"The environment and climate change are cross-cutting issues that affect all areas, which is why I joined Déi Gréng," explained Jessie Thill, 25, currently a researcher at the Environment Administration.

Déi Gréng held a press conference with Jessie Thill, Carlo Back and Josée Lorsché, president of the fraction in the Chamber of Deputies, to present the reorganisation of the parliamentary group. Carlo Back, who will be 70 years old on 23 January, announced on Monday that he would be stepping down as a local councillor in Luxembourg City--he will be replaced by Maria Eduarda de Macedo--and as a Member of Parliament, a position he has held since 2018.

A "more sustainable" society

"This is not a decision taken on a whim, it has been carefully thought through since the beginning of this year. I am getting older and I want to enjoy my family," explained Carlo Back, who was elected as a local councillor in 2005 and re-elected in 2011 and 2017. "But I still have plans, I will leave the stage, but I will remain active in politics. Nothing has been decided yet, but it will certainly be in the field of energy, auto-consumption, within photovoltaic cooperatives where I could work as an administrator for example."

Back takes stock of his 16 years of political involvement in a positive way.  "I think that we have contributed, with reflection and analysis, in a truly fact-based approach, to making proposals to make this society fairer and more sustainable. I'm still critical, there are things that may not have worked so well, especially with regard to basic education," says the man who was a member of the school board from 2005 to 2018.

Member of the Youth Parliament

And how does he see the future of Déi Gréng? "We can very well imagine a prime minister from our party. I think that there are people who have the potential, like Sam Tanson for example. And above all, we have the ideas, we can convince and we have a solid team. And the population has evolved a lot, it has become aware of the importance of climate issues. For example, there was a lot of opposition to the tram at the beginning, but now everyone recognises its added value," adds Carlo Back.

Jessie Thill, who has a master's degree in environmental physics, will naturally join the environment committee. "I got involved in the Youth Parliament very early on and realised that for big changes to happen, political decisions were needed. For forty years, scientists have been clear that mankind has an impact on the environment and that measures must be taken as quickly as possible,” explains the woman who is also an alderman in Walferdange.

This story was first published in French on . It has been translated and edited for Delano.