This transcript was automatically generated and may contain errors.

Hello Welcome everyone. I'm gonna

Try to get your attention and try to calm down the room. I

hope you're going to collaborate with me. Welcome everyone. Feel free to come a little

bit closer. Great So

Welcome to the 3rd day or the 3rd

EU Day for victims of the global climate crisis. My name is Sivim Aktas

I'm a policy officer at the Department of Climate Action here at the European Commission

and today I have the honour to guide you through this ceremony. So for those

joining online, welcome, we're very happy to have you. And we're also

very happy to have many distinguished guests present among us, very welcome

and thanks for being here. So today we gather not only here

in this room, but also all across Europe. EU climate pact ambassadors

have been organising local events in more than 10 member states from Portugal

Greece, Romania, Spain, Lithuania, joining this commemoration in

solidarity. This day is a moment of remembrance, but

also a call to reflection and resolve, and we're going to do that today with

our distinguished speakers. Afterwards, we're gonna hold in

for a moment of silence, and round off the day with a musical offering. But

before we begin, I'm going to ask you for some help. This room

carries sound very easily, so every small little whisper will be audible, and

I think we all want to honour the stories that we'll be hearing today. So

I hope I can count on your help in trying to keep the room as

silent as possible. Second of all, and this is an important one, I'm

going to ask all of you to take your phone out for a second, to

take your phone out. And put it on silence. Just

to be respectful and also avoid any interruptions during the moment of silence

Thank you. So, to open, we begin with a short video

as a reminder of why this day matters. waves

floods, storms, and wildfires across the EU and around the world

these climate-related disasters are taking their toll. With each year, floods become more

and more intense. In a matter of hours, they can take lives, destroy homes

and cause devastating damage. These kinds of extreme events can no longer be written

off as anomalies. The science is clear. As global temperatures rise, these

events will become more intense and more frequent. The people who lost their lives deserve

to be remembered. On the 15th of July each year in the EU we

will commemorate the victims of the global climate crisis, a day where we come together

