Sara Matthieu is urging leaders to invest heavily in ambitious climate adaptation legislation. She argues that every euro invested today in nature restoration will save us billions of euros tomorrow in damage repair costs. Reacting to the European Environment Agency (EEA) report, the Green Party MP called on the European Commission to immediately cease undermining environmental legislation.
“If you look at these figures, what’s needed is even more ambition. The report painfully exposes the cost of stagnation to all of us: higher energy bills, greater economic damage from floods and forest fires, and nature that is collapsing at an increasingly rapid pace. Europe is failing to address the decline of nature and the consequences of climate change. And our families and businesses are literally footing the bill. I call on the Commission to immediately halt the omnibus laws that are gutting environmental legislation.”
Climate Adaptation and Nature
The bill for climate disasters is exploding. Between 2021 and 2023 alone, €162 billion in taxpayer money was spent on damage repair. At the same time, the European Commission wants to cut back on nature restoration and is phasing out the LIFE budget that finances nature restoration in Europe.
“That’s madness,” says Matthieu. We need to do just the opposite: invest heavily through an ambitious climate adaptation law. Because every euro we invest in nature restoration now will save us billions of euros in damages later. More trees on your street means lower air conditioning costs, less flooding, and healthier air for your children. Nature restoration isn’t a luxury; it’s the cheapest insurance available. But adaptation alone isn’t enough. Without drastic CO₂ reductions, bills will continue to rise, damage will increase, and problems will escalate.
Groen
Circular economy
Buying and throwing away remains the dominant approach; we recycle barely 12% of our raw materials. “That’s shameful,” says Matthieu: “With an ambitious circular economy law that reduces our resource consumption, we must establish strategic independence from China and other third countries. This will also create massive jobs in recycling and repair. Europe must stop using stopgap measures and finally create a strong legislative framework. Less dependence on imports from countries with authoritarian regimes, more domestic production, and more jobs in the recycling industry—that’s what circularity delivers.”
Renewable energy
70% of our energy is fossil fuel-based, which means higher energy bills for families and businesses, the report states. Matthieu: “Europe can never compete with America on fossil fuels, and we’ve learned the hard way how vulnerable we are due to our dependence on Russian gas. The report shows that we’re still massively subsidizing fossil fuels. That has to stop. Those billions need to go towards renewable energy: solar panels on every roof, offshore wind farms, energy storage. That lowers households’ energy bills and makes our industry competitive. Because cheap, reliable energy determines whether companies stay here or leave.”
