View Online [[link removed]] | Subscribe now [[link removed]]Powered byKnow better. Do better.Climate. Change.News from the ground, in a warming world

By Bhasker Tripathi [[link removed]] | Climate Correspondent

From protest to power

More than 60 nations with almost half the world's population go to the polls in 2024.

Together, these countries are responsible for more than 40% of the world's planet-heating greenhouse gas emissions.

Many are also grappling with the effects of climate change, such as record-breaking heatwaves, floods and drought.

The outcome of many of these polls will impact the future of global climate action, not least elections for the European Parliament this week.

As our Europe correspondent Joanna Gill reports, many of the young climate activists inspired by Swedish school-strike leader Greta Thunberg are now coming of age and swapping banners for ballots [[link removed]] in campaigns from Paris to Prague.

Joanna spoke to Petr Doubravský who was a high-school student when he co-founded the Czech branch of Thunberg's school strike for climate movement [[link removed]] in 2018.

Petr Doubravský Czech Green candidate for European Parliament elections at Brno, University Cinema Scala. December 2023. Petr Doubravský/Handout via Thomson Reuters Foundation

Now 22, Doubravský is running as a candidate [[link removed]] for the Green Party in the European Parliament elections [[link removed]].

"We need to make those who are responsible for the climate crisis pay for it," said Doubravský.

Former school climate striker Lena Schilling is also now the lead candidate for Austria's Greens, while Sybille Douvillez, a climate activist since the age of 14, is standing for France's socialist-affiliated Place Publique.

The elections come at a critical time as EU countries set out Green Deal policies and roll out their 2030 energy and climate targets [[link removed]].

People hold a sign that reads "Be a climate hero and save the world!", as Fridays for Future demonstrate for a social and climate-friendly Europe near the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, May 31, 2024. REUTERS/Christian Mang

One of the world's top emitters, the EU, has set itself ambitious green targets. While surveys show most Europeans support measures to tackle climate change, many people worry about the price.

That has fuelled a backlash against green policies [[link removed]] and political leaders have sometimes caved, for example in response to farmers protests, by rolling back green targets for agriculture and diluting biodiversity law.

Polls suggest right-leaning parties who oppose policies tackling climate change making inroads [[link removed]], with the European Greens, now the fourth biggest bloc in the parliament, slated to slip to fifth or sixth.

In the face of such challenges, whether the young green activists are able to connect with the electorate and break through to mainstream politics, the polls will decide.

See you again next week - while my colleague Jack is on a well-deserved break, I will attempt to fill his shoes.

Until then,

Bhasker

This week's top picks How cities around the world are finding ways to beat extreme heat [[link removed]]

From white-painted roofs to ponds and tree planting, sweltering cities are innovating to stay cool as heatwaves intensify

High heat + big talk: Mexico president hopefuls flunk climate test [[link removed]]

Despite record heat and drought, experts question the electoral ambition of Mexico's candidates when it comes to the climate

Counting cyclone losses, Bangladeshis call for more climate action [[link removed]]

Cyclone Remal's devastation has fuelled calls for the country to ramp up preparations for increasingly wild weather

Read all of our coverage here [[link removed]] Discover more Nature [[link removed]] Climate Risks [[link removed]] Net Zero [[link removed]] Just Transition [[link removed]] Climate Justice [[link removed]] Green Cities [[link removed]] Thank you for reading!

If you like this newsletter, please forward to a friend or share it on Social Media. [[link removed]]

We value your feedback - let us know what you think [mailto:[email protected]].

[[link removed]]

This email was sent to you by Thomson Reuters Foundation located at 5 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5AQ - a registered charity in the United Kingdom and the United States.

If you are not the intended recipient, be advised that you have received this email in error and that any use, dissemination, forwarding, printing or copying of this email is strictly prohibited. If you do not wish to receive this type of correspondence in the future, contact us at [[email protected]] so that we can remove you from this list.

Thomson Reuters Foundation terms and conditions and privacy statement can be found online at www.trust.org [[link removed]].

Photos courtesy of Reuters or Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Manage your Subscriptions [[link removed]] | Unsubscribe from all TRF communications [link removed]