Setting standards for measuring the risk of a pollutant manufacturing process or use of a product was proposed by several manifesto supporters. Another alternative is the use of a 'climate label’ for products which are, for example, produced in climate neutral and using energy efficient processes.

We need to change our consumer habits. According to Carlo Petrini, President of Slow Food, agricultural products should be produced and consumed locally in order to respect the needs of the farmers and the environment.

For MEP Ǻsa Westlund, talking during the seminar “Leading the fight against climate change: a new European green growth agenda”, there is a need to provide people with the right incentives and opportunities, making for them easier to notice the results. In this respect, local and regional governments will have a major role to play.

Renewables
As pointed out by the European Energy association, renewables, combined with more ambitious energy efficiency measures, are the only way for Europe to turn the energy and climate crisis into an opportunity to benefit the welfare of our citizens. Europe has enormously rich renewable energy resources, and European industries are world leaders at turning those resources into energy. There is an opportunity for Europe to take the lead in redefining the rules of the future energy game.

Nuclear

Several participants agreed on the need to change our energy sources as we can expect fossil fuels to increase ten times more than today. However, some were against investing in nuclear power plants, holding that reduction of energy consumption and renewables remain the best option, while others believe that it is necessary a compromise of all energy sources, including nuclear.

Public Transport

Traffic is excluded from Kyoto protocol, but it still produces 20 percent of all CO2 emissions. Therefore, we need to invest in public transportation, in international railroads and in better traffic infrastructure. In this respect, a successful example of what can be done at local level, is the congestion charge introduced in London or the “Metrolink” project in Manchester Region, namely vehicles running on both ‘traditional’, heavy rail lines and tram tracks, in order to solve the congestion problem. The Flying sector should also be regulated as is definitely the most polluting way of traffic and yet it’s still cheaper than ever before.

Combating Climate Change is a matter of survival

Several bloggers recognised the impact of climate change on our health. To reduce the incidence diseases related to climate-change, we should take the following actions:

· Stimulating research and promote environmentally friendly technology within European industries.

· Planting more forests and ensuring more open spaces

· Ensuring high-quality health-care system which secures citizens good and healthy lives from childhood to pension age

Beyond Europe

If Europe is quite confident that they will move all together in the same direction, what about the others? Climate change is a global issue but developed countries bear most of the responsibility. Therefore OECD countries have to help developing countries to decouple economic growth from greenhouse emissions and adapt to climate change phenomena. As highlighted in the WWF debate “EU Climate action : Do 30% NOW!” on 6 May 2008, hosted by Socialist MEP Linda McAvan, there are different possible approaches to prevent carbon leakage coming from other countries such as a “carbon tax” on imports or conditional allocations to industries. However, the better approach seems to be sectoral agreements, cooperation with other countries in specific sectors.

Food crises

The ever increasing use of cereals for biofuel production raises concerns over the impact on food prices and the world’s food stocks. Some participants pointed out that not only biofuels but also financial speculation on commodities have to be blamed for the food crisis. It is therefore urgent:

· to seek and obtain a moratorium on biofuels

· to rethink agricultural policy to help preserve food crops

· to reform our consumption patterns

· to limit speculation on food commodities

Do you agree with Linda when she says this can be a unique opportunity to reach a new international agreement on climate change? Leave us your comments!

Notre avenir, notre unité, notre marché commun sont en danger du fait de la crise énergétique qui, si nous ne faisons rien, si nous ne proposons rien, détruira notre espace commun social et humaniste. Tout ce qui a été crée ou pensé volera en éclat et nous irons vers la guerre de l'énergie, la guerre de la faim et la guerre de civilisation par l'émergence des nationalismes renforcés.

Notre devoir est de proposer une Politique Energétique Commune pour donner, de nouveau, un visage, une âme et une vision pragmatique de l'Europe à nos concitoyens. L'Europe du concret et de la preuve doit être notre credo !

C’est pourquoi je propose de créer une Politique Energétique Commune afin de créer des solidarités solides et concrètes pour limiter l'impact du prix de l'énergie sur nos coûts de production ou d'exploitation afin de proposer des bases saines de concurrence avec des règles précises.

