Berlin. Why is Fridays for Future calling for a climate strike right now when the pandemic is spiraling out of control?
The climate crisis is not taking a break. So we cannot pause the protest either. So many steps are currently being set for the future, so many billions are being put into hand for economic stimulus packages, that we have to push for these aids to be geared towards a climate-friendly and sustainable economy. The protest will be very creative and diverse, some will take place digitally, there will be many actions on the street. Of course, it is a challenge to find suitable forms of protest in the midst of this pandemic. But our local groups have been doing this brilliantly for over a year.
The return of the global climate strike
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Worldwide people demonstrated on Friday for more measures against global warming. © Reuters
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What exactly is Fridays for Future criticizing about the aid packages?
Instead of promoting the expansion of renewable energies, for example, the federal government is investing with the aid packages for industry in technologies that are not sustainable – actually not even present-day. Lufthansa receives nine billion euros without any conditions being attached to it. When it comes to corona management, the federal government is failing to take the steps towards a sustainable society.
How difficult is it right now to hold Fridays for Future together?
Many of us have not seen each other for months because of course there are no physical meetings and plenums. But we had the great advantage that we were very digital and decentralized even before the pandemic. We all knew Zoom before Corona came. Nonetheless, the challenge is of course enormous, but especially in these difficult times it can somehow provide support. It is an opportunity to get together with like-minded people and to do something about the feeling of hopelessness in this Corona time.
The next UN climate conference should be in Glasgow in November occur. Is it even possible to plan protests there under pandemic conditions?
How exactly the conference will take place is still very unclear. It is also unclear what opportunities there are for civil society to participate. There were now very strong efforts to reduce the size of the summit due to the corona pandemic, which would then primarily be at the expense of observers from civil society organizations. We fear that then, above all, politicians and industry representatives from countries in the global north would be represented and at the same time those affected from the regions most affected by the climate crisis can no longer be represented, which demand the preservation of their livelihoods there. That would be extremely problematic. We have to prevent this from becoming a climate conference behind closed doors and without the involvement of civil society.
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