Jean-Pascal van Ypersele, arguably Belgium’s leading climate scientist, has criticised what he sees as the country’s inadequate climate policies. He says this has contributed to 2,000 heat-related deaths in Belgium this summer alone. “Politicians cannot claim they did not know what they had to do.”
On Sunday evening, Van Ypersele was a guest in the studio of the French-language news programme RTL Info. For the occasion, he had put on a black tie, he said with a somewhat wry smile. That choice of the colour of mourning was no coincidence.
“With more than 2,000 victims, Belgium has suffered an incredible number of heat-related deaths in recent weeks,” Van Ypersele tells VRT NEWS. “And these are certainly not just elderly people.”
"But where is the attention for this? There was no minute’s silence, no official statement from the Prime Minister, nor from the Flemish, Walloon or Brussels ministers. I find that shocking. There is plenty of attention for the victims of the Oxy fire, quite rightly of course. But for 2,000 victims of a heatwave, absolutely nothing?"
Serious measures are called for
It is not just the lack of public attention that Van Ypersele finds objectionable. The scientist also criticises the lack of political decisiveness – both during heatwaves when the need is greatest, and in tackling the root cause.
“It’s a disgrace if the only measures taken are to ask the elderly to stay in the shade. Pregnant women, very young children and people in poor health are also vulnerable. Yet I know of people who were lying in hospital rooms where the temperature rose to 35 degrees Celsius. How is that possible? Where are the serious measures?”
Van Ypersele, a climatologist at the Francophone UC Louvain University, is no minor figure. From 2008 to 2015, he served as vice-chair of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and is arguably the leading climate scientist in Belgium. His frustration stems in part from what he sees as years of inadequate climate policy.
“The first IPCC report (i.e. an overview of the most recent scientific knowledge on climate change) dates from 1990. That was 36 years ago, and even then it stated that we would see more extreme temperatures worldwide.”
“The IPCC has said it hundreds of times, and scientists around the world thousands of times: we must prepare ourselves better and we must reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero as quickly as possible. So politicians cannot claim they knew nothing about it.”
"We knew this was coming, and we know what needs to be done about it. But what do we see? The European Green Deal is being watered down at the behest of industrial lobbies, and the European CO₂ trading scheme is being delayed. I find that shocking."
"So yes, I’m angry – with all the political leaders who have paid far too little attention to the climate crisis, not just in the short term, but in the long term too."
"Security isn’t just a matter of bombs and drones"
So what does Van Ypersele expect from politicians? “Air-conditioned public shelters where everyone, and certainly the most vulnerable, can go. Even at night, because that’s very important: every night when the temperature stays above 25 degrees is difficult for them. That’s a task for local authorities. They need to find places such as churches and shopping centres.”
He also sees benefits in greening and softening public spaces, for example with more trees, shade and water in cities – “Go to Paris; it’s really easy to find water there.”
"The renovation of our buildings to make them more resistant to the cold in winter and overheating in summer has also been overlooked for far too long. Year after year, one government has introduced grants, subsidies and loans, only for the next to scrap them. This requires much more attention."
And in the longer term: “We must stop watering down our climate ambitions and show greater ambition for renewable energy and energy efficiency.”
However, this will require money – a lot of money. A clear appeal from Van Ypersele, directed at politicians. “Security is not just a matter of bombs and drones. It is also a matter of a liveable climate and biodiversity that benefits our food supply and our mental health. Investing in that is also security.”