Protests and pressure: Why are French farmers so powerful? – DW – 02
Dw.ComFeb 27
European Parliament Passes Nature Restoration Bill
Image copyright: Pier Marco Tacca/Contributor/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
The European Parliament on Tuesday voted 329-275 to pass a nature restoration law. If approved by the EU Council, it would set a target for the EU to restore at least 20% of its land and water by the end of the decade.
The law would require member states to restore 30% of specific habitats — including forests, grasslands, wetlands, rivers, lakes, and coral beds — by 2030, 60% by 2040, and 90% by 2050.
The Spin
Left narrative
These farmers have valid concerns, which is why leaders across the continent have been offering more concessions. However, these genuine economic concerns have been hijacked by far-right politicians, who don't want to accept that climate change will have consequences and farming must transition into a modernized, sustainable industry.
Right narrative
Left-leaning, pro-EU media personalities call farmers "far-right" because they want to associate everyone they disagree with with extremist labels to keep dissent at bay. But European farmers, and other citizens, are against these environmental laws because they know the farming industry and their livelihoods will be destroyed.
Nerd narrative
There's a 20% chance that there will be a 5-year period with an average global temperature >3.6˚C warmer than the 1861-1880 baseline before 2100, according to the Metaculus prediction community.