By Wim Aerts
In 2025, the Grandparents for Climate in Flanders held climate conversations with more than 300 local groups from various senior citizens’ associations. These conversations were accompanied by a range of activities, such as a comedy performance, a quiz, a climate slide presentation, and more.
Well over three hundred Grandparents for Climate and members of senior citizens’ associations (Vlaamse Ouderenraad, Okra, S-Plus, GroenPlus) travelled from all corners of the country to Brussels on Friday 21 November.
Grandparents for Climate and the partner senior citizens’ associations call on policymakers to ensure that Belgium and Flanders work together to curb the climate crisis by developing an ambitious plan for the transition to a green economy. This green transition must be just, protecting the most vulnerable from the impacts of the climate crisis, both here and in the Global South. In essence, older people are asking the federal and Flemish governments nothing more and nothing less than to respect the Paris Agreement of ten years ago and to comply with the 2023 ruling in the Climate Case.
During this gathering, a panel discussion was held on the document prepared by the Grandparents for Climate and the senior citizens’ associations.
This document was handed over as a Declaration to the federal Minister for Climate, Jean-Luc Crucke (Les Engagés), and his Flemish counterpart, Minister Melissa Depraetere (Vooruit).
You can read the Declaration here
And so, on 22 December 2025, we went to the federal minister Jean-Luc Crucke. It turned into a fruitful
and at times warm dialogue.
On 5 January 2026 we met with Flemish climate minister Melissa Depraetere.
We brought along the Declaration that we addressed to both climate ministers at our Climate Alarm.
We consider these to be useful conversations. Nothing is decided, but they change the world. Little by little.