Romain Poulles, the chairman of the High Council for Sustainable Development (Nohaltegkeetsrot), arrived at the museum with a stuffed elephant under his arm. He placed the animal on the lectern where it remained throughout his speech to represent a big and obvious problem that nobody talks about.
“We urgently need to challenge our economic and social model. As one of the richest countries in the world, should Luxembourg grow exponentially?”, he asked. Through its manifesto “One Planet Luxembourg,” the Higher Council for Sustainable Development is urging businesses and citizens to exert pressure on the political world in this critical year of double elections.
“This is an appeal for our planet, the only one we have. But at the moment, we consume several planets’ worth of resources. Luxembourg’s economic system is quite resource intensive. We need a policy: the government has proposed numerous measures, but we need coordinated action and therefore a united society,” Vice-President Norry Schneider declared.
While Noulles agreed that consumers need to change their behaviour in all areas of life, including transport, food, housing, and consumption, he also stressed that many studies have shown that this impact could only reach a maximum of 15%, and that is if everyone behaves in an exemplary way. “So, peeing in the shower is really not enough; we need other measures, including ambitious leadership that understands the situation and can get us out of it,” Noulles said.
According to the High Council for Sustainable Development, the world lacks coherence, resources, and political courage. Its members are aware that measures to help achieve climate goals are not popular, “but it’s about more than winning elections,” Poulles argued, adding that “when you find yourself in a hole, you have to stop digging, but we keep going and effectively dig our own grave.”
All information on the Council’s initiatives and how to support them is available on its website (in French).
