The environmental issue and in particular “climate change” represent an “imperative” for Europe, without any possibility of postponement. The delays in implementing the Kyoto agreements are no longer acceptable. In Italy for example climate-altering emissions have increased by more than 15% and it will be difficult to reduce the difference of more than 21% compared to 1990, before 2010 without sanctions and countermeasures.

Environmental changes imply profound changes in how we use energy: aiming to use renewable energy and to increase energy efficiency, with the deep awareness that nuclear power will not resolve the problem, since this represents only 10% of the energy required.

Environmental changes imply changing relations with the rest of the world, starting with “relations of peace” (and not of aggression and war) with the neighbouring regions of North Africa and the Middle East, through a culture of respect and solidarity towards the millions of people affected by desertification, flooding, soil erosion, famine and war.

How can we reconcile these huge challenges with the crazy choice to assign an even greater part of European resources to a new arms race?

How can we accept that, with the money of European citizens, the installation of the U.S. defence shield is permitted on European territory, with a radar base in the Czech Republic, a new interceptor missile base in Poland and the enlargement of the existing bases in Italy? We cannot accept that more than 100 billion dollars are allocated to rearmament, when worldwide only 5.8 billion are destined to fight world hunger. All this is clearly at variance with the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty.

I live in Milan, Jan Tamàs lives in Prague and together with hundreds of people in more than 20 cities we are on a hunger strike to stop this arms race that is not only restarting the cold war between the USA, Europe, Russia and China, but is also taking away resources essential to give material answers to the urgent needs of the world’s population: food, healthcare, education, quality of life, defence of the environment and the world’s resources.

In short: if Europe and the European Parliament, that is its most direct expression, will not respect the Kyoto Protocol, will not respect the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty, will not respect the Declaration of Human Rights, it will not be the reference and the model to which so many people aspire and will be responsible, to the world and to history, for not having taken the urgent and necessary step to give a different direction to the course of humanity.

The on-line international petition on www.nonviolence.cz has already surpassed 115.000 signatures.

For adhesions and information: adesioninoscudo@gmail.com

Initiatives of condemnation and protest are going on in Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Berlin, Bologna, Budapest, České Budějovice, Copenhagen, Düsseldorf, Cologne, Florence, London, Malaga, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Toulouse, Trieste, Turin, Vienna, Zurich,  in the USA, Australia, Mexico, Chile and Argentina.