Declaration
23 July 2021, Brussels – European Coordination Vía Campesina (ECVC) expresses its deep solidarity with all the victims and communities affected by the recent floods in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and Netherlands. We share the grief of all those who are suffering. Our thoughts are with those who have lost their relatives, homes, livelihoods, crops and livestock, as well as with the rescue teams working on the ground and with all volunteers supporting in innumerous ways the victims of this catastrophes. We encourage governments and individuals to provide solidarity-based support to those affected.
Record rainfall rapidly turned small streams into enormous overflowing rivers, devastating fields, villages and cities. Even if many different factors have contributed to these floods, we cannot ignore that global warming caused by climate change increases the likelihood not only of droughts, but also of extreme rainfall.
Despite this evidence, as recently stated by ECVC, we believe that the measures taken for mitigating climate change by the EU and the different European states are insufficient, often misleading and not tackling the root causes of environmental disruption. We are part of a global movement and we therefore demand global actions to halt the climate crisis.
Rural areas are often the one most affected by these catastrophes due to lack of appropriate investment in local infrastructure and specific policies to preserve natural resources in good conditions. In this terrible scenario, ECVC calls for support for those affected by this flooding and for participation in the fundraising campaigns of the different organizations working on the ground.
For example, if you want to know more on how to help in Germany, you can contact Bernd Schmitz, Regional Chair of Arbeitsgemeinschaft bäuerliche Landwirtschaft (AbL) in North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany) – at +49 177 35 65 559, schmitz[@]abl-ev.de.