Cette politique doit permettre de sectoriser les ressources énergétiques en fonctions des besoins de tous les acteurs économiques dans plusieurs domaines :

• domaine de la grande industrie : nucléaire, hydrocarbure, éolien, charbon, turbine à gaz de combustion, hydraulique
• domaine du transports : électrique, hydrogène, agro-carburant, solaire
• domaine habitat : solaire, éolien, géothermie, ordure ménagère, bio gaz, hydrogène
• domaine pêche et agriculture : solaire, éolien, agro-carburant

L'Europe doit être indépendante énergétiquement dans 25 ans avec un pétrole considéré uniquement comme une matière première et non comme un combustible primaire. Cette évolution permettra de lancer des programmes de recherche ambitieux soutenus par L'Europe et non le marché uniquement.

Associé à cette dynamique, il faut développer à marche forcée un programme d'isolation de tous les bâtiments neufs et anciens. Un endettement raisonné de l'Europe devrait soutenir cet effort long, difficile mais ambitieux. Parallèlement, l'Europe doit aider et soutenir aussi les pays émergents africains par le développement des énergies non fossiles afin de stabiliser les populations. Notre avenir dépend de nous et non du seul marché.

Claudio Martini, member of the PES Group in the CoR (Committee of the Regions) and President of the Tuscany Region in Italy, put forward his priorities for the PES manifesto! For him climate change is the most challenging topic to be addressed.

Which of the sessions of the PES Group meeting are you looking most forward to?

Claudio Martini (CM): In my opinion climate change is the biggest challenge for government right now and that’s why I am particularly interested in the debate on Save our planet. There is no doubt that we will face very serious problems in the future. I think it is highly important that we not only focus on the environmental problems caused by climate change, but also on the social, economic and geopolitical issues which will follow. Often environmental questions are seen as separate from other political areas, when they are really not. For every policy we need an environmental dimension.

What is the most important thing local government can do to improve the environment?

CM: Local and regional governments play an important role when it comes to solving environmental problems. The socialist political tradition is often much focused on the state – but Europe’s socialists and social democrats should open their eyes to the local dimension, especially when it comes to fighting climate change. Global warming has great impact at the local level: when a flood makes people homeless, it is the local community who has to deal with the disaster first hand. If you look at the Lisbon Strategy of the EU or the UN Millennium Development Goals the role of local government is not prioritized. We need to focus more on the local level.

What do you recommend as the three top priorities for the PES manifesto?

CM: If I were to choose three key words for the PES manifesto I would say water, food and energy. Water is the oil of the future – in many countries, even developed countries, there is a lack of safe and clean water. Regarding food the problem is obvious: right now we experience a crisis with rising food prices and famine in the developing world. Regarding energy we need to come up with an alternative solution to oil – very soon. Otherwise, we will not be able to achieve the Kyoto objectives – and we will fail terribly in saving our planet.

This interview was made during the Turin congress organised by the PES Group in the CoR.

Do you agree with Claudio Martini when he defends that more power should be delegate to local governments so they can tackle environmental issues? And do you think that the local governments have the necessary tools to address this question? Give us your ideas!

The consultation process is close to an end and PES Portuguese activists will hold two meetings on the “Save our Planet” and “Democracy and Diversity” themes this weekend!

Paulo Pisco (PS International department) presented some of his ideas on climate change in Sofia, Bulgaria. Check them here!

Fighting climate change with the right attitude

The seminar on “Leading the fight against climate change: a new European green growth agenda” was held on the 23 May at the headquarters of the SAP, the Swedish social-democratic party.

Mona Sahlin, SAP party leader and PES manifesto theme leader on “Save Our Planet”, opened the seminar by saying that “problems in our society don’t disappear only wanting to, but taking action”. Politics and the market should work together to build strategies for a sustainable future, enhancing investments, public incentives for new technologies and influencing the public. According to her, the EU should go ahead in the fight against climate change promoting a comprehensive directive addressing action to be taken in all sectors, a directive on renewables and EU budget and structural funds to be used in investing in new technologies.

