The new Nature Restoration Law proposed by the European Commission in June 2022, aimed at restoring ecosystems for people, climate and planet, will be put to a vote in the ENVI Committee in May 2023. In June 2023, the European Parliament will hold its plenary vote (mid-June).
In this context, the GRÜNE LIGA supports EEB's #RestoreNature campaign, which is pushing for the adoption of an ambitious law.
This law is fundamental to establish a governance framework in order to restore ecosystems that are particularly at risk, in order to increase climate change adaptation, ensure food security and the well-being of humankind and all forms of life on our planet.
Member States will have to develop National Restoration Plans, including both area-based restoration targets and indicator-based restoration targets. This should allow for the establishment of an integrated approach to restoration on the European level.
(The Havel River in Germany)
The main overarching objectives are the following:
Between 18 and 20 January 2023, the annual meeting of the Living Lakes Network Germany and the Lakes Conference took place in Berlin, which had not been held for several years due to the pandemic.
The Living Rivers Foundation, Global Nature Fund (GNF), the GRÜNE LIGA and Living Lakes Germany were pleased to be able to bring together over 120 participants over three days.
The EEB (European Environmental Bureau), Bird Life International, the EEA (the European Anglers Alliance), Wetlands International and WWF have published an open letter, this Monday 6 February 2023, asking for more regulations of hydropower development. The open letter is signed by more than 100 NGOs across Europe.
Among others, we ask for:
Discover the entire open letter of the European NGOs here (in English): Open letter: Counting on new hydropower to accelerate Renewable Energy deployment in Europe is irresponsible.
In 2023, a river film festival is to take place on the Main for the very first time. And not just in one city, but in several cinemas along the course of the river from its source to its mouth. In this way, it will become clear that the Main River connects people over 500 km and is our common responsibility.
The 1st Main FlussFilmFest will be organised in March 2023 by Flussparadies Franken e.V. and Netzwerk Main in cooperation with the Living Rivers Foundation and other partners. It is sponsored by the Bavarian State Ministry of Finance and Home Affairs. The opening will take place on 14 March, the International Day of Action against Dams and for Rivers, Water and Life (World Dam Day) in Bayreuth. The final event will be a matinee in Frankfurt am Main on 26 March. An international selection of environmental and outdoor short films will be shown.
The trailer of the Main Flussfilmfest 2023 is available here: www.living-rivers.eu/en/events-1/1st-main-riverfilmfest
The events will take place on:
Let's celebrate free rivers, clean water and freshwater life! More about the programmes and venues coming soon on : https://www.riverfilmfest.eu and www.mainflussfilmfest.de
and: https://www.facebook.com/Maininitiative/
and: https://www.instagram.com/netzwerk.main/?hl=de>
Cottbus, 30.01.2023. In a comprehensive statement, the environmental network GRÜNE LIGA has criticised the plans of the opencast mine operator LEAG to continue pumping out groundwater in the Jänschwalde opencast mine until 2044. The GRÜNE LIGA sees the stability of the planned opencast mining lakes at risk because LEAG's application ignores the increasing water shortage in Lusatia.
"The consequences of open-cast mining are being made up with fictitious amounts of water. LEAG's plan only works if there are no droughts and no increasing evaporation until 2100. Relying on this could cost the region dearly: If the planned water levels of the opencast lakes are not reached, the stability of the banks at Heinersbrück, Jänschwalde and Taubendorf will be in danger," explains René Schuster from the Green League's Federal Lignite Contact Point, who prepared the statement.
The GRÜNE LIGA also sees LEAG's request for permission under water law as contradictory to the official justification for groundwater extraction. Schuster comments:
"LEAG wants to pump out significantly more than is necessary for the safety of the mine, apparently in order to evaporate more water in the cooling towers of the Jänschwalde power plant. The aim is to burn as much coal as possible from the Welzow, Nochten and Reichwalde opencast mines at the expense of groundwater resources."