Whether in France, Ireland or Germany, Green parties are gaining ground in Europe. Even when they don’t make inroads into national governments, the planet wins, writes DW’s James Jackson.
The world is currently in the grips of two era-defining crises. The coronavirus pandemic is affecting us every day, restricting our freedoms and damaging our economies. But the other crisis, the one rapidly heating our planet, could have even worse effects. This May was the hottest month ever recorded, and parts of the Arctic recently saw temperatures of 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit). Even though there’s little talk of Fridays for Future anymore, Green parties and policies are finally getting closer to government across Europe.
The French Greens just won a historic victory in mayoral elections in major cities like Marseille, Bordeaux, Lyon and Strasbourg, and the Socialist mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, was re-elected on a platform of making the congested city a bike-friendly Amsterdam sur la Seine. Indeed, France’s three largest cities all now have Green-backed mayors. Macron responded by pledging a hefty €15 billion ($16.9 billion) for climate change measures. That’s pretty impressive for a party that only won its first mayoralty in 2015.
