(Straßburg/05.04.2022): MEP Manuela Ripa from the Ecological Democratic Party (ÖDP) is taking the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as an opportunity to to protect the climate. The politician is very concerned that CO2 emissions in 2021 have risen to the highest level ever reached. level ever reached. However, emissions of methane, which is a much more powerful greenhouse gas than CO2, has also risen sharply. In order to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, only 30 billion tons of CO2 equivalents may be emitted worldwide by 2030. tons of CO2 equivalents may be emitted worldwide by 2030, which would be only half as many than today. The ÖDP politician comments: "How many more wake-up calls from scientists do we need? scientists still need? It's now or never if we want to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The European Parliament has already declared a climate emergency in 2019. But the immediate and strong reduction in emissions that we now urgently need is currently unfortunately not in sight."

The MEP emphasizes that it is not enough technical solutions alone, such as the expansion of renewable energies to stop global warming. Instead, there is no way around a change change our lifestyle. Manuela Ripa mentions agriculture, for example. agriculture. "With a more plant-based diet, we could not only make a significant not only make a significant contribution to reducing greenhouse gas greenhouse gas emissions, but would also tackle the other problems associated with factory farming. associated with factory farming. These include, for example, the nitrate contamination of our groundwater, the loss of biodiversity and the emergence of multi-resistant germs in industrial agriculture. However, the fact that the agricultural industry is now the war in Ukraine to torpedo the urgently needed agricultural turnaround is dishonest. is dishonest and shabby."

According to Manuela Ripa, a similar pattern recently emerged with the federal-state agreement on better moors. These are important for climate protection, as the peat they contain peat stores large quantities of CO2. Most recently, around 53 million tons of CO2 emissions came from drained peatlands. However, strict regulations were torpedoed by torpedoed by industrial agriculture and the German government has caved in to the agricultural has caved in to the agricultural lobby. The MEP is therefore calling for the development a coherent strategy for peatland protection and an ambitious EU renaturation law at EU level. EU renaturation law. Unfortunately, the EU Commission postponed its planned presentation for such a law at the end of March. Lobby organizations are trying to the war in Ukraine and an alleged threat to "security of supply" in order to prevent environmental "security of supply" to prevent environmentally friendly legislation.

The MEP is convinced that a decelerated lifestyle with lifestyle with fewer greenhouse gas emissions can even increase the well-being of the population. can even increase people's well-being. "The 'more and more' and 'further and further' thinking in our society thinking in our society has not led to increased satisfaction among people. satisfaction. On the contrary: more and more people feel stressed and have psychological problems. However, if we let go of cherished status symbols and habits, we will realize that this is also an opportunity," says the MEP. opportunity ," concludes the MEP.