Nov 05, 2021
Warning world leaders that the climate pledges made at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow are vastly insufficient to limit the heating of the planet to 1.5degC and protect frontline communities, tens of thousands of campaigners marched through the city on Friday as summit attendees marked the conference's "Youth and Public Empowerment Day."
"Many are starting to ask themselves what will it take for the people in power to wake up. But let's be clear: they are already awake. They know exactly what they are doing."
The day is aimed at engaging with young people as policymakers work to bring about systemic change, but the campaigners who descended on Glasgow for the 167th "Fridays for Future" march--including climate leaders Greta Thunberg of Sweden and Vanessa Nakate of Uganda--demanded that politicians at the conference listen to the calls for action that young people around the world have been making for years.
Carrying signs and banners reading, "Humanity is Failing" and "Divest From Amazon Destruction," thousands of people marched to George Square in the center of Glasgow to hear activists from countries including Pakistan, Colombia, and Uganda talk about the impacts the climate emergency has already had on their communities--with the planet having heated 1.1degC above pre-industrial temperatures so far and expected to warm 2.7degC under current national climate action plans.
"We are not responsible for the current impacts," said Ugandan campaigner Evelyn Acham of countries throughout Africa. "We emit very little [carbon] but we are suffering some of the worst impacts. People are dying from floods, disasters like droughts that are drying up people's crops, people's food."
"Our voices are not being heard, our voices are being left behind," she added. "We are not on the front pages.... and we do not see that climate finance that was promised to be given to the people that have already been affected by the climate crisis."
Since the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP26) began late last month, world leaders have pledged to cut methane emissions by 30% in the next decade, to end deforestation, to terminate overseas fossil fuel funding by the end of next year, and to phase out coal consumption--but failed to provide a timeline for the latter pledge.
Campaigners noted that the coal divestment pledge wasn't signed by some of the world's top coal polluters, including the U.S., and Thunberg and other advocates have expressed skepticism that wealthy countries will follow through on the promises they're making this week, especially without sustained pressure.
Pointing to reports that COP26 has been the most exclusionary U.N. climate crisis summit ever, Thunberg condemned the conference on Thursday as "a Global North greenwash festival."
\u201c#COP26 has been named the must excluding COP ever.\n\nThis is no longer a climate conference.\n\nThis is a Global North greenwash festival.\n\nA two week celebration of business as usual and blah blah blah.\u201d— Greta Thunberg (@Greta Thunberg) 1636042840
Thunberg joined marchers from around the world before addressing the crowd in George Square.
"Many are starting to ask themselves what will it take for the people in power to wake up," said Thunberg. "But let's be clear: they are already awake. They know exactly what they are doing. They know exactly what priceless values they are sacrificing to maintain business as usual."
"The leaders are not doing nothing, they are actively creating loopholes and shaping frameworks to benefit themselves and to continue profiting from this destructive system," she added.
Thunberg's impatience with world leaders was echoed on Friday by Greenpeace International, which summed up the first week of the talks as including "some big announcements, but too many pledges have been voluntary and too often the small print includes big loopholes," including the coal pledge's stipulation that wealthy countries must phase out coal by "the 2030s or as soon as possible thereafter."
Instead of powerful policymakers, said Greenpeace executive director Jennifer Morgan, "the leadership at this COP has come from youth activists and the so-called climate-vulnerable nations, while many leaders of bigger and richer countries are yet to step up."
On social media, climate action advocates said the massive demonstration that took over the streets of Glasgow--with even larger marches expected this weekend--offered "hope" that world leaders will not be able to ignore campaigners in the final days of COP26 next week.
\u201cSo many children and young people taking part in #FridaysForFuture and in Glasgow hearing from incredible speakers #HumanRightsDefenders, land defenders, climate activists, indigenous rights activists, trade unionists all united in a common cause to demand better from #COP26\u201d— Bruce Adamson (@Bruce Adamson) 1636130292
"A tsunami of young people demanding a future in which life can thrive, a future being stolen from them," said author and advocate Rob Hopkins of the march.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Warning world leaders that the climate pledges made at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow are vastly insufficient to limit the heating of the planet to 1.5degC and protect frontline communities, tens of thousands of campaigners marched through the city on Friday as summit attendees marked the conference's "Youth and Public Empowerment Day."
