Thunberg joins climate rally in Germany

THOUSANDS of environmental activists have staged a rally outside Germany’s parliament two days before the country holds a national election to demand that politicians take stronger action to curb climate change.

The protest outside the Reichstag in Berlin was part of a string of rallies around the world amid dire warnings that the planet faces dangerous temperature rises unless greenhouse gas emissions are cut sharply in the coming years.

The idea for a global “climate strike” was inspired by teenage Swedish activist Greta Thunberg’s solo protest in Stockholm three years ago.

The 18-year-old addressed the rally from a stage, telling the crowd that voting is important but must be coupled with protests that put politicians under constant pressure.

“We can still turn this around,” she said to cheers. “We demand change, and we are the change.”

Thunberg and prominent German climate activist Luisa Neubauer accused politicians of falling short, saying the programmes of the main parties are not far-reaching enough to limit global warming to 1.5C – the more ambitious limit in the 2015 Paris climate accord.