Young people around the world were seen to heed Greta Thunberg’s call to rally for the climate in the first major protest seen since the onslaught of the pandemic.
The pandemic forced young climate activists to develop and adopt new advocating strategies to combat climate change, including digital protests on platforms such as Twitter and Instagram.
The main rally was held in Germany, ahead of the citizens voting for their new chancellor. Friday’s demonstrations were designed to coincide with the United Nations General Assembly’s conference, who’s agenda highlighted climate change as an issue of urgency, requiring immediate addressing. The Greens party was seen as especially popular during the German elections, with their extensive environment based proposals, highly appealing to the youth.
Activists are simultaneously preparing for the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26), a significant assembly to be held by the UN in Glasgow, Scotland, later this year. The COP26 continues the agreements of the Paris Agreement, with respect to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. This involves comprehensive discussions and methods pertaining to greenhouse gas emissions and reducing the average world temperature.
With protests planned at over 400 locations in Germany alone, banners brandished by the citizens depicted the root of the climate problem – citizens demanded a stop to coal production and requested a rapid transition to cleaner energy.
Climate change is now being integrated into several election campaigns, recently seen to be a driving force in Iceland as well. The initiative of the youth in utilizing political platforms to enforce change depicts the dire need for the government to listen and begin mending their laws.
Commentaires