Global climate protests held ahead of Madrid meeting
BERLIN — Protesters in cities across the world staged rallies Friday demanding leaders take tougher action against climate change, days before the latest global conference, which this year takes place in Madrid.
The rallies kicked off in Australia, where people affected by recent devastating wildfires joined young environmentalists protesting against the government’s pro-coal stance.
Janet Reynolds said she had come to the rally in Sydney after losing everything in “an absolute firestorm that raced through my property.”
“It’s so unnatural that I started investigating, reading science and really exploring what’s happening with climate change,” she told Australian television.
Student Daisy Jeffrey said protesters had come to help raise money for those affected by the fires and to demand action from the government
“People have lost their homes, people have lost their lives. We have to ask: How far does this have to go before our government finally takes action,” she said.
Teenage activist Greta Thunberg, who is traveling across the Atlantic by sailboat to attend the climate talks, sent a message of support to protesters. “Everyone’s needed. Everyone’s welcome. Join us,” she said on Twitter.
Since starting her onewoman “climate strikes“in Sweden more than a year ago, Thunberg has drawn a huge following around the world and inspired thousands more students to regularly skip school on Fridays and join climate protests.
Further rallies took place in Germany, Hungary, Belgium, South Korea, Poland, England, Turkey, Italy, Spain and France — where environmental protesters took a swipe at Black Friday.
In Berlin, about two dozen environmental activists jumped into the chilly waters of the Spree river in front of parliament to protest a government-backed package of measures they say won’t be enough to reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. The package was blocked Friday by Germany’s upper house, which represents the country’s 16 states.
Later, tens of thousands of students rallied in front of the Brandenburg Gate.
“The generations before us messed it up,” said 17year-old Robin Ebelt. “And we’re the ones that will feel the consequences. I would like to spend another 60 years on this planet, grow old and have grandchildren.”
Quang Paasch of the activist group Fridays for Future said governments attending next week’s annual climate conference should keep in mind the goals of the 2015 Paris accord, which set a target of keeping global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit). “We need to keep taking to the streets, we need to defend Paris.”
Thousands of demonstrators also marched in Skopje, the capital city of North Macedonia, protesting high levels of air pollution, among the worst in Europe.
Organizers blamed the government for the weak implementation of safety standards that has led to some 3,500 deaths annually due to the exposure to harmful chemicals in the environment, according to United Nations health data.
In South Africa, one protester stretched out on the ground faking death, holding a sign saying “Black Friday Reason to Grieve.”