to remember, to act, to build resilience. And be prepared against future

risks and to keep fighting the climate crisis. And

with that, I would like to call up for first speaker, EDP Teresa Rivera, up

here on stage. Thank you. Good

afternoon. Thanks for coming. Thanks for joining this very

important day. 2 years ago We began

commemorating the day of the victims of climate change. It

was following the devastating floods that struck Central Europe, particularly

Belgium, Germany and France. In 2021. Today

for the 3rd year, we gather to honour the victims. We

think that the best way to do it is with honesty. honouring

their memories. Thinking on what we can do. Because

we live in a kind of paradox. Every year, the evidence grows

stronger. The impacts are more devastating and yet

The pressure to look away. To delay To pretend

it is not urgent, gross in many places. Of course

it is challenging. It is difficult To change the

way we live. We understand Prosperity, developments

the way we produce, the way we consume. But

it is even more worrying, more concerning not to do it. honouring

the victims demands us breaking the silence. Demands

us naming the truth. However uncomfortable or difficult

it may be. Every year, the science becomes

more clear. The more alarming. The impacts

more devastating. 2023 was the worst year for golfers

in European history. 2024. was the warmest year

ever recorded in June 2025. The temperature

of the water in the Mediterranean Sea reached 30.5 degrees

The water We have seen devastating fires in Greece, torrential

rains, house disaster in Belgium in Valencia. Not to speak On

the impact, devastating impacts in many other geographies in

the world, and yet While the evidence piles up, so

does the pressure. To delay To look In

another direction. This is a paradox that we must confront

Reality is burning. But difficulties to act rise fueled

by disinformation. We need to combat disinformation. Denial

cannot be replaced by delays. Climate will not

wait for a better time. Lies, misinformation, distort science

and delay policies, but climate change

keeps on going. Two weeks ago, the European Commission proposed

a new amendment to the climate laws setting a clear target for 2040, a

90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Mitigation

alone is not enough anymore. It is absolutely

necessary. But the climate is already changing. People

are already suffering. We need resilience, early warning systems, preparedness

We need to be ready to adapt to a different climate. This is

why we need to prepare the first ever European climate adaptation law. This

is why we need to act in our external policies accordingly. We

need to help communities, regions, people. We need to prepare sectors. To

prepare for what it is going on already. To protect our people

to ensure our infrastructures. The question is no longer if a disaster

may come. But whether we are ready when it does. This

day is being commemorated. More than 10 member

states. And I would like to thank every single person

involved. In the organisation of these short events

that should remind us of the importance. Of what it is happening

To remind The memories for those. That

have been suffering the most. And to those that have been very close

To those that are not here today. We will never

forget what it happened? And could be waiting for all of us. To

do as much as we can. Every single day Thanks

a lot. Here in Brussels, we will be to render this day even more visible

We will try. To put this. In a place That

could allow anyone entering this building. To remember that we care

that we work, and that we will never forget. Thanks a lot. Thanks

So next we hear from the Denmark's Minister for Energy and Climate, namely

Las Ahart. Please welcome you on stage. Climate

change is here. It's for real We know the cost. We

consume too much. We burn. Too many fossil fuels. We

need action. Thank you Libya, for your speech

and for the good. Cooperation we have had in the past and we will have

in the future. Thank you for the invitation. I'm honoured to be here as

a representative of the Council. Since we are now Having

the presidency for the next months to come. Today we

remember the people who died, who suffered because of the global climate crisis

We remember those we have lost and we show support for everyone whose

lives have been changed. By the harmful and devastating

effect of climate change. Here in Europe and around the world. Since

I have lived a little part of my life in Greenland, I We

ask you to remember that this also includes indigenous people who

often live on the front end of the climate crisis. The Inuits are

living with temperatures that have risen 4 times faster than the world average in recent

decades. Ice loss and changing weather patterns has enormous

consequences. For part of the Kingdom of Denmark, we called the Queensland

not for sale. The

changing climate affects their local ecosystem, wildlife. For

people that depend so heavily on stabilised conditions for their way of life. So

there we are not here, we are not only talking about people losing individuals that

are losing their lives, but we are talking about whole communities. That

are losing their way of living potentially forever. Melting permafrost

is causing damage to their infrastructure. It caused certain landslides that triggered

tsunamis in local fjords. And The lack of ice

means that they cannot go hunting in the winter as they used to do. So

it affects us all, in some parts of the world, the effects are very heavy

and the ability to adapt are not at our level. Today

is also a day to reflect on the effect of the climate

crisis. We must ask ourselves if we can do better. To

protect our communities from violent and other extremes that is becoming far too common. In

these moments, our citizens, they turned to us at the political level. This is

a responsibility that we must take seriously. So therefore I'm proud that the Danish presidency

Had an easy decision to make and that was to put climate change on top

of our agenda. To make The best we can to make

sure that the proposal from the Commission on the 2040 target. That we can

unite around that in Europe. And we can find a way forward that

can give hope to the citizens of Europe and hopefully also be inspiration

for the rest of the world. We know the root of the crisis. Greenhouse

gas emissions, that is way too big. We have a common responsibility

across countries and sectors. Around the globe to make

real and meaningful reductions, and we in Europe We should do our part and we

should lead the way for the rest of the world. Every tonne of carbon matters

And time is not on our side. So action is really needed. I

will end my little speech by thanking, a special thanks to Benjamin. Where are you

