Inspired by Swedish teen, worldwide protest demands climate action

[rooster59]

Inspired by Swedish teen, worldwide protest demands climate action

By Gabriella Borter, Fabrizio Bensch and Patpicha Tanakasempipat

 

Protesters are seen taking part in The Global Strike 4 Climate rally in Brisbane, Australia, September 20, 2019. AAP Image/Dan Peled/via REUTERS

 

(Reuters) - Millions of young people flooded the streets of cities around the world on Friday to demand political leaders take urgent steps to stop climate change, uniting in a worldwide protest inspired by 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg.

 

Alarmed by images of the Greenland ice sheets melting and the Amazon rain forests burning, students and workers abandoned schools, shops and offices in nearly every corner of the globe, aiming to stop what they see as a looming environmental catastrophe.

 

The protests started in the Pacific islands, where rising sea levels threaten a way of life, and followed the rising sun across Australia, Japan, Southeast Asia and on to Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas. The coordinated student "strike" culminated in New York's Wall Street, where some investors have embraced the fossil fuel industry.

 

Massive crowds overwhelmed the streets of lower Manhattan, letting out roars of "Save our planet!" while anticipating an address by Thunberg, who soared to prominence after sailing across the Atlantic in an emissions-free yacht ahead of next week's climate summit at the United Nations.

 

"Right now we are the ones who are making a difference. If no one else will take action, then we will," Thunberg told demonstrators in New York.

 

"We demand a safe future. Is that really too much to ask?" she said.

 

Demonstrators in Paris raised a painting of Thunberg as the Virgin Mary, a halo around her head reading, "Our house is on fire.

 

"She's like the icon of our generation," New York protester Fiamma Cochrane, 17, said of Thunberg, highlighting the leadership role of young people in the international cry to reduce consumption of fossil fuels.

 

For Jane Willis, a 62-year-old high school English teacher and playwright, the students offered a ray of hope even as the recreational area of her own youth, Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey, was polluted by pesticides.

 

"My heart feels two ways," Willis said, surveying the crowd. "Half of it is breaking, and half of it just feels really buoyed up, I feel hopeful."

 

Worldwide concern has escalated since U.S. President Donald Trump abandoned the international Paris Accord on climate change and took a series of steps to dismantle environmental protections, including moving on Thursday to block stricter vehicle emissions standards in California.

 

Demonstrators in Thailand stormed into the environment ministry and feigned death, while activists in Berlin and Munich re-enacted gallows, standing on melting blocks of ice with nooses around their necks to symbolize the death that awaits them when the polar ice caps melt.

 

Others in Warsaw staged a performance of people drowning in a sea of plastic waste.

 

"The planet is getting hotter than my imaginary boyfriend," read a poster held by a teenager in Thailand.

 

"Make love, not CO2" signs were spotted in Berlin and Vienna.

 

Three million people had participated worldwide as of midday in New York, organizers with the anti-fossil fuels group 350 said.

 

While Europeans filled the streets, students in the Solomon Islands gathered at the rising ocean water's edge wearing traditional grass skirts. The issue is vital to low-lying Pacific islands, which have repeatedly asked wealthier nations to do more to prevent rising sea levels.

 

'THERE IS NO PLANET B'

 

Global warming caused by heat-trapping greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels has already led to droughts and heat waves, melting glaciers, rising sea levels and floods, according to scientists.

 

"There is no Planet B," read a sign hoisted by a young woman in London.

 

In Kenya, around 500 activists marched to demand that the government cancel plans for a controversial coal plant and investigate corruption in hydropower dams.

 

"In Samburu there is a lot of heat, the grass has dried up, there is little water," said Francis Lentel, a young herdsman in traditional beads, holding a picture of the Earth weeping.

 

The protest movement is putting increasing pressure on both governments and companies to respond.

 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel unveiled a major new climate protection package thrashed out by parties in her coalition during all-night talks.

 

Private industry has also responded. Amazon.com Inc Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos on Thursday pledged to make the largest U.S. e-commerce company net carbon neutral by 2040.

 

Hundreds of workers from Google, Amazon and other technology companies on Friday criticized their industry for being slow to tackle climate change and joined marches in San Francisco and Seattle calling for action.

 

"Tech is having an awakening," said Google business analyst Marie Collins.

 

The U.N. summit next week brings together world leaders to discuss climate change mitigation strategies, such as transitioning to renewable energy sources.

 

Trump and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, among the world's only national leaders who publicly question climate science, are not due to take part, their representatives said.

