Dorien Rookmaker

Host: Okay, Mrs. Rookmaker, could you start with a short introduction of yourself.

Dorien: My name is Dorien Rookmaker. And I have been a Member of the European Parliament since 2020, part of the non-attached MEPs.

Host: That's nice. Yes, we are gathered here now for the conference “Global Crisis. Time for the Truth.” And so the conference is about the global crisis and, therefore, about the climate crisis specifically. And I am very curious about your thoughts on the climate crisis and how it is currently being handled.

Dorien: Yes. I am originally a risk manager. And in my experience, a crisis is always a phenomenon that manifests itself in the short term. At the moment the discussion about the climate is narrowed down to the reduction of CO2 and global warming gases. And I think the problem is much broader than that. 

Humankind has a very important impact on the planet and on the environment. And that's [00:02:00] because there are so many of us. And that's also because of the way we live. And if you're only talking about reducing CO2, then I think you're missing the point.

Host: Okay okay. And why do you think we are missing the point?

Dorien: Well, you see now, for example, that there is a threat to biodiversity. So the number of species living on the planet is drastically decreasing. And that's dangerous for the whole ecosystem, because everything is connected. So when you focus on CO2 emissions and global warming, it doesn’t solve the problem of the threat to biodiversity [00:03:00]. So that's an important fact.

Host: Yes, that’s clear. And so what now? What is your biggest concern, Mrs. Rookmaker, when it comes to the climate or the ecosystem or how everything is connected?

Dorien: Well, the number of people is still growing. Even though a lot of people say that the predictions and the models said the number would decrease. But that's just not the case at the moment. It is still increasing and the demands that people place on their environment and their lives are increasing. To cut a long story short: everyone wants to live in prosperity. But natural resources aren’t growing. What's on the planet right now is on the planet and it’s not increasing. 

So yes, well, life is a question of supply and demand, isn't it? So I foresee a struggle between different people, groups, countries over natural resources that are becoming increasingly scarce. So in that sense I’m pessimistic. I don’t see us move towards world peace and unity, like of course we all hope we would. But I think the fact that there are more and more people who want more and more, constitutes a great threat.

Host: And we also see that the European Commission has introduced a whole range of measures to tackle the climate crisis. Are you also saying that we actually cannot solve this with even more rules or treaties, but that we, as people, have to do this ourselves, and so that it starts with that?

Dorien: With rules and treaties and legislation you always run the risk that the people involved, or the organizations involved, [00:09:00] should abide by those rules. But it’s possible that there are states that don’t do that, because they have other interests. And often these are short-term interests. Like they say: people will put their own interests first. 

And many politicians depend for their livelihood on the agreement of their voters. And a lot of people are very much in favor of tackling the climate crisis. But I think that a lot of people don't realize that if you actually want to tackle that, then if you abolish the use of fossil fuels, for example... 

Well, just look around you: a lot of things will have to change. Because we also use fossil fuels to produce plastic, for example, and other synthetics. So how about our cell phones? How about TV sets? How about polyfilm? Our very modern life is interwoven with all kinds of production and materials and production methods that are bad for the environment and that would probably raise rather than lower the planet’s temperature. 

So that is really an issue we have to stop and think about and which, I think, that if you leave it to the politicians who negotiate treaties and make agreements like the one in Paris, right, that there is a certain pressure to just do it for show, with little connection to reality. And I really wonder whether the feasibility of this entire operation is being sufficiently taken into consideration.

Host: Yes, exactly. The conference is being organized by Creative Society. Yes, and Creative Society has suggested eight foundations. What is your opinion on these foundations, the approach, the Creative Society itself?

Dorien: First and foremost, I think it's a great initiative. 

Host: Yes. 

Dorien: Because the name says it all. So think creatively and exchange ideas about social issues. I think that's something we really need in today's society, because there's a lot of polarization. People live in bubbles, and a real exchange of views hardly ever happens anymore. People denounce each other and if the other person’s point of view is not acceptable, does not fit the bill, then it is simply ignored. And with that you get more and more groups that are diametrically opposed. I am convinced that if you engage in conversation with each other, it will lead to better solutions.

… and I think it's good that it's an NGO, in other words that it's not organized by the government, or the EU, or the US. I think it is very important that citizens' initiatives exist and that we encourage people to keep talking to each other about everything that interests them and concerns them.

Host: Okay, well, thank you.

Dorien: You’re welcome.