Thousands protest coal use ahead of climate meeting
BONN, GERMANY — Thousands of demonstrators have marched through Bonn to protest the use of fossil fuels ahead of a global climate conference being held in the western German city next week.
Participants in Saturday’s event carried banners with slogans that included “Revolution Not Pollution,” “Frack Off Our Land” and “Trump: Climate Genocide.”
Protest organizers say some 25,000 people took part in the demonstration. Police had no official estimates but said the size of the crowd was “clearly more” than the 10,000 expected.
Many protesters criticized the German government’s reliance on coal-fired power plants for much of the country’s energy even as it pur- sues ambitious targets for renewable sources.
Protester Holger Heinrich said: “Germany finally has to contribute, and not only talk.”
The 2017 United Nations Climate Conference known as COP23 begins Monday in the German city of Bonn. Here are
five things to know about the U.N. conference known as COP23, which runs from through Nov. 17.
Who is coming to Bonn?
Up to 25,000 people are expected to attend the talks, which will be presided over by Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama of Fiji — the first time that a small island nation will be at the helm of a major international climate conference. Participants will include diplomats from 195 nations, as well as scientists, lobbyists and environmen- talists.
The United States, which has announced its intention to pull out of the landmark Paris climate accord, will be represented by Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon.
Key countries to watch during the talks are the emerging economic powers China and India. Other nations — Estonia, Peru, Ecuador, Iran, Mali, Ethiopia and the Maldives — will also be in the spotlight for leading major international groupings.
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other leaders are expected to fly to Bonn toward the end of the summit to give the talks a final push and signal their commitment to fighting climate change.
What are the big topics now?
The 2015 Paris accord set a target of limiting global warming to 2.7 degrees Fahr- enheit — or 2 degrees at the most — by the end of the century.
But diplomats didn’t agree on the details of how their nations will reach that ambi- tious goal. The Bonn talks will flesh out the rule book that countries have to abide by.
This includes coming up with international standards for how to measure carbon emissions, to make sure that one nation’s efforts can be compare to another’s. A second debate centers around how countries take stock of what’s been achieved and set new, more ambitious goals for curbing carbon emissions after 2020.
The third big issue concerns money. Experts agree that shifting economies away from fossil fuels and preparing countries for some of the inevitable consequences of climate change will require vast financial resources — including some from the U.S. administration of President Donald Trump, which is doubtful about man-made climate change.
Why Bonn?
Organizing a massive global conference in Fiji would have strained the Pacific nation’s resources and posed a travel nightmare for thousands of delegates. Germany offered to host the talks in Bonn, the country’s former capital, because it has ample conference space and is already home to the U.N. climate change agency.