The “Mouvement écologique” (Méco) is using the ongoing heat wave as an opportunity to issue a clear warning to the government. The environmental organization wrote in a statement on Thursday that these were the hottest days ever recorded at this time. You shouldn’t wait until the child has fallen into the well.
The situation contradicts the words of the Minister of State. In his national holiday speech, Luc Frieden (CSV) wished for a life that respected the boundaries of the planet. According to the association, Luxembourg is far from that.
According to Méco, evidence of this can be found in the EU country report 2026, which gives Luxembourg a poor rating on several points. Between 1980 and 2024, the Grand Duchy recorded around 1.4 billion euros in losses due to weather and climate-related extreme events. When it comes to water quality, the country faces the greatest challenges of all member states. It is also particularly hard hit by surface sealing.
Collective responsibility
Individuals can make a contribution. But the public sector has to set the course. This has not been done sufficiently in the past. It had been foreseeable for a long time that extreme weather would increase. Luxembourg had not prepared for this.
The “Mouvement écologique” is therefore renewing its demands. Instead of continuing to subsidize fossil energies, as was decided at the Tripartite, the country must get out of them and accelerate the heat and mobility transition. The Ministry of Health is also getting rid of its fat: the Santé should not reduce its role to a “plan canicule”. The national resilience strategy has so far only addressed ecological issues marginally. These must become a priority. The climate adaptation strategy must also finally be implemented. The previous one was hardly worth more than the paper it was written on.
The eco-activists are also calling for more rapid greening of the towns. Every community needs a green plan. The association rejects the planned reform of the nature conservation law because it would lead to further loss of green spaces. There would also be a reform of agricultural policy, the renaturation of landscapes and more resilient forest management. Financially weak households suffered particularly from the heat and needed more targeted support. Otherwise Peace’s commitment to climate protection would ultimately remain a pious wish. (ed.)
