Hundreds of Thousands Worldwide Demand Climate Justice
HAVANA TIMES – Hundreds of thousands of protesters around the globe took to the streets over the weekend calling for an end to the burning of fossil fuels. Climate actions took place in the Philippines, India, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sweden, Germany, the United States and across dozens of other countries and cities worldwide. Here in New York, an estimated 75,000 protesters joined a massive march Sunday following days of peaceful actions targeting banks and other institutions involved with the fossil fuel industry. It was the largest rally New York has seen in years. Ahead of the march, at least 16 climate activists were arrested Friday after they occupied and shut down the Museum of Modern Art for more than five hours over its ties to fossil fuel billionaire Henry Kravis, co-founder of the Wall Street investment firm KKR.
Meanwhile, in Germany, thousands of protesters gathered in Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate spraying orange paint on its columns. Several protesters were arrested. This is an activist as they were taken into police custody.
Protester: “The government has to take measures now to achieve climate neutrality by 2030. It can’t be that our last basic livelihoods are being destroyed. The Brandenburg Gate stands for a political turning point like no other landmark, and we need exactly this turning point again today. The chancellor continues to pour oil on the fire. It can’t just be that basic livelihoods of millions — no, billions — of people are being put on the line. Science and scientists are clear that we need to exit the use of fossil fuels by 2030.”
The protests kicked off a week of mobilizations as world leaders will convene at the United Nations General Assembly starting today, where U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres is hosting a special climate summit Wednesday, which U.S. President Biden does not plan to attend. After headlines, we’ll spend the rest of the hour hearing voices from Sunday’s March to End Fossil Fuels in New York.
I remember Fidel Castro warning about this in the late 80’s and early 90’s when there was no mention of it in the Western media. People thought that you were crazy if you talked about it. Now here it is, staring down humanity.
Fidel said that Capitalism would not be up to the task to halt climate change it as it is built only on profit and self interest. Looks like he was right.
The reality is that billions of people are dependent upon the burning of fossil fuels. Wishful thinking cannot change that fact, nor is their dependence, one which can end within twenty to forty years – even if then. Governments have introduced carbon taxes which in reality have done little to alleviate the problem of global warming, the various and serious effects cannot be reversed, they are here to stay and to progress. The measures introduced to date, will only mitigate. The effects are real, in Canada the forest fires have turned millions of hectares of trees into carbon, which has resulted in smoke levels over North America which oblige people to stay indoors and outdoor sporting events to cease when level 10 pollution is reached. Sea levels are going to rise, with severe melting of the polar ice caps and glaciers dissolving. Coastal communities around the world are either going to erect barriers, or be inundated. Many current river levels are dependent upon glaciers, virtually all of which are melting away. I have witnessed that in the Canadian Rockies and in Europe, for fifty years. It is critical that governments emphasize the reality and plan for the future in warmer climates, with reduced water supplies. Electricity is not a resolution, as it too requires energy, including that required for the manufacture of windmills and solar panels. Food production is also being affected, but population growth continues. Demonstrations are now of little affect as governments are aware of the reality.