Here, thank you for reaching out to me. telling

your story. Making sure that we all remember. I'm

very glad you did. And I hope that you will continue your efforts

making sure that those we have lost, we haven't lost them in vain. Thank you

very much. Thanks

Lord Minister, for your words. Now I would like to call up Member of the

European Parliament, Antonio Decaro, up on stage. He's also the chair of the Committee

for Environment, Public Health and Food Security. Please join me here. participants

thank you for inviting me to speak at this important event

to remember the victims of the global climate crisis

A few years ago, the European Parliament, in

a resolution, asked for a special day each year to honour

these victims. I'm glad to see that this

is now happening. Today I want

to talk about the strong link between democracy and how

we will deal with climate change. Democracy is based

on trust. People must trust that their elected

leaders are doing everything they can to protect lives, homes

and communities from the effects of climate change. When

leaders don't act, it's not only bad for the planet, but

also for our democratic way of life. This

works both ways. To feed climate change well, we

need to give people the power and tools to take part and make their

voices heard. In the European

Parliament, we work at the meeting point between action and

public involvement. Even when it's difficult

we will keep pushing for a green and fair transition, protect

And support a strong, sustainable economy that includes everyone. Now

more than ever, we need a strong and inclusive democracy

where people are informed, engaging and empowered, and

essential to tackling the climate crisis together. Thank you. Thanks

so much for all of your contributions. We all know that

behind every climate statistics there are human lives, and that's exactly what we've been hearing

and I would like to welcome a very special person, Benjamin van Bunduren to

share his story of of being one of the witnesses

of the climate crisis. Thank you, with your friends together

please join us together on stage 10, please give us an applause. Yes

yes. Alex, would you mind introducing you know. OK

hello everybody. My name is Alex. You will not see my picture there. I was

as I was not officially invited, but I'm here also with climate

justice for Rosa. So I come from Greece. I come from an area that has

been ravaged by forest fires, year after year, evacuation orders

having to leave the house, not knowing if there will be a house to go

back to, and this has been my experience really

and growing up. And this is the experience of many people. I feel very lucky

that I am privileged and I live abroad now. My family, of course

still lives there, and I always worry about them, not knowing when the next fire

will be. What will happen next, but there are many people out there also who

are not so privileged, who do not have the social network to be able

to withstand such disasters. I'm talking about migrant communities. I'm talking about LGBTQI

people. I'm talking about every person who is less privileged. I'm talking

about more people. In the Mediterranean region, and I am talking about young people who

are the ones who are really bearing disproportionately the effects of this crisis and

are wondering why are we here today and why do we have to face

this and how can we change that, and young people feel really powerless in

front of this challenge. So in this, we really want high ambition

We really need high ambition when a new EU climate target is set, for example

for 2040. We need the highest possible ambition. When we have a 90 to 95%

target recommended, we would rather go for the higher one and even higher than what

was recommended. We want human rights to be basically implemented

and enforced the same way across all of Europe and to consider really the victims

in this situation. And there's only one way in which we will know this, how

many people are going to have a story like I do? How many people are

going to have a story like Ben does. Let's think and let's self reflect on

this, how can we really ensure that this will be the minimum amount of people

and what can we do today about it? Thank you very much. Thank

you so much, Alex, for speaking. I thought it was really important to have him

here. I know it wasn't a bit unannounced so sorry for that, but thanks. So

hi everyone, I'm Ben. I'm a climate and children's rights activist and I'm the founder

of Climate Justice for Rosa. 4 years ago, my friend Rosa drowned in

the Belgium German floods. I was 14 and she was 15. She was an activist

like me, and we were convinced that together we could change the world. But the

water took her. I jumped in after her, but I couldn't save her. We were

dragged away together, but the water was stronger than me and dragged Rosa out of

my arms. I will carry that with me for the rest of my life. In

the same floods, 220 other people drowned in Belgium and Germany. The

weeks and months after Rosa's dead were held for me. How can it be that

a climate activists like Rosa drowned in floods caused by the climate crisis, the climate

crisis we've been warning about for so long. And that's why along with many

of Rosa's other friends, I started a campaign, Climate Justice for Rosa in her honour

to really show everyone that the climate crisis isn't just about numbers and statistics, it's

about people. Every day people die, people suffer due to the consequences of the climate

crisis. So tonight, standing here, the grief is still overwhelming

but I also feel something else fierce determination and quiet pride, determination

because after 4 years of campaigning, I know that I will never ever stop fighting

for the future of young generations and the generations to come. But also pride, which

