The fight against global warming has gained support from across the world. With the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) approaching this Halloween, the call for government action has grown louder.
The conference is set to be held in Glasgow, Scotland starting on October 31 and ending on Friday, November 12.
According to The New York Times, “About 20,000 heads of state, diplomats and activists are expected to meet in person starting Oct. 31 to set new targets for cutting emissions from burning coal, oil and gas that are heating the planet.”
The conference is held annually but this year’s conference will tackle a very looming issue. “…Scientists say nations must make an immediate, sharp pivot away from fossil fuels if they hope to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change.”
The Times states that the goal is to keep the average global temperature below 1.5 degrees Celsius compared with “levels before the Industrial Revolution.” Scientists confirmed that passing the threshold would lead to dangerous consequences such as water shortages and deadly heat waves.
According to a very recent article posted by ABC News, the Associated Press reported that environmental campaigners across a number of continents are calling for more government action to help tackle global warming.
“Protesters rallied in Uganda, Bangladesh, India, Italy, Sweden and Germany to call for measures preventing dangerous global warming levels and taking into account the plight of the world’s poorest, who are particularly hard-hit by climate change,” said the AP.
Thousands of protesters, with young people making up the majority, rallied in front of the historic Brandenburg Gate located in Berlin, Germany. Some held banners with slogans saying “Act now or swim later” and “Don’t melt our future.”
To make their voices clear about countering climate change, according to the AP, some protesters attempted to blockade the offices of the three parties currently negotiating to form a coalition government. “Those parties include the center-left Social Democrats who came first in the Sept. 26 election ahead of outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right Union bloc,” said the AP.
Swedish activist Greta Thunberg joined the protest held in Stockholm, Sweden, the AP reported. “Her weekly “school strike for climate” helped inspire the international protest movement that saw regular, vast demonstrations before restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic curtailed such rallies,” said the AP.
Thunberg said that campaigners wanted to put pressure on leaders meeting in Glasgow next month to come to terms on tougher actions for climate change. “We are not going to let them get away with just talking and not doing anything and pretending the situation is under control,” said Thunberg.
According to the AP, protesters from developing countries also took part in the Stockholm protests. Their reason for attending was that people affected by climate change in developing countries especially needed their voices heard.
Mitzi Jonelle Tan, a Philippine activist who attended the protest had this to say: “It’s really just symbolic of how the youth, the global youth movement is coming together and uniting and coming together as one community fighting for the same thing.”