The need for a shift in consumption and production

MEP Linda McAvan, vice-president responsible for climate change in the socialist group, presented the new EU package on climate change, a new set of proposals which will include as the main points an expanded ETS (Emission Trading Scheme) mechanism, directives on car emissions and on renewables. She highlighted the need to take into consideration some controversial issues such as the problems of eastern countries in catching up with the other member states, the importance of making sure that biofuels will not have negative effects on environment and society and that ETS mechanism will not affect competitiveness especially of heavy industries. The second speaker to intervene was Svante Axelsson, general secretary of the Swedish society for nature conservation. According to Axelsson, money has to be used in a different direction, increasing the price of old technologies, so getting a total shift in production and consumption. His main ideas were the introduction of a megawatts trade mechanism working like the ETS system and the removal of the income support provided under the Common Agricultural Policy, in order to use the money saved to support a more sustainable production. MEP Ǻsa Westlund, member of the Environment committee, closed the first panel of the seminar focusing on the problem of communication with the public. She stated that “socialists believe in politics to lead the way in this fight, but it has to be tackled in a fair way, otherwise we will lose democratic support”. It is therefore a matter of providing people the right incentives and opportunities, making for them easier to notice the results.

Sustainable transport in a sustainable Europe

The second panel of the seminar shifted the debate to sustainable transport. Apart from the promotion of new clean cars, it is of utmost importance to include aviation in the ETS system in order to force the sector to cut emissions. According to Carin Jämtin, deputy mayor of Stockholm, cities in Europe will have a major role to play in planning a reliable and sustainable transport system and investing in infrastructures. In this respect, Stockholm and Göteborg policies such as the combination of a congestion tax and the promotion of public transport can be taken as good examples of what can be done.

Since climate change is an environmental, economic and social issue, it has to be tackled from different perspectives at the same time. There are no easy choices, nor easy solutions, but politics has the responsibility of pushing in the right direction.

For more information on the socialist group in the European Parliament and Climate Change click here.

When I helped write the local government manifesto for North Lincolnshire Labour Party I was emphatic about putting in something for the future, in fact many things for the future. This included policies that wouldn't come to fruition until the term after the one we were campaigning to win and consultations that we could turn into policies in the following term.

Hopefully this gives the electorate a belief in a brighter future with which they have some ownership - and I do believe that we should be looking at the Swedish Socialist principle of helping the electorate of Europe have ownership of policies.

Most of these longer term items/policies are big issues or because they are big issues it will take longer for them to be resolved. But if we - European Socialists - don't make a start &/or an attempt then how can we - as a political party - claim to be leaders within society if we can't address some of the more complex issues?

This isn't a list of all the big complex issues, I'm sure others can add more, but I want to make a start before this consultation finishes and hopefully the powers that be will think beyond one term when writing the PES manifesto.

• The Fisheries policy is virtually a failure for Europe. We nearly killed all of the fish in European waters and now we are going to other's waters and factory fishing. To the extent that native fishermen now can't catch anything and are migrating to Europe. A new fisheries policy should include the whole of the sea world, so dredging for minerals, whaling and other sea creatures should be included into one policy review.
• Should the Common Agricultural Policy be used to pay farmers to continue farming in inefficient ways and preserve a way of life, to preserve the rural environment &/or to feed the starving of the world?
• How should European nations state deal with rogue states like Burma, North Korea, Zimbabwe and others?

All of these will need the agreement of nation states, but how they respond to a situation can be influenced by a consultation and review undertaken by the EU.

• A high-quality healthcare system which secures citizens good and healthy lives from childhood to pension age
• Good opportunities for women on the labour market
• Education and training that match employer demands
• Securing the future of agriculture
• Ensuring good conditions for small and medium-sized enterprises
• Improved consumer-protection in Europe

Thanks to everyone who took part in the debate!

Post cards from the PES Women President
PES Women brings together women - MP, MEPs and activists - from PES member parties to discuss and promote gender equality. This week Zita Gurmai, President of PES Women, comments on some of the ideas put forward on Yourspace. This is the last of four post cards from the PES Women President.

