Brussels politicians stranded on Climate Boat

Jef Van Damme and Willem Stevens, two Brussels SP.A politicians on their way by boat to the climate summit in Paris, are stranded just over the Belgian border, about 200 km from the French capital.

The two socialist party members were hitching a ride on The Amista barge on their way to the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris when it broke down. The boat is currently docked in Valenciennes, as it waits for the necessary repairs.

"Should we return to Belgium and take the train to Paris, or cycle like mad for the next few days?", a disappointed Van Damme mused on Facebook.

Van Damme and Stevens took the boat to promote inland waterway transport as a worthy alternative to road transport. "A small boat emits seven times less than a truck. For large boats, the difference is about 100 times less than with road transport," the politicians explained on brusselnieuws.be.