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Reporting on climate change is one of the major journalistic challenges of our time. The climate crisis is also one of the most important issues of humanity for SPIEGEL. For this reason, we support an international initiative that seeks to take a look this week: "Covering Climate Now" has been initiated by the Columbia Journalism Review and the Canadian newspaper "The Nation", with more than 200 media companies worldwide including the Guardian, El País, La Repubblica, The Times of India, Bloomberg or Vanity Fair. SPIEGEL is dedicating the cover story of the current issue to the climate crisis this week and every day pays special attention to mirror.de
Three days before the start of the World Climate Change Conference in Madrid, thousands of people around the world are once again taking to the streets for more climate protection. The German organizers of the climate protection movement "Fridays for Future" announced in advance demos in more than 500 cities in this country.
In Sydney, a good 500 students gathered in front of the party headquarters of the ruling liberals and demanded more decisive measures against global warming. In Melbourne, about 700 participants came to the climate strike.
According to the climate protection movement "Fridays For Future", throughout Australia there were actions in 60 cities with thousands of participants. In September, more than 300,000 people had arrived. According to observers, the lower participation in this Friday is also explained by the fact that there is currently a hot phase of testing in Australia's schools.
DPA
Demo in Melbourne in front of the Parliament of the State of Victoria
According to "Fridays for Future", over 2400 cities in 157 countries are international. In Berlin alone, 50,000 participants are expected this Friday.
After the big demos in March and May as well as the global strike week in September, the activists start the fourth edition of their worldwide coordinated protest. Luisa Neubauer, a spokeswoman for the German movement, called the actions an outcry of indignation. "The political failure is dramatic," she told the "Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung".
Delete subsidies for fossil fuels
Among other things, "Fridays For Future" calls for Germany to immediately withdraw all subsidies for fossil energy sources such as coal, oil and gas and shut down a quarter of its coal-fired power plants later this year. In addition, Germany would have to switch to a completely renewable energy supply by 2035.
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The issue of global warming is currently also affecting the EU. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has pledged strong efforts to tackle climate change. The European Parliament had proclaimed on Thursday the "climate emergency" for Europe.
A clear majority of MEPs argued that it was the first continent ever to declare such a state of emergency. This should underline the urgency of the topic. However, the step does not have any concrete consequences for the time being.
Fridays for Future is not enough. "That the EU calls out the climate emergency, without acting, is like when the fire brigade in action only 'It burns!' cries instead of erasing, "wrote the group on the German Twitter account.
Criticism of the climate package
In Germany, the criticism of predominantly young activists is directed above all against the climate package of the Federal Government. "With business as usual and lots of pill-pollen, these measures are just another episode in the series of Groko's climate-policy failures," the network said.
The Federal Council advises on Friday at 9.30 am on which laws the Conciliation Committee should be convened. Before the vote, heads of state had called for clear improvements to the climate package.
The movement "Fridays for Future" goes back to a protest by the Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who has inspired many people around the world to fight the climate crisis.
More about the climate crisis
Thunberg herself will spend the day of the protest in an unfamiliar place: the 16-year-old is sailing across the Atlantic on a catamaran with a well-known YouTuber family to attend the World Climate Change Conference starting on Monday and a big protest in Madrid next Friday , Whether she arrives on time is unclear. By Thursday, the ship had done just over two-thirds of the way.
Thunberg solicited via Twitter on Thursday for the protest day: "In September, 7.5 million people around the world took to the streets. Tomorrow we do it again." Everyone is needed, everyone is welcome.