I realise might sound strange, but I'm proud that Rosa's friends and I fought for

this day of remembrance and that with climate justice for Rosa we succeeded. This is

now an official day, the EU and Belgian Day of Remembrance for the victims of

the global climate crisis, and it's not just a day to look back, but it's

also a day to look forward. We need to remember those who've already lost by

taking action, by pretending by preventing more people from dying. The

data clearly says enough. We know it's hard to mourn debts when we may have

helped cause them, but we must, and it's the only way forward. I'm also proud

that here in the heart of EU power in the Bergemont building this day brings

together more than just policymakers. When I look around this room, I see survivors, I

see Greenpeace, I see Jane Goodall Foundation, I see Friendship NGO. I see so many

people from civil society, and it's so important. And that's how we move forward, not

apart. We need to all be together. We live in a world growing more divided

a world where activist voices like Alejandros and mine. are too often treat them like

threats, but let's be clear here, we're not the criminals. The real criminals are those

who knowingly fuel the climate crisis, who value their profits more than lives, who

plot progress for just getting more money. Those are the criminals

They need to be stopped, and the threat is real. The threat is growing. We

see it happening right now in real time in this very union. We all know

the current difficulties of the EU climate negotiations, those who have delayed urgent actions, those

who have passed anti-greenwashing laws, but fear will not stop us. It must push us

forward. And to the MEPs and policymakers in this room, we know

you feel it too, the pressure, the backlash, the fear of losing votes, but we

are here asking you, don't let it freeze you, let it fuel you. Because we

what we need now is caution. What we don't need now is cautious. We need

courageous leadership, not quite supports or pats on the back behind the scenes, but really

action, political action to try and prevent people from dying, because that's what the climate

crisis is about. Protecting people, making sure not countless more have to die. And

believe me when I tell you that this fear we're talking about is nothing compared

to the fear when climbing out of a raging river with empty hands or running

from flames. If there's one thing I've learned in these past 4 years, it's this

there's hope despite everything, and we must hold on to it. We must keep our

goal clear and never step down to decide. Alexandro spoke of wildfires

in Greece. We lost Rosa in floods in Belgium, but there's also, I also have

other friends from all over the world like Beauty, who is from Bangladesh, a 14

year old girl. She had to change school three times because her school literally kept

falling into water due to eroding river banks, but it doesn't stop there. Also, the

economic situation in her village got so bad that her parents actually thought about marrying

her out. A 114 year old girl to a much older man, because they believe

that that was the best life for her. That's also a consequence of the climate

crisis. Luckily she was saved, but almost she was married out. But also think about

my friend Kato from Tuvalu. His biggest dream is just to be on this island

be in peace, learn his children to play football in the same field. He learned

to play football, but his island is literally sinking all over the world, especially in

the global South. People are suffering. People are dying, and we need to stop this

We're not here for token gestures or empty promises. We're here to say plainly this

must end. We need courageous leadership. And let's be clear about what this moments

demands an end to the fossil fuel era, not someday, not slowly

now, because no future is possible while we keep using these fossil fuels. We remember

those we lost, Rosa and the countless others. We carry their memory not as a

burden but as a responsibility. Their memory carries us forward, not into a

comfortable silence, but into fierce action. This is not the end. This is our

moment. We say enough. The time to act is now. Thank you. Thank

you, Benjamin Alexander, for both sharing your stories with all of us. I

feel like in a day to day it's really you tend to forget with all

the details that we're all busy with and we're all busy with climate action, that

it's for these stories and avoiding these stories that we do it all for, and

for that it's the moment to take. The moment of silence

Perfect timing in this case, so if we can make sure to shut

our phones. We're going to take the moment of shared silence

Thanks a lot everyone. In memory of all those who have lost their lives due

to the climate crisis.