Bushfires add heat to protests
Protesters in cities across the world have staged rallies demanding that leaders take tougher action against climate change, days before the latest global conference on the issue in Madrid.
The rallies kicked off on Friday 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 ‘‘inferno, 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 said.
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,’’ she said. ‘‘We have to ask, how far does this have to go before our government finally takes action?’’
Further rallies took place yesterday, including in Germany, Hungary, Belgium, South Korea, Poland, England, Turkey, Italy, Spain and France.
Teenage Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who is travelling across the Atlantic Ocean by yacht to attend the climate talks, sent a message of support. ‘‘Everyone’s needed. Everyone’s welcome. Join us,’’ she said on Twitter.
In Berlin, about two dozen 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 yesterday by the upper house.
Thousands of demonstrators also marched in Skopje, the capital city of North Macedonia, protesting the country’s high levels of air pollution, which are among the worst in Europe.
In South Africa, people protested outside the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in the summer heat.
Africa contributes the least to climate change, and is the continent least prepared to deal with it. Temperatures there are projected to rise more quickly than the global average.
South African protest organiser
Elana Azrai noted water shortages in parts of the country amid a drought in southern Africa.
Elsewhere, officials have raised the alarm over unusually severe rainfall in East Africa and a pair of cyclones that ripped into Mozambique within weeks of each other early this year.
Scores of young Nigerians marched in downtown Lagos as passing vehicles slowed and honked in support.
Nigeria’s economy is still deeply dependent on oil production. Lagos, a megacity of some 20 million people and epic traffic jams, is Africa’s most populous and is among its coastal cities threatened by rising sea levels.