Envi­ronment, climate, and energy

The carrying capacity of the Earth should be at the forefront of every policy decision we make. Conserving the Earth should not be just an empty phrase, it is literally a matter of life and death. Our planet provides us with clean air, water, healthy soil, and the resources both humans and animals need to survive.

If we treat it responsibly, a sustainable future will be ensured for the next generations of humans and animals. Only by conducting a powerful environmental policy and changing our consumption behaviour we will be able to remain within the carrying capacity of the Earth.

To ensure a habitable Earth we have to halt climate change and environmental pollution as soon as possible. For this reason it is necessary to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to protect natural resources, and to use our valuable minerals efficiently.

If at this moment each world citizen would consume the same as the average European, we would need almost three globes. The Western overconsumption not only exceeds the carrying capacity of the Earth, but also undermines the position of humans and animals in the poorer areas of the world. They will be affected first and the worst due to the depletion of natural resources, land capture, drought, and flooding. Furthermore, European companies regularly violate human rights and are guilty of serious environmental pollution, often in developing countries.

We want a powerful climate and environmental policy: ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to make energy clean and renewable, and to improve the quality of air and water. The costs of global climate change can be cut in half if we refrain from eating meat, fish, and dairy more often and adopt a more plant-based diet. The worldwide production of meat generates 40% more greenhouse gas emissions than all traffic and transportation combined.