It was only two years ago when, during the Paris Climate Conference, we displayed our first giant Sun in Paris to demand that our world leaders tackle climate change by replacing dirty fossil fuels with clean renewable energy.
With world leaders finally agreeing on historic steps to protect the climate, the sun became a symbol of those promises and the symbol of our battle for a healthy, renewable future.
Last June, we marked the beginning of Summer with a sun in Barcelona to remind our leaders of their Paris promises. Another Sun also rose in Croatia to make sure the world remembered the potential of solar energy.
Last week, peaceful activists turned iconic public spaces in Europe into giants suns. They appeared in Hungary and Romania, from Bulgaria to Slovenia, and all the way to Brussels.
This week, 65 activists from five countries unfolded a giant banner just outside the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels. It said, “Go solar!”. This was the latest sun to shine in Europe and call upon EU leaders to throw their weight behind renewable energy and to abandon dirty fuels, like coal.
Our leaders in the EU are currently deciding the future of our energy system by reviewing a wide range of legislation on renewable energy policy, fossil fuel subsidies and the design of the electricity market.
This means they could decide to stick to the old, dangerous and outdated energy system by pouring billions of euros of our money into dirty fossil fuels. Or they can invest in clean, sustainable, healthy renewable energy.
With so much renewable energy at our disposal, it is important we remind our leaders to make the right choice and commit to a cleaner future for our planet and our health.
Ordinary people, cooperatives and small businesses are ready to take part in the energy revolution, by producing energy from wind, water and sunlight.
We met some of these people and only few weeks ago we took their message to the members of the European Parliament.
But right now, we need your help to really make sure our voices are heard and that Europe becomes the symbol of a new energy era in the fight against climate change.
#RiseUp with us and sign our call to Europe here and don’t forget to share this Facebook video with your friends and family!
Cristiana De Lia is an Engagment Strategist with Greenpeace Central and Eastern Europe