Chiara Martinelli is the Director of Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe. Chiara has more than 16 years of experience in the development cooperation sector, which began as a volunteer in Benin, West Africa, working on a project for the socio-economic promotion and empowerment of women.
“These elections are again like a crucial test for the European climate action.”
– Chiara Martinelli
In this episode, Julia Wiklander speaks with Chiara Martinelli about the climate impact of the EU Elections. Chiara clarifies some of the EU processes, the European Green Deal and the confusion of an industrial deal and a New Green Deal.
Chiara Martinelli emphasizes the importance of science. She speaks about the strength of people’s pressure and positive progress that is a result of climate movements.
“The European Green Deal represents an unprecedented effort of the European Union in trying to address the climate emergency. We need to be very clear that as climate movement, we made that happen.”
– Chiara Martinelli
Chiara continues to speak about the two democratic threats facing Europe right now – and the risks of going backwards. She encourages citizens to go and vote, and to use our democratic right to vote for our future.
CAN Europe is Europe’s leading NGO coalition fighting dangerous climate change. With over 200 member organisations active in 40 European countries, representing over 1,700 NGOs and more than 40 million citizens, CAN Europe promotes sustainable climate, energy and development policies across Europe. CAN Europe is the regional node of the global alliance CAN International.
Learn more from CAN Europe’s work on the European Elections
Ahead of the EU Elections, CAN Europe has put together a Scoreboard that evaluates members of the European Parliament. The scoreboard gives points, at a national party level and at a group level, based on votes in the Parliament over the past five years. Parties have been labeled Protects, Procrastinators or Pre-Historic Thinkers. This tool is meant to help voters understand the climate impact of the EU Elections and make informed decisions as they vote.
The CAN Europe Manifesto lays out a detailed plan for a fossil-free, socially just and climate-neutral union. The manifesto encourages the EU to scale up action to deal with the Climate Emergency. It also urges the EU to deliver a fossil free, 100% renewable based energy system, reorient the economy to deliver a socioecological transformation within planetary boundaries and to strengthen democracy and civic participation.
This episode is a part of a new series of the Hey Changemaker! Podcast called In The Deep End. In this series, Julia Wiklander speaks with experts who will help us understand the world, its systemic issues, and unveil the truth about what equality, rights and justice really mean.
