The Green Deal for us is not the future. It is the present that we turn into a better future with every project, every planting, every education.
What is European Green Deal?
As stated by the European Council, the European Green Deal is like the EU’s plan for getting bigger and better. It started in 2019 and has many new rules and ideas. These rules help the EU change to be more environmentally friendly. The main goal is to stop adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere by 2050, so the climate doesn’t get worse.
The European Green Deal is the EU’s big plan to grow and become more environmentally friendly. Started in 2019, it’s all about helping the EU reach climate neutrality by 2050, meaning we want to stop adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.
This plan helps the EU meet its promises from the Paris Agreement, which aims to keep global warming below 1.5°C. The Green Deal wants the EU to be a fair and strong society with a modern economy. To do this, all parts of society and business—like energy, transport, factories, and farming—need to help fight climate change.
Because of the Green Deal, new laws and rules have been made by the EU’s Council and Parliament. These are now being used in every EU country to make the vision a reality.
Importance of European Green Deal
Human activities are making the Earth hotter, and this is changing our weather. We’re seeing more frequent and stronger extreme weather events, which cause a lot of damage to people’s lives and the economy.
The way we currently live and use things isn’t good for the planet; it’s hurting the environment and nature. It’s important to remember that we, and our economy, completely rely on a healthy environment and ecosystems to survive.
Slika A Some facts about Europe and climate.
It’s critical for the EU’s future and the well-being of its people to take action against global warming and to protect nature.
Changing to a “green” way of life will be expensive because it means we need to invest a lot to change how our economy works. However, not doing anything would cost us much more. Experts believe that if we don’t fight climate change, the damage to the world could be as high as 12% of all global wealth by the year 2100.
Main goals of Green Deal
The main goal of the European Green Deal is to make the EU the first climate-neutral place in the world by 2050. This means we want to drastically cut down on pollution and bring nature back to a healthy balance.
Here’s how they plan to do it:
- Climate neutrality: This is about hugely reducing greenhouse gases so the EU can be the very first to not add any more to the atmosphere.
- Circular economy: Imagine an economy where we reuse, repair, and recycle everything! This new model aims to cut down waste and save our resources.
- Clean industry: The EU wants its factories and businesses to be cleaner, more sustainable, and use less energy. The goal is for them to do well both in Europe and around the world.
- Healthier environment: There’s a plan to bring nature back to life and work towards zero pollution. This is all about making sure future generations have a healthy environment.
- More sustainable farming: This means farming in greener ways to protect the environment, while still providing us with healthy, affordable food.
- Climate justice and firness: The Green Deal wants to make sure this big change is fair for everyone. It aims to help the people who might be most affected by these changes, so no one gets left behind.
What Green Deal means to us?
For us – Arteco Pavletić Association from Malin and me as a climate ambassador – the Green Deal is not just another strategy from Brussels. It is a trigger for change, a tool that confirms us as equal partners in the climate and social transition, no matter if we are from the capital or from a village in Slavonia.
Our organization works local, regional, and European. Today, we have two KA210-ADU projects, where partners from Bulgaria and Hungary come to us to learn how to connect art, ecology, and sustainable development in real life – through activities, education, land art, and social business. This model we build in Malin, it goes to other places in Europe.
The Green Deal means to us:
- that our work is not invisible anymore,
- that rural areas can be places for new ideas,
- that a sustainable future is not built only by words, but by people who live it today.
From the Green Deal, the European Climate Pact was born. This is an initiative that anyone can join – student, farmer, artist, mayor, business owner. I joined because I didn’t want to wait for “someone else” to change something. And we didn’t wait. We started projects, trained new climate ambassadors among young people, and built a community that knows, can, and wants.
The Green Deal for us is not the future. It is the present that we turn into a better future with every project, every planting, every education.
The vision we build is simple – but strong:
- That a village is not a word for old-fashioned, but for strong.
- That art does not just make the landscape look nice, but protects it.
- That every person knows they have a part in climate change.
- That fairness, inclusion, and knowledge are not just words – but become real.
If this is not the main point of the Green Deal – then we don’t know what is.
Source
European Council, https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/european-green-deal/
Author: Zoran Pavletić
As an ambassador for the European Climate Pact, I would like to point out that the views expressed in this article are solely my personal views and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission or the European Climate Pact. – Zoran Pavletić
