Chile climate pullout prompts tears from young activists sailing Atlantic
Chile’s decision to withdraw as host of the COP 25 UN climate conference has prompted tears and frustration from a group of school-strike activists sailing across the Atlantic to attend the talks.
But the young campaigners say they are determined to continue their journey to hold other civil society meetings in South America, and may only consider charting a new course if the United Nations accepts Spain’s offer to act as an emergency host of the summit.
The shock announcement by the Chilean president, Sebastián Piñera, was the latest in a series of setbacks for the 36 young European campaigners on board the Regina Maris sailboat, which left Amsterdam on 2 October.
The vessel had to make an unexpected stop in France because of problems with the water purification system. The weather has been rough and several passengers were seasick, including 18-year-old Adelaïde Charlier, a co-organiser with Anuna De Wever of the Youth for Climate movement in Belgium.
News of the cancellation of the Santiago summit reportedly came as a heavy blow to the activists, some of whom have also endured online trolling and death threats, during the past year.
“Quite a number of people started to cry, including Anuna and Adelaide,” De Wever’s mother, Katrien Van der Heyden, said. “They’d been planning this trip for months and the COP would be the ultimate climax of their trip. Obviously this changes the entire perspective of what they do, and is extremely disappointing.”
But the group discussed the options and decided to push ahead. “We are continuing our journey to Belém, Brasil today, while our thoughts are with #Chile!” they tweeted.
“From there we can still make it to a #COP25 held in Costa Rica or Bonn, most likely options at the moment. #ClimateAction is unstoppable!”
They are not the only activists who have sailed the Atlantic to attend the talks and then been left in limbo while the UN attempts to reorganise the event.
The Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg is currently in Los Angeles
and was due to sail to Chile shortly. On Friday she appealed for a lift back to Europe by sea, tweeting: “It turns out I’ve traveled half around the world, the wrong way:) Now I need to find a way to cross the Atlantic in November … If anyone could help me find transport I would be so grateful.”
She continued: “I’m so sorry I’ll not be able to visit South and Central America this time, I was so looking forward to this. But this is of course not about me, my experiences or where I wish to travel. We’re in a climate and ecological emergency.”
The British film-maker James Levelle is halfway through a 100-day, 7,000-mile fossil-free journey to Santiago. Supporters say he may not even be aware that the climate summit has been cancelled.
Other climate groups are also reeling from the immense financial hit of non-refundable airline tickets and the complications of getting visas to a new venue.
“We had big plans to bring indigenous representatives and partners to the summit,” said Nicole Oliveira, Latin America team leader of 350.org, which planned to bring about 60 people to a climate defenders gathering ahead of the summit, in addition to 16 staff and a dozen other regional partners. The group says the cost of airfares and accommodation could double if the climate conference moves to Spain – which would eat up 10-15% of their budget for the event.
“What may not mean anything to the large corporations of the fossil fuel industry, to us as non-profit civil society organizations – and even more to the indigenous organizations – can often represent our survival as active agents of change,” Oliveira said.
“We expect now that the climate talks move forward with a new focus on public participation and human rights. For far too long, this process has prioritized the voices of big business and corporate polluters. The UN must kick the fossil fuel industry out of the climate talks and make more space for the voices of the people.”