"Many are starting to ask themselves what will it take for the people in power to wake up. But let's be clear: they are already awake. They know exactly what they are doing."
The day is aimed at engaging with young people as policymakers work to bring about systemic change, but the campaigners who descended on Glasgow for the 167th "Fridays for Future" march--including climate leaders Greta Thunberg of Sweden and Vanessa Nakate of Uganda--demanded that politicians at the conference listen to the calls for action that young people around the world have been making for years.
Carrying signs and banners reading, "Humanity is Failing" and "Divest From Amazon Destruction," thousands of people marched to George Square in the center of Glasgow to hear activists from countries including Pakistan, Colombia, and Uganda talk about the impacts the climate emergency has already had on their communities--with the planet having heated 1.1degC above pre-industrial temperatures so far and expected to warm 2.7degC under current national climate action plans.
"We are not responsible for the current impacts," said Ugandan campaigner Evelyn Acham of countries throughout Africa. "We emit very little [carbon] but we are suffering some of the worst impacts. People are dying from floods, disasters like droughts that are drying up people's crops, people's food."
"Our voices are not being heard, our voices are being left behind," she added. "We are not on the front pages.... and we do not see that climate finance that was promised to be given to the people that have already been affected by the climate crisis."
Since the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP26) began late last month, world leaders have pledged to cut methane emissions by 30% in the next decade, to end deforestation, to terminate overseas fossil fuel funding by the end of next year, and to phase out coal consumption--but failed to provide a timeline for the latter pledge.
Campaigners noted that the coal divestment pledge wasn't signed by some of the world's top coal polluters, including the U.S., and Thunberg and other advocates have expressed skepticism that wealthy countries will follow through on the promises they're making this week, especially without sustained pressure.
Pointing to reports that COP26 has been the most exclusionary U.N. climate crisis summit ever, Thunberg condemned the conference on Thursday as "a Global North greenwash festival."
\u201c#COP26 has been named the must excluding COP ever.\n\nThis is no longer a climate conference.\n\nThis is a Global North greenwash festival.\n\nA two week celebration of business as usual and blah blah blah.\u201d— Greta Thunberg (@Greta Thunberg) 1636042840
Thunberg joined marchers from around the world before addressing the crowd in George Square.
"Many are starting to ask themselves what will it take for the people in power to wake up," said Thunberg. "But let's be clear: they are already awake. They know exactly what they are doing. They know exactly what priceless values they are sacrificing to maintain business as usual."
"The leaders are not doing nothing, they are actively creating loopholes and shaping frameworks to benefit themselves and to continue profiting from this destructive system," she added.
Thunberg's impatience with world leaders was echoed on Friday by Greenpeace International, which summed up the first week of the talks as including "some big announcements, but too many pledges have been voluntary and too often the small print includes big loopholes," including the coal pledge's stipulation that wealthy countries must phase out coal by "the 2030s or as soon as possible thereafter."
Instead of powerful policymakers, said Greenpeace executive director Jennifer Morgan, "the leadership at this COP has come from youth activists and the so-called climate-vulnerable nations, while many leaders of bigger and richer countries are yet to step up."
On social media, climate action advocates said the massive demonstration that took over the streets of Glasgow--with even larger marches expected this weekend--offered "hope" that world leaders will not be able to ignore campaigners in the final days of COP26 next week.
\u201cSo many children and young people taking part in #FridaysForFuture and in Glasgow hearing from incredible speakers #HumanRightsDefenders, land defenders, climate activists, indigenous rights activists, trade unionists all united in a common cause to demand better from #COP26\u201d— Bruce Adamson (@Bruce Adamson) 1636130292
"A tsunami of young people demanding a future in which life can thrive, a future being stolen from them," said author and advocate Rob Hopkins of the march.
