The alternative calls for climate armament: It is a security crisis

It is "fine enough" that more money is being spent on defense and security. But where is the climate change, was the question from Alternative's political leader, Franciska Rosenkilde, when she gave a speech to Alternative's members at the party's national conference in Vejle on Saturday morning.

From a green rostrum that read "climate change", Franciska Rosenkilde called the climate crisis a "security crisis".

- It threatens our access to clean water and clean air. It fuels wars and conflicts. And it leads to more droughts and floods, as we have seen in Europe and also here in Denmark.

The Alternative's leader lacks climate policy leadership in Denmark and presents Alternative's new proposal for climate change. This includes a new climate target of 100 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035.

- Everything else is frivolous and irresponsible, says Franciska Rosenkilde to applause.

- When we are going to adopt a new climate target, it is also important to improve the basic principles of the Climate Act. For example, consideration for nature and biodiversity should be written in, while consideration for economic growth and competitiveness should be written out. Because the Climate Act is not an economic growth adventure - it is an absolutely necessary rescue plan.

The Alternative was the first party to propose a climate target of 70 percent reduction by 2030, which later became Denmark's official target.

However, Climate Minister Lars Aagaard (M) has already written off the Alternative's proposal for a climate-neutral Denmark by 2035 to Politiken as "absolutely unrealistic, regrettable and irresponsible". The government's ambition is that Denmark will not become climate neutral until 2045.

Will not issue a blank check to the Armed Forces

After her speech, Franciska Rosenkilde elaborated to Ritzau that her "fine enough" for the government's plans for defense reinforcement means that the Alternative recognizes that the Danish defense must be strengthened.

But the party is against the government's "blank check" for the Defense and the message of "buy, buy, buy". A plan must follow, it says.

- So let's look at what the Defense will need, which corresponds to Denmark. We are not supposed to be a pioneer in rearmament. That's kind of what Mette Frederiksen is doing right now. I don't think Denmark should be like that, says Rosenkilde.

The climate crisis is the biggest crisis

She instead believes that "the climate crisis is the biggest crisis we face as a society, because it is our basis for existence on the entire globe".

- So that's the bar. Then the security crisis is significant because the geopolitical world is changing, and of course we have to deal with that.

- That's why it makes perfect sense that we strengthen European cooperation, that we strengthen cooperation between the Nordic countries, and that we get a plan for how Europe can better defend itself in the future, says Rosenkilde.

Although climate change armaments filled the majority of Franciska Rosenkilde's speech, it was another message that garnered the biggest applause from the small hall in Spinderihallerne in Vejle.

Here Rosenkilde demanded that "the government be just as supportive of the Palestinians' fight for freedom as it is of the Ukrainians".

/ritzau/