BERLIN – Hundreds of thousands of young people from around the world took to the streets on Friday for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic quarantined many, demanding action to stop the warming of the planet.
Protesters gathered in Bangladesh, Kenya, the Netherlands and many other countries. But nowhere was the call to action more urgent than in Germany, where nearly one hundred thousand people attended in more than 400 cities and pressured the winners of the national election on Sunday to put climate protection at the top of their agenda.
18-year-old Greta Thunberg Climate activist who started Fridays for Future protests In 2018, she guest-starred at a protest in Stockholm in Berlin, skipping school as a way to lead the world to fight climate change.
He urged the crowd to stay motivated and keep the pressure on politicians, saying, “Yes, we must vote and you should too, but remember that voting will not be enough.”
“We can still turn this around. People are ready for change,” he said. “We demand change and we are the change.”
People of all ages marched in central Berlin, then on the lawn in front of the Reichstag, where the German Parliament met. Thousands of people took to similar protests in other cities of the country.
The Germans will elect new representatives to Parliament on Sunday, and the issue of climate change has never played such a role in a German election before. Despite taking office in 2005 with ambitions to reduce carbon emissions, four successive governments under Chancellor Angela Merkel have failed to significantly reduce Germany’s carbon footprint. According to the World Bank, it is in the top 10 among the world’s most polluting countries.
Young climate activists inspired by Ms. Thunberg have succeeded in bringing the climate debate to the fore in Germany’s political debate. this year they successfully brought the government to court, enforce 2019 law It aims to reduce the country’s carbon emissions to nearly zero by 2050, to be reworked with more ambitious and detailed targets to reduce emissions by 2030.
Recent polls have shown that the next German government may include left-leaning environmentalists that many hope will bring real change. The Social Democratic Party has been leading the conservative Christian Democrats for several weeks now, with the Greens firmly in third place, raising hopes that whichever party wins will include them in the next government.
But some young Germans worry that even the environmentally oriented Greens won’t be able to enact a sufficiently aggressive policy to accelerate Germany’s coal exit, currently set for 2038. hit zero 10 years ahead of schedule to help limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the lower limit defined below. Paris Agreement.
“The last few months have shown how dishonestly the parties campaigned before they even started to advocate adequate measures to combat the climate crisis,” said Maia Stimmimg, spokesperson for Fridays for Future Germany.
“Germany, as one of the main polluters, must finally stop the destruction,” he said. “Without a lot of pressure from us in the streets, no coalition can hold the 1.5 degree limit after the election.”
Alexandra Petrikat, an entrepreneur and mother of two young children who attended the demonstration in Berlin, said she was impressed by how peaceful and respectful the protesters were. At the same time, he said his messages were loud and clear.
“I think we are sending a signal that no matter who forms the next government, they cannot close their eyes to our demands,” Petrikat said. “We will not give up. We will continue to grow. And we will keep the pressure going.”
Christopher F. Schuetze contributing reporting.