Warning world leaders that the climate pledges made at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow are vastly insufficient to limit the heating of the planet to 1.5degC and protect frontline communities, tens of thousands of campaigners marched through the city on Friday as summit attendees marked the conference's "Youth and Public Empowerment Day."
"Many are starting to ask themselves what will it take for the people in power to wake up. But let's be clear: they are already awake. They know exactly what they are doing."
The day is aimed at engaging with young people as policymakers work to bring about systemic change, but the campaigners who descended on Glasgow for the 167th "Fridays for Future" march--including climate leaders Greta Thunberg of Sweden and Vanessa Nakate of Uganda--demanded that politicians at the conference listen to the calls for action that young people around the world have been making for years.
Carrying signs and banners reading, "Humanity is Failing" and "Divest From Amazon Destruction," thousands of people marched to George Square in the center of Glasgow to hear activists from countries including Pakistan, Colombia, and Uganda talk about the impacts the climate emergency has already had on their communities--with the planet having heated 1.1degC above pre-industrial temperatures so far and expected to warm 2.7degC under current national climate action plans.
"We are not responsible for the current impacts," said Ugandan campaigner Evelyn Acham of countries throughout Africa. "We emit very little [carbon] but we are suffering some of the worst impacts. People are dying from floods, disasters like droughts that are drying up people's crops, people's food."
"Our voices are not being heard, our voices are being left behind," she added. "We are not on the front pages.... and we do not see that climate finance that was promised to be given to the people that have already been affected by the climate crisis."
Since the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP26) began late last month, world leaders have pledged to cut methane emissions by 30% in the next decade, to end deforestation, to terminate overseas fossil fuel funding by the end of next year, and to phase out coal consumption--but failed to provide a timeline for the latter pledge.
Campaigners noted that the coal divestment pledge wasn't signed by some of the world's top coal polluters, including the U.S., and Thunberg and other advocates have expressed skepticism that wealthy countries will follow through on the promises they're making this week, especially without sustained pressure.
Pointing to reports that COP26 has been the most exclusionary U.N. climate crisis summit ever, Thunberg condemned the conference on Thursday as "a Global North greenwash festival."
\u201c#COP26 has been named the must excluding COP ever.\n\nThis is no longer a climate conference.\n\nThis is a Global North greenwash festival.\n\nA two week celebration of business as usual and blah blah blah.\u201d— Greta Thunberg (@Greta Thunberg) 1636042840
Thunberg joined marchers from around the world before addressing the crowd in George Square.
"Many are starting to ask themselves what will it take for the people in power to wake up," said Thunberg. "But let's be clear: they are already awake. They know exactly what they are doing. They know exactly what priceless values they are sacrificing to maintain business as usual."
"The leaders are not doing nothing, they are actively creating loopholes and shaping frameworks to benefit themselves and to continue profiting from this destructive system," she added.
Thunberg's impatience with world leaders was echoed on Friday by Greenpeace International, which summed up the first week of the talks as including "some big announcements, but too many pledges have been voluntary and too often the small print includes big loopholes," including the coal pledge's stipulation that wealthy countries must phase out coal by "the 2030s or as soon as possible thereafter."
Instead of powerful policymakers, said Greenpeace executive director Jennifer Morgan, "the leadership at this COP has come from youth activists and the so-called climate-vulnerable nations, while many leaders of bigger and richer countries are yet to step up."
On social media, climate action advocates said the massive demonstration that took over the streets of Glasgow--with even larger marches expected this weekend--offered "hope" that world leaders will not be able to ignore campaigners in the final days of COP26 next week.
\u201cSo many children and young people taking part in #FridaysForFuture and in Glasgow hearing from incredible speakers #HumanRightsDefenders, land defenders, climate activists, indigenous rights activists, trade unionists all united in a common cause to demand better from #COP26\u201d— Bruce Adamson (@Bruce Adamson) 1636130292
"A tsunami of young people demanding a future in which life can thrive, a future being stolen from them," said author and advocate Rob Hopkins of the march.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.