Environmental news and views

13/05/2025

Coverage from Italy on the attacks on NGOs, including a range of quotes from me to help debunk some of the myths. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1ASkiCUbWd/

https://www.vita.it/lattacco-alle-ong-dellambiente-serve-a-indebolire-la-democrazia/

«𝗟’𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗹’𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲? 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗮»
All'Europarlamento si continua a discutere di "lobby green", anche se le notizie di presunti finanziamenti occulti si fermano a gennaio, subito sgonfiate dall'assenza di fondamento. Per le associazioni ambientaliste, i continui attacchi mirano al taglio dei fondi, in particolare del programma Life. E adesso anche le ong che si occupano di salute rischiano tagli, perché «non dovrebbero fare advocacy». Per Patrick ten Brink, segretario di Eeb, la più importante rete ecologista europea, il vero obiettivo è indebolire la società civile, il Green deal e, in generale, colpire la democrazia. «Per reazione, sempre più persone si stanno rendendo conto di quanto importante è il ruolo dell'associazionismo in Europa», aggiunge.

Leggi l’articolo di Elisa Cozzarini
👉 https://www.vita.it/lattacco-alle-ong-dellambiente-serve-a-indebolire-la-democrazia/

10/05/2025

Reflecting on the changing world order and what Europe can do about it:

In these dangerous times, the EU must lead with vision, democracy, and solidarity to prevent conflict and climate collapse.

07/12/2024

Our joint letter of European civil society organisations underlining our fundamentally constructive and essential role in European policy making, balancing the industrial lobbyists and helping strengthen democracy. Attacks on civil society unfortunately growing.

In light of questions raised in the European Parliament’s Budgetary Control (CONT) Committee on EU funding of civil society, the undersigned organisations hereby wish to stress that civil society engagement is not only essential for Europe’s future, strong public participation and the resilience...

08/10/2024

I got convinced by our amazing Gen Z comms team here at the EEB to read a script full of the new slang (?) (new English?). If you want to have a laugh at the results have a look:

97.9K likes, 570 comments. “Patrick blink twice if you are okey”

11/07/2024

The battle of narratives for what will be priorities for the next 5 year political cycle continues in Europe. I choose the narrative of hope. I choose (and, admission, helped develop) The European Pact for the Future that pushes for a green and social deal for a one-planet economy. Have a look and if you like it, sign it. Every voice, whether organisation or simply yours, counts. Commission President-elect Ursula von der Leyen will present her vision at 9am on the 19th of July at the EP plenary and the vote should be around 1 o'clock. Sign The Pact and we have a greater chance to have an agenda of hope.

The European Pact for the Future fosters hope and courage, opens opportunities, creates wellbeing for all, catalyses competitiveness through sustainability and drives the needed transformative system change for a sustainable future.

07/05/2024

Joint OpEd with Ester, Chiara, Ariel, and William of WWF, CAN Europe, Birdlife and Transport & Environment calling for the triple climate biodiversity pollution crises to be recognised as a priority for the next five years https://www.euronews.com/green/2024/05/03/mayday-mayday-eu-overshoot-day-signals-an-sos-for-the-european-green-deal #:~:text=The%20consequences%20of%20our%20ecological,droughts%2C%20floods%2C%20and%20wildfires.

Hiding our heads in the sand and pretending the current climate and nature crisis could be paused in order to promote competitiveness, surrenders the vision for Europe to a vocal and regressive minority, Ester Asin, William Todts, Ariel Brunner, Chiara Martinelli, and Patrick ten Brink write.

13/04/2024

2 years window to take the needed decisions to avoid catastrophic climate emergency unfold - and the first key decision has to be to strengthen the EU's strategic agenda being drafted by heads of state. See friday's TV panel discussion on Al Jazeera https://twitter.com/tenBrinkPatrick/status/1779084959426195841?t=KaaM6QLvPOgIARjweYLGrA&s=19
https://youtu.be/VVdYBnQgsr4?si=Fa7_SijWcjCD60Tj

12/04/2024

The EU's Strategic agenda discussions going the wrong way and need fixing; see my thoughts on why and what:

The emerging strategic agenda for the next EU mandate reveals an ecological step backwards Europe cannot afford to take.

05/10/2023

The Granada declaration will signal whether Europe’s leaders can rise to the climate, biodiversity and pollution crises.