Dear Climate Express sympathiser,

Sorry for the long radio silence. Keeping our volunteer organisation going during this COVID19 pandemic has not been easy.
But we are back! And with a concrete plan of action!

ACTION TIME: what are we going to do?

We are going to ride our bikes! RIDE THE TIDE! During 4 days we will cycle along the famous future flood line in 2100: day 1 Poperinge - Aartrijke, day 2 Aartrijke - Hansbeke, day 3 Hansbeke - Breendonk en day 4 Breendonk - Antwerpen. Click on the links for the provisional routes (they will be fully confirmed later).

The whole tour (+- 325km) will be done by a fixed group of 50 cyclists who can register for this and for whom we organise sleeping facilities, catering, luggage transport,.... If everything goes well with Covid-19 this number can be increased.

Would you like to participate in one or more stages of a specific day? This is certainly possible! The more the merrier. But then we will ask you to provide your own food and drinks (and possible accommodation).

There will certainly be a start and finish event and we are looking at the possibilities for events along the route.

On the last day of the route, day 4, we want to open the event up to the general public with a family-friendly route for the last part: from Sint-Katelijne-Waver to Antwerp. This way, families and less experienced cyclists can also join and participate in the final event.

What do we want to draw attention to?

A lot of political promises have been made to make our planet climate-positive and keep it livable for mankind. But until now, most of these promises were only on paper, the real (necessary) actions are rare and insufficient to keep the earth from warming higher than well below 1.5°C. And at the moment we are already at an increase of about 1.2°C, our planet has not been sitting still for the last 15 years.

Many people think that global warming will just give us (Belgium) a nice, sunny, southern climate, and laugh it off. Because who doesn't like a little more summer? Right? However, it is more likely that global warming will bring us more extreme weather: more and longer droughts, more heavy rains and a rising sea level.

image = coastal flood threat in Belgium (coastal.climatecentral.org)

This map shows in red the areas which are expected to become flooded once (or more) a year in 2100 at the current predicted global temperature increase of 3°C. It shows that significant parts of the low-lying areas in the provinces of West Flanders, East Flanders, and to a lesser extent Antwerp and Flemish Brabant will face annual flooding. Among other things, this will damage the agricultural production of the whole country, the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people. This is a threat to fauna and flora, to economic stability and the housing market, and creates uncertainty for many more people in various aspects of their lives: economic, social, cultural, tourism,... just to name a few.

We need to make more people aware that it's not a "far from home" show, that we too will be affected in Belgium and what those effects may include. The more people become aware of the local risks, and the more clearly they are mapped out , the more pressure there will be on our politicians.

SAVE THE DATE: when will it take place?

Write it down in your agenda: we start on Wednesday, October 6th and will ride the route until Saturday, October 9th.

Why?
- because in November the climate summit negotiations will take place in Glasgow (COP26)
- because mid-October this COP26 will be preceded by a Eurotop on the same subject
- because October 10th will be a national day of action with a big climate march by Klimaatcoalitie (check the event here)

Climate Express will also participate in the action on October 10th anyway, so those who are interested can stay another night on Saturday and then drive together as a group to the march (probably in Brussels). Nice and cozy!

And, you can help!

We would certainly benefit from some knowledge and/or enthusiasm from general and local volunteers. Would you like to help us with the many tasks at hand, before and during the action? Do you think you can help us with accommodation, catering, luggage transport or other things? Or do you know someone who can? Please contact Korneel at Dit e-mailadres wordt beveiligd tegen spambots. JavaScript dient ingeschakeld te zijn om het te bekijken. or don't hesitate to sign up as a volunteer below!

Get on the Climate Express!

Want to lend a hand and help support or organize this action? We welcome you with open arms!

This is a warm call for your help. We need many hands to make this action a true success. Check out our specific action vacancies here and here.

In general, Climate Express is always looking for new volunteers to help set up actions together to work for climate justice. Everyone is welcome! Are you a strategic mastermind, a logistical doer, do you want to help out one day or do you want to join one of our working groups? It is all possible! Sign up using the button below!

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