunday on the eve of the COP29 climate conference in Azerbaijan, marching in memory of the rising number of victims of recent severe weather in Spain. At least 100 people have been
Rise For Climate Belgium is organising a climate rally in Brussels on Sunday on the eve of the COP29 climate conference in Azerbaijan, marching in memory of the rising number of victims of recent severe weather in Spain.
At least 100 people have been killed in sudden floods in Spain due to heavy rain and Spanish climate and environmental organisation Ecologistas en Acción has said that Spanish policymakers have done too little to set up properly functioning warning and emergency systems, and to inform citizens in time about the impending storms.
Brussels-based non-profit Espai Valencià is also raising money for the hard-hit Valencia region, Bruzz reports.
“We have started a collection and opened an account for that purpose,” Espai Valencià’s Pablo Garrigós said.
“This appeal is addressed primarily to the Valencian and Spanish community in Brussels and Belgium, but everyone is welcome to make a donation.
"The situation there is disastrous. Many villages have been inundated by a veritable wave of water and mud and completely destroyed. Some are still not accessible to the emergency services or the army."
Garrigós is from a village 30 kilometres from the affected region and has been living in Brussels since 2012.
“We are not going to use that money right away yet, right now it is mainly up to organisations such as the Red Cross to provide first aid to the victims,” he said.
“We mainly want to make ourselves as useful as possible and see what action can provide the best help for that moment.
"We are therefore going to contact the local authorities of the worst affected municipalities.
"This is because we want to use the money to support concrete projects, for example rebuilding creches or schools, or supporting badly affected elderly people.
"We will let those projects be determined by the local governments, as they are best informed about the most urgent needs we can help with."
Several Brussels politicians have also reacted to the catastrophe in Spain on social media, drawing connections between the severe weather and climate change.
Foreign minister Hadja Lahbib (MR) and King Philippe expressed sympathy for Spain and the victims on behalf of Belgium and at the European Commission's Berlaymont building, flags were flown at half-mast as a sign of mourning.
The death toll currently stands at 205 victims. Search operations are still ongoing.
The climate march in Brussels on Sunday is intended as a show of support for the Spanish victims and a means of protesting the decision to host COP29 in the oil-producing country of Azerbaijan.
Demonstrators will set off from Brussels-Central station at 14.00 and march towards Place du Luxembourg, in front the European parliament.
“The UN is undermining the independence of the COPs,” the various organisations behind the march said.
They’re demanding the exclusion of all fossil fuel lobbies and their delegations at COP29, saying Belgium and the 27 other EU member states must renew respect for the Paris Climate Agreement by curbing the 405 billion euros in government subsidies for fossil fuels.
The release of environmental and human rights activists imprisoned around the world, including Captain Paul Watson, was also cited as a priority.
Captain Watson was arrested in Greenland in July at the request of Japanese authorities who want to try Watson for his actions against whaling. Watson has since applied for political asylum in France.
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