International Day for the Eradication of Poverty Event
by Abriel SCHIEFFELERS
October 17th is International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, and the 2020 theme for the Day this year is “acting together to achieve social and environmental justice for all.”
The EU Parliament poverty intergroup in partnership with EAPN and ATD Fourth World hosted a web event that focused on the interconnection between the fight against poverty and environmental justice. The event featured speakers including the UN Special Rapporteur for Extreme Poverty as well as people who have lived in poverty throughout the recent COVID-19 pandemic.
While the link between ending poverty and environmental justice may not be immediately evident, there are many ways in which they are interlinked. Many measures that support greening of the economy can have positive impacts on the reduction of poverty, for example, the creation of accessible jobs from labor-intensive carbon-free energy sources, increased mobility access through the creation of better public transport, and the better insulation of buildings resulting in lower energy bills.
The speakers who spoke from experiences of living in poverty, particularly throughout the COVID-10 pandemic, shared that poor people are often looked down on for living in non-environmentally friendly ways, and while they would like to update their living spaces to be better insulated but cannot afford to do so. The precarity of life in poverty was emphasized, as those below the poverty line were affected by COVID-19 more than others.
In addition to material poverty, the hidden effect of environmental degradation effects the poor the most. Impoverished Roma and others living in poverty often live in places where they are exposed to pollution and waste from factories, sewage treatment, and chemicals used in farming.
The green transition is a vital step for the EU, but one that should not leave behind the most vulnerable. It should prioritise energy efficient renovations to increase energy efficiency and lower energy bills in social housing, the creation of low-skill jobs, and provide social protection for those who have experienced the harmful effects of environmental degradation and inequality.
The Salvation Army supports the strong prioritisation of ending poverty and environmental justice at the EU level; priorities that ought to remain intertwined and harmonised at every level from policy-making to implementation.
Read more about the International Day to Eradicate Poverty here.
Tags: Europe