ABSTRACT
One of the first policy documents that I presented to the European Union (EU) Commission after I was appointed as the commissioner for environment was called Winning the Battle against Climate Change. This policy document, or Communication, as we call it in Brussels, was one of the most important achievements of the Barroso Commission because it outlined the key elements for the EU’s climate change strategy. It became the blueprint for the European response to climate change and, with the support of the member states (particularly the UK presidency), the main ideas were taken up by the international community at the 2005 Climate Conference in Montreal. However, there was one thing that we got wrong, and that was the title. As the scientific evidence accumulates, it is clear that the fight against climate change is much more than a battle. It is a world revolution that we need to engage in with great determination if we are serious about the climate crisis we are facing.
