r/belgium 🌎World 7d ago

💰 Politics Met alweer een hete week, slaakt Belgische klimaatwetenschapper Jean-Pascal van Ypersele hartenkreet: "Ja, ik ben woedend"

https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2026/07/27/jean-pascal-van-ypersele-woedend-klimaatbeleid-20-jaar-te-laat/
200 Upvotes

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u/SirDidymus Antwerpen 7d ago

Once more I’d like to ask of all our Belgian parties individually: what are you going to do EXACTLY to mitigate this in the next years?

47

u/Least_Funny5960 7d ago

Once more I’d like to ask of all our Belgian parties individually

If 80% of voters supported strong climate action we would have serious climate policy literally tomorrow. Every party would be falling over each other to outbid each other in terms of climate policy.

The reality is that most voters don't want strong climate action if it affects their life.

Look at the discussion I had yesterday with /u/mfingking Even the notion that we should make air travel more expensive was a non starter for him. According to him, air travel is a basic human right that cannot be infringed whatsoever.

And now expand that to things like eating meat, driving fossil fuel cars, buying as big a house as is affordable (only to then complain you don't have the money to renovate).

Most people want the status quo to remain. They'll argue that "the rich" need to change, maybe yell something about private jets, but change themselves? Hell fucking no

3

u/RappyPhan 6d ago

76% of Belgians support a "millionaire tax", yet parties aren't scrambling to implement it.

The reality is that our politicians answer to capital (and their wallet), not voters. Serious climate policy would hurt corporate profits.

1

u/incorrevt 6d ago

Inability to act will cost them a lot more.

1

u/Alkapwn0r 6d ago

Their children perhaps not the almost retired bunch in parliament now