 

(Reporting by Hans Lee in Sydney, Philip Blenkinsop in Brussels, Fabrizio Bensch in Berlin and Ilze Filks in Stockholm Hans Lee in Sydney; Additional reporting by Patpicha Tanakasempipat in Bangkok, Byron Kaye in Sydney, Sonali Paul in Melbourne, Katharine Houreld in Nairobi, Gabriella Borter in New York, Liz Hampton in Houston, Lindsey Wasson in Seattle and Kate Munsch in San Francisco; Writing by Jonathan Barrett, Stephen Coates, Alex Richardson and Daniel Trotta; Editing by Will Dunham, Lincoln Feast,; Janet Lawrence, Mike Collett-White and Daniel Wallis)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-09-21

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[thaibeachlovers]

7 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

uniting in a worldwide protest inspired by 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg.

 

You know nothing, Greta Thunberg.

The thing youths never realise is that having an opinion is not knowledge.

If they were actually wanting to do something, rather than having a love in, they should go out and pick up garbage.

How many of them refuse to travel in fossil fuelled vehicles, don't use mobile phones or avoid air travel? Need I use the H word?

[thaibeachlovers]

11 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

melting glaciers, rising sea levels and floods, according to scientists.

What about the glaciers advancing, now, and exactly how high has the sea risen ( in comparison to the height it reached in past eons ) ? Do tell.

[thaibeachlovers]

17 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Thunberg, who soared to prominence after sailing across the Atlantic in an emissions-free yacht

Oh, is it made from sheep's wool, or grass? They may claim it didn't use carbon to travel, but I'll bet it used carbon to construct.

[faraday]

Sounds like she's an opinionated spoilt brat.

[daoyai]

It is an interesting topic, protesting the destruction of the carbon eating, oxygen spewing forests is on track. The emotionalism and arrogance of youth is cringeworthy.  Sorry but I really don"t need teens teaching me science. If there is climate change and there always has been... we are great at adapting.  

[Tug]

Kids the future is yours vote the polluters out get to work on renewables the energy is there it’s the storage of it is the key get to it don’t let a bunch of grumpy naysayers stop you!!!

[Tayaout]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

You know nothing, Greta Thunberg.

The thing youths never realise is that having an opinion is not knowledge.

If they were actually wanting to do something, rather than having a love in, they should go out and pick up garbage.

How many of them refuse to travel in fossil fuelled vehicles, don't use mobile phones or avoid air travel? Need I use the H word?

 

[thaibeachlovers]

26 minutes ago, Tug said:

Kids the future is yours vote the polluters out get to work on renewables the energy is there it’s the storage of it is the key get to it don’t let a bunch of grumpy naysayers stop you!!!

When she sails her yacht to China to protest on Tianaman Square I'll have some respect for her.

The biggest cause of pollution/ man made climate change is people. They should all be demanding that parents stop at one child- why are they not?

[thaibeachlovers]

5 minutes ago, Tayaout said:

 

I'd love to be able to live like that, but to be able to do so I'd have to be rich.

BTW, how does he get to the Dr, supermarket etc. On horseback?

Did he cut the wood by hand or was it cut in a mill using electricity generated by fossil fuel?

Is that an oil based plastic tank in the picture?

Glass is made by melting sand- how was it melted?

Is that a gas fired stove in the picture?

How is the cabin/ water for washing heated?

 

How many of the 7 billion and counting people on planet earth can live like that?

[Tayaout]

9 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I'd love to be able to live like that, but to be able to do so I'd have to be rich.

BTW, how does he get to the Dr, supermarket etc. On horseback?

Did he cut the wood by hand or was it cut in a mill using electricity generated by fossil fuel?

Is that an oil based plastic tank in the picture?

Glass is made by melting sand- how was it melted?

Is that a gas fired stove in the picture?

How is the cabin/ water for washing heated?

 

How many of the 7 billion and counting people on planet earth can live like that?

He use a bicycle. You don't need to be a caveman to reduce your footprint. He is far from rich and still manage to do ok. Or you can simply not give a <deleted> if that works fine for you.  At the end the sun will destroy Earth anyway. 

[bristolboy]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

You know nothing, Greta Thunberg.

The thing youths never realise is that having an opinion is not knowledge.

If they were actually wanting to do something, rather than having a love in, they should go out and pick up garbage.

How many of them refuse to travel in fossil fuelled vehicles, don't use mobile phones or avoid air travel? Need I use the H word?

This is basically the same argument as saying it's hypocritical to use coal powered energy to build solar cells or wind turbines. You use the means at hand to get where you want to go.

[thaibeachlovers]

2 minutes ago, Tayaout said:

He use a bicycle. You don't need to be a caveman to reduce your footprint. He is far from rich and still manage to do ok. 

No disrespect intended to the person in the picture, but he is not the problem for the planet. It's the other 7 billion and counting that don't live a simple life that are. How many young people want to live like that, and give up mobile phones, cars, boozing, drugs etc etc etc. Most young people want to live in cities because it's exciting. Japanese farming is in crisis because no young people want to live in the country.

