The Government of Flanders has decided to abandon its climate adaptation plan, as was revealed on Tuesday during Environment Commission discussions in the Flemish Parliament.
According to Environment Minister Jo Brouns (Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams (CD&V), the objectives of the now-discarded plan will be integrated into existing initiatives such as the Blue Deal, a programme designed to help Flanders tackle droughts and water shortages.
In 2022, the then Flemish government developed the adaptation plan to prepare the region for the impacts of climate change by 2050.
Minister Brouns argued that scrapping the plan would prevent overlapping initiatives and fragmented communication on the issue.
The announcement drew criticism from Mieke Schauvliege (Groen, opposition), who accused the government of backpedalling on its responsibilities.
“You’re moving backwards! It was your job to shape this adaptation plan. All I hear from you is ‘We have the Blue Deal,’ but there’s no commitment. We’re just doing what we were already doing. We’re back to square one!” the Green MP exclaimed.
For its part, the far-right Vlaams Belang party expressed support on Tuesday for implementing a climate adaptation plan.