• Mona Sahlin, leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party and Chair of the debate on Save our planet
• Linda McAvan, Vice-President responsible for climate change, Socialist Group of the European Parliament
• Åsa Westlund, Member of the European Parliament, Environmental Committee, Socialist Group of the European Parliament
• Svante Axelsson, General Secretary of the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation
• Jos Dings, Director, European Federation for Transport and Environment

Le paroxysme du libéralisme est atteint ! Produire de l'argent à tout prix.

Urgent,

• Il est urgent de demander et d'obtenir un moratoire sur les biocarburants pour permettre de retrouver une cour des céréales permettant l'alimentation de tous.
• Il est nécessaire de repenser la politique agricole pour permettre de préserver les cultures vivrières.

• Enfin, questionner nos modes de consommation pour remettre à sa juste proportion la consommation de pétrole.

Il est urgent sur le PSE condamne ce type de pratique et agisse au Parlement en ce sens !

Je rejoins en ce sens les campagnes de moratoire menées par Jean Ziegler, conseiller spécial à L'ONU et membre du Conseil économique et social et Alain Hutchinson, euro-député belge.

Rather than questioning our patterns of oil dependency and overconsumption, the Western World has thrown itself into exploiting technological progress without much caring for its human consequences. The bet was clearly profitable but what is the human and environmental price of such a policy? Within a year, the price of wheat has gone up by 130%, rice by 74%, soy beans by 87%, and corn by 53%. It is therefore necessary and urgent to recall that the eradication of hunger is the first of the Millenium Development Goals. Only Socialists in Europe can tackle this issue from the right angle: on the basis of the North-South solidarity, putting the human being at the heart of the economy, in the respect of the environment. Socialists are the only ones who can talk about progress under a social perspective and not just a technical viewpoint. A true reform of the common agricultural policy is fundamental, as are a strong will and means to question our consumption patterns and not leave it up to the market to regulate environmental matters. European socialists should be ambitious and Europe must set the example in its policies, its objectives and its financing programmes.

Democratic socialism has been able to respond to new challenges and to a new a state of affairs through equality and social justice. Just as pacifism or feminism were integrated as new elements in the cluster of socialist values, the time has now come to include sustainable development as a central element of our socialist thinking and political practice.

The Left should take into account the consequences of environmental degradation for our planet and introduce solidarity as a fundamental principle in the implementation of a model of sustainable development that is fairer and more responsible. The challenge for the 21st century no longer is to achieve a better redistribution of wealth and fight for equal opportunities but also to respond to the more complex challenge of making the environment healthier both at local and global level. Ecosocialism should therefore be understood as a question of solidarity between and among generations, both in time and space.

A NEW MODEL OF DEVELOPMENT
Europe has paved the way for environmental policies aiming at ‘cleaning up’ the environment. However setting limits to polluting emissions or working on water and waste management is not enough. Even a greater efficiency of plans and programmes adopted in the framework of a preventive environmental policy would not suffice.

Likewise, the creation of Natura 2000 and the adoption of a whole batch of measures for the preservation of green areas and species are not enough to preserve our biodiversity.

It is now urgent to define a new generation of environmental policies that should be mainstreamed in all European areas (energy, mobility, agriculture, industry, RDI, and tourism, etc.) and which should orient them towards an economically sustainable, environmentally healthy and socially fair model of development.

A NEW CULTURE
Consumerism and inefficient production patterns are major obstacles to overcome the present model. After having satisfied basic fundamental needs, the increase in consumption does not lead to greater happiness. New social and economic development goals should be set, which are no longer based on GDP and energetic consumption per capita as “progress” indicators. Welfare should be measured according to new parameters that are based on the true quality of life of citizens, such as the air or water quality, the number of parks and gardens in their cities (or of protected natural areas) or the access to healthcare, education and culture for the whole population.

TRANSFORMING A PROBLEM INTO AN OPPORTUNITY
The present environmental challenge can become an opportunity for progress. Fighting against climate change, mitigating its effects and adapting to the global changes that are occurring can put Europe at the forefront of a new era of social and economic progress. By anticipating measures against climate change, we can decrease its related costs and in addition, it can put Europe at the helm of such strategic sectors as energy or transport.

Find a Spanish version at manifiesto2009.es

Ignacio Henares is a biologist, a PSOE activist and a member of the manifiesto2009.es network.