Victoire Payer
Author
Dear Mrs von der Leyen,
In December 2019, five years ago, you declared your determination "to succeed for the good of this planet and the life it shelters" (external link). You launched the European Green Deal, which became the Commission's roadmap for environmental and social transformation.
Its vision offered a glimmer of hope: climate neutrality by 2050, a fair transition, and the preservation of biodiversity. As you stated, it was " the greatest challenge and the greatest opportunity of our time. ” (external link)
Today, however, the situation is deeply alarming. None of the Green Deal's targets are on track. The ESABCC has highlighted critical shortcomings in the EU's climate neutrality efforts (external link). According to the EEA, “Europe’s nature is experiencing a serious and continuing decline (...) at an alarming rate.” (external link) Six out of nine planetary boundaries have been crossed. Meanwhile, disparities in living conditions between EU residents continue to widen (external link).
We have already lost precious time. Continuing on this path, leaves no future for coming generations, no planet on which life can thrive.
It is time to act with urgency and make sufficiency the overarching principle of all European policy. Sufficiency is not only a solution; it is the foundation upon which a just, liveable future must be built.
This framing defines a sufficiency corridor: bounded on one side by universal well-being, and on the other by the planetary boundaries. It offers a concrete path forward-socially fair and environmentally sound.
This principle will help fulfil the ambitions set for Europe in response to current and future challenges. Indeed, a society grounded in the principle of sufficiency would promote equality, resilience, collective well-being and would address environmental challenges.
A society grounded in sufficiency fosters equality, resilience, and well-being, while directly addressing environmental degradation. It seeks to meet essential human needs sustainably, prioritizing quality over quantity.
Sufficiency has the potential to significantly lower carbon emissions, ease pressure on natural ecosystems and resources, spur the transition toward a better use of natural resources, reduce climate-related costs in the long term and bridge social divides and promote equity.
If you enshrined sufficiency as a guiding principle, Europe could become the first sustainable continent-and you, the leader who made it possible. This is not just a policy shift. It is a legacy opportunity to lay the foundation of a fairer, healthier and resilient European Union.
In closing, I appeal not only to your political leadership, but also to your heart as a mother. Greta Thunberg's words still resonate: “You say that you love your children above all, and yet you are stealing their future right before their eyes. Until you focus on what needs to be done, rather than what is politically possible, there is no hope.” (external link)
Mrs von der Leyen: The future begins with a single choice; make Sufficiency first.