NB most of the people on the planet are young.

[Tug]

There is a middle ground on all issues we as a species must learn to live doing less damage to our earth with technology and manufacturing I feel this is achievable a good means of storing energy is the key green energy is there for the taking we need to make it more convenient to use get to it kids!!

[Tayaout]

1 minute ago, thaibeachlovers said:

No disrespect intended to the person in the picture, but he is not the problem for the planet. It's the other 7 billion and counting that don't live a simple life that are. How many young people want to live like that, and give up mobile phones, cars, boozing, drugs etc etc etc. Most young people want to live in cities because it's exciting. Japanese farming is in crisis because no young people want to live in the country.

NB most of the people on the planet are young.

I think on the contrary the vast majority live a simple life. A minority use the majority of earth ressource and don't see the problem doing so. 

[thaibeachlovers]

Just now, bristolboy said:

This is basically the same argument as saying it's hypocritical to use coal powered energy to build solar cells or wind turbines. You use the means at hand to get where you want to go.

We can all live without international air travel, mobile phones and individual cars ( in situations where there is enough public transport as in London- I didn't own a car or m'bike there ). No one HAS to fly on international holidays, or use mobile phones- which are polluting to make ( as it used to be when I was young ).

[bristolboy]

1 minute ago, thaibeachlovers said:

We can all live without international air travel, mobile phones and individual cars ( in situations where there is enough public transport as in London- I didn't own a car or m'bike there ). No one HAS to fly on international holidays, or use mobile phones- which are polluting to make ( as it used to be when I was young ).

No one has to except if there are goals they need to accomplish. If you consume x amount of resources to generate 10x savings of resources, that's a plus.

[bristolboy]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

What about the glaciers advancing, now, and exactly how high has the sea risen ( in comparison to the height it reached in past eons ) ? Do tell.

That's like saying if you have 10 investments starting out at equal value, and 9 of them are losing money and one is profiting, then all is well. The vast majority of glaciers are retreating. There are a few statistically insignificant instances where they are advancing. So what's your point?

[thaibeachlovers]

2 minutes ago, Tayaout said:

I think on the contrary the vast majority live a simple life. A minority use the majority of earth ressource and don't see the problem doing so. 

The ones that do don't want to in many cases. Not many want to live in a hovel and burn cow dung, while carrying water long distances from a well every day. They want running water, tvs, cars, big houses etc. How many people have cars in China now compared to 25 years ago? How many new cars go on roads around the world every day?

How many peasants in Africa don't want to live a western lifestyle?

[stevenl]

Tbl, you know there is a problem, in earlier threads you have admitted to that but feel it is too late to do something about it.

Why not support the people who try to do something, in stead of moaning they're not doing enough or not doing it the right way.

[metisdead]

Off topic bickering posts and replies have been removed.  This topic is not specifically about family planning. 

[transam]

Wonder how many cars these folks families have amassed, central heating to go home too.....Or, how many have given up the car, don't use central heating and wouldn't dream of getting on a plane for a short holiday...

[Thongkorn]

I bet all the young protesters will shoot off home after their protest, and bin all their i phones that have previous metals in them along with all their ex boxes and computers and games, Then they will bin fast food and junk food, to live a healthy Climate change life, Not. 

[stevenl]

11 minutes ago, transam said:

Wonder how many cars these folks families have amassed, central heating to go home too.....Or, how many have given up the car, don't use central heating and wouldn't dream of getting on a plane for a short holiday...

So the world has not changed at all. The young object to the way society is developing, the old are unhappy with that, even when the world is falling apart.

The post before this one illustrates this even better. Sad.

[Odysseus123]

It is good to see the younger people getting engaged in this way.The torch will always pass to the coming generations and in a modern pluralistic society their voice has every right to be heard-and debated upon.

[DoctorG]

I might be inclined towards some action if the predictions were anywhere near believable. Attached is just some of the "scientific predictions" that have been made. There are plenty more to be laughed at in other sites.

 

https://cei.org/blog/wrong-again-50-years-failed-eco-pocalyptic-predictions

[norfolkandchance]

How did she get back to Sweden?

[Credo]

I don't quite get the assumption by many posters that the goal is to get everyone to give up everything.   Part of this is to push governments to invest in green technology.   It's to get people to do things that contribute to saving the environment.   I don't think the goal is to have all of us walking or riding horses to work or to cross the Pacific in a sailboat.   

 

So, yes, I suspect most of the protesters went home in a less than carbon friendly manner, but given a choice, I suspect they would have chosen a more carbon friendly transport if it were available.   

 

[Scott]

Off-topic post removed.  

 

[canuckamuck]

 Thailand could have stood out as having not fallen for this nonsense. But with this, they are caught up the modern age.