Choose your future!
This year's European Parliament elections are crucial for the climate. On June 9, you can vote for a fair and just climate transition.
EU elections June 9
- an election about the climate
We are currently in the midst of a burning climate crisis and people around the world are already feeling its consequences. The European Parliament elections on June 9 are a crucial election for the climate. The Parliament elected now will set EU policy until 2029 - a year before many of the targets and milestones of the EU's climate goals and the 2030 Agenda are due to be met. Despite this, several of the parties in the EU are campaigning to slow down the EU's climate work. As a Swede, a vote in the EU elections is the biggest impact you can have on the climate. It is more important than ever to vote.
Why should we care about what the EU does?
EU decisions affect countries both inside and outside the Union. Today, temperatures in Europe are rising twice as fast as the global average - threatening Europeans' livelihoods, health and our ecosystems. Already, heat-related deaths are increasing. The EU is also a major emitter. Historically, EU Member States and the UK have been the second largest emitters globally (the US is the largest emitter) and even today, per capita emissions are disproportionate to the EU's share of the world. The EU is a major contributor to the climate crisis and therefore has a major responsibility to curb it.
What can I do?
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Cast your vote! Voting in the EU elections is your, as a Swede, biggest opportunity to have a positive impact on the climate. Your vote for a policy that slows down the climate crisis and generates a just climate transition is vital. We have a responsibility not only for ourselves but for future generations. You can find information on how to vote on the Election Authority's website.
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Bring a friend! We all have a responsibility to vote for a fair and equitable climate policy, but turnout in the EU elections is unfortunately lower than in national elections. In the last elections in 2019, only 55% of all eligible Swedes voted. So bring a friend, neighbor or someone in your family and vote! Your vote can make all the difference.
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Do your homework! It can be difficult to know which party or candidate to vote for. To help you, you can read the parties' election manifestos, but also reviews from organizations such as the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation and WWF. Based on these reviews, there are three parties in Sweden that are slowing down climate work in the EU: the Conservatives, the Christian Democrats and the Sweden Democrats. The other parties want to either increase the pace of climate work or maintain the plans already in place.
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Get involved! Do you agree that rich people should take more responsibility for solving the climate crisis? Then sign the European citizens' initiative Tax the rich. The initiative would impose a wealth tax on the richest people in the EU and use the money for a fair and equitable climate transition. One million signatures across Europe are needed for the European Commission to consider our proposal.
Sign the petition for a European wealth tax!
In East Africa, the world's largest humanitarian crisis is unfolding. More than 28 million people are fighting for their lives due to extreme drought, conflict and unaffordable living costs. Bishara lives in Kenya and is one of those affected.
Climate inequality in the EU
The EU is a major emitter, but within the EU there is also great climate inequality. We know that:
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The richest 1% in the EU emit 61 tonnes of CO2 per person per year. Their emissions are 14 times higher than those of the 50% with the lowest income and need to be reduced by 93% by 2030.
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The richest 10% emit 22 tons of CO2 per person per year, which is 8 times more than the sustainable limit. Their emissions must be reduced by 88% by 2030.
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At the same time, a person from the 50% lowest income group in Europe emits only 4 tons of CO2 per year. But even that is too much, the sustainable limit is 2.8 tons per person per year.
At the same time, those with the lowest income will bear the brunt of the consequences of the climate crisis.
Ethnic minorities, indigenous peoples, low-income groups, migrants, LGBTI+ people and pregnant women are more affected by climate-related health impacts. The risk of dying from heat is twice as high among women compared to men, and low-income people are more likely to suffer from food insecurity.
It is therefore crucial that we implement a fair and equitable climate transition, where those most responsible for the climate crisis also take the greatest responsibility for solving it.
What does the future look like?
Right now, we are heading towards a temperature increase of 2.7 degrees by 2100. This means that:
- Around 100 000 people die in Europe every year from heat.
- Half the Mediterranean region suffers from drought for five to six months of the year.
- 1/3 of endemic species on land and about half of those in the oceans are at risk of extinction. Endemic species are those that can only live in a specific area.
- Marine ecosystems are at risk of collapse due to warming, oxygen depletion and ocean acidification.
- There is a high risk of crossing tipping points, with ecosystems such as the Arctic or the Amazon melting or drying out.
- Global food production is significantly reduced.
If we can jointly vote for a parliament that wants to speed up climate work, we can hopefully avoid many of these consequences.
The Diyala River is one of the main tributaries of the Tigris River. Local agriculture depends on its waters. In recent years, it has dried up with devastating consequences for agriculture in the area. Photo: Paula González/Oxfam
What does Oxfam want?
Oxfam Sweden calls on our future EU Parliament to:
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Tax the richest! Address the twin crises of inequality and climate by introducing a European wealth tax. Then the very rich can take responsibility for their excessive emissions and this money can be used for welfare and to reach climate goals. Oxfam has calculated that a European wealth tax on European billionaires and multimillionaires would generate €286.5 billion a year - equivalent to 40% of the EU's recovery fund.
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Introduce a consumption-based target at EU level of net zero by 2050. The emissions currently used as metrics for meeting climate targets are territorial emissions only, but consumption-based emissions are 15% higher than territorial ones.
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Provide more support for climate adaptation in the Global South! The global fund to compensate countries for the damage and losses caused by the climate crisis is insufficient. The EU has so far contributed USD 27 million, not nearly enough in proportion to its historical responsibility for emissions.
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Stop subsidizing fossil fuels! Rich countries are most responsible for global warming through their excessive historical emissions and must stop producing oil and gas. New financial resources generated from taxes on corporations, rich emitters and billionaires can instead be used to finance renewable energy sources.
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Make new laws! We need legislation that puts pressure on member states to implement ambitious climate action plans faster. We also need to ensure support for those who have the hardest time in the transition. The action plans must be based on the fact that those who emit the most must also reduce their emissions the most and the fastest.
More about the climate
Join the fight for an equal and just climate transition!
Oxfam produces groundbreaking research on the causes and consequences of the climate crisis, we support people affected by climate change and we demand that those in power take responsibility. With your support, we can do even more. Become a monthly donor today.
