Merkel meets climate activists - Greta Thunberg praises the Chancellor: "She is brave"

Chancellor Angela Merkel talks to Greta Thunberg and Luisa Neubauer about climate protection. The "Fridays for Future" activists expect action instead of words.

• In the Federal Chancellery of Berlin expects Chancellor Angela Merkel distinguished visitor.
• With Greta Thunberg and Luisa Neubauer , two leading activists of the “Fridays for Future” movement are coming .
• The climate protection activists see major failings in German and European environmental policy .

Update from August 20, 4:50 p.m.: On Thursday, four climate activists, including the Swede Greta Thunberg and the German activist Luisa Neubauer, met with the Chancellor. Exactly two years ago, Greta Thunberg started her climate strike and set a global movement in motion.

After the meeting today, the climate activist said: "We want people to take action, dare to leave their comfort zones, to take the future more seriously than the present," calling on politicians and leaders to be more courageous and foresighted. It takes leaders who treat the crisis like a crisis. Angela Merkel has the chance to take on this task.

Her colleague Luisa Neubauer also drew positive conclusions after the conversation. "We were grateful for the opportunity and for the time," she says after the conversation, according to dpa. “It became very clear that we are looking at the situation from different perspectives.” They could also have made their goal clear. Politicians should adhere to the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement - “no more and no less”. You can read more quotes from the activists after the meeting in the ticker of the press conference (see updates from 1:28 p.m.)

Climate activists in conversation with Angela Merkel: Greta Thunberg has specific demands

1.57 p.m.: So, that's it for now from the press conference of the climate activists in Berlin after the meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel.

1:50 p.m .: “We had specific requirements in the letter. Those were the minimum requirements in order to achieve the climate goals in accordance with the Paris Agreement, "says Greta Thunberg:" Of course that is difficult. "

Chancellor #Merkel welcomes @GretaThunberg and @Luisamneubauer and other representatives of #fridaysforfuture in the Chancellery to talk about climate protection issues at national, European and global level. pic.twitter.com/IGI3JBOhsd

Nevertheless, she underpinned the demand for a new system that is adapted to the climate crisis. Specifically, it was about the fact that it must be possible to terminate existing contracts for the promotion of fossil fuels in order to achieve the goals. This is currently not possible, says the Swede.

Merkel makes confessions to climate activists - Greta Thunberg on Chancellor: "She has potential"

1:43 p.m.: Now Greta Thunberg takes the floor again. She joins Luisa Neubauer and explains that leaders are needed and that every citizen has to fulfill his or her democratic duties.

"It was important that we met Ms. Merkel now because Germany currently has a great deal of responsibility due to the Council Presidency in the coming six months," says the French climate activist Charlier.

Ms. Merkel had assured that she understood science, said Luisa Neubauer. At the same time, however, she also pointed out the political complexity. “But we also need actions - and not just nice big words!” Said Neubauer.

Angela Merkel receives representatives from @FridayForFuture today. Here @Luisamneubauer explains what the climate activists hope for from the meeting. pic.twitter.com/bmp0Bmjtsp

Angela Merkel meets Greta Thunberg and Luisa Neubauer: This is how the discussion with the climate activists went

1:36 p.m.: Neubauer now explains that they were not calling for any utopian goals in the discussion. "We need leaders and we just want to act according to the state of scientific knowledge," says the German climate activist.

1.35 p.m .: "We asked Ms. Merkel not to treat the climate crisis as a conventional one," says Greta Thunberg. What is needed now is leaders who want to work hard on the goals for the Paris Agreement. "Ms. Merkel has the potential, she is brave," says Greta.

Climate change: Merkel meets Neubauer and Thunberg

1:31 p.m.: Luisa Neubauer is now the first to speak. She reports that she and Greta Thunberg spoke to the Chancellor for 90 minutes today. There should also have been discussion. They called on Angela Merkel to communicate openly if the climate targets could not be achieved.

We wrote an open letter to the EU, signed by DiCaprio, Malala, Naomi Klein and thousands more. Tonight we're discussing it with @vonderleyen
We say #FaceTheClimateEmergency - join us & sign via https://t.co/074M9zJ5X6. pic.twitter.com/YiVYJ8bzbN

Update from August 20, 1:28 p.m.: It 'll start in a few minutes, Greta Thunberg and Luisa Neubauer will be back from their meeting with Angela Merkel. We are curious what the two of them have to report.

Update from August 20, 12.53 p.m .: In the ranks of Fridays For Future (FFF) in Germany there is criticism of the meeting of several leading representatives of the climate protection movement this Thursday with Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) . "The date was not agreed at all," said Konstantin Nimmerfroh from FFF Frankfurt am Main of the taz. He criticized that the grassroots groups had only been informed about the project a few days beforehand.

“We feel overrun,” said Nimmerfroh. "It's a shame that the same people are always in public," criticized the Kiel activist Ole Willerich in the paper . “Luisa is undoubtedly doing a good job and has a lot of expertise,” Willerich continued. "But due to this imbalance in public, other, perhaps even more radical positions do not come into play."

Another FFF activist who was not mentioned by name was quoted by the taz as saying: “It is not a success to sit together with Ms. Merkel.” Brings the degree target closer ".

Chancellor Merkel meets Greta Thunberg and Luisa Neubauer - but they surprise with a clear announcement in advance

Original notification from August 19: Berlin - According to the Federal Government, Germany is on the right track in the fight against climate change. You are making good progress in your efforts, according to the 2019 climate protection report, which the federal cabinet passed on Wednesday.

Last year, greenhouse gas emissions were 805 million tons, 35.7 percent below the 1990 level. Meanwhile, environmental associations assessed this cautiously.

Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel * will meanwhile meet the two young climate activists * Greta Thunberg * and Luisa Neubauer in the Chancellery on Thursday . The CDU * politician said that she was happy "if there is a desire to have this conversation," which is why she "does not want to refuse it."

Chancellor Angela Merkel meets Greta Thunberg and Luisa Neubauer - “Fridays for Future” activists skeptical

The two activists of the "Fridays for Future" movement * , on the other hand, reiterated their criticism of what they considered to be the inadequate climate protection policy of Germany and the EU even before the meeting with the Chancellor. In the past, Thunberg and Neubauer had repeatedly expressed their displeasure.

As early as Wednesday, the Guardian newspaper published an article in which the environmentalists wrote: "We can have as many meetings as we want, but the will for change is nowhere in sight." Despite several natural disasters, one still has not started to see a crisis in the climate and environmental crisis and to treat it accordingly. "In fact, we lost two more years to political inaction."

Check out this post on Instagram

“Today, leaders all over the world are speaking of an“ existential crisis ”. The climate emergency is discussed on countless panels and summits. Commitments are being made, big speeches are given. Yet, when it comes to action we are still in a state of denial. The climate and ecological crisis has never once been treated as a crisis. " It's now been 2 years since the first school strike. Ahead of our meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel @anuna_dewever, @adelaidecha, @luisaneubauer and I write in The Guardian. Link in bio #FaceTheClimateEmergency

A post shared by Greta Thunberg (@gretathunberg) on ​​Aug 19, 2020 at 2:36 pm PDT

Greta Thunberg: Environment Minister Schulze sees German climate policy as positive - "Correct lessons learned"

Federal Environment Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD *) sees it differently. "Last year we learned the right lessons from past failures," said Schulze. "Every year we will check whether we are on the path we have decided and take action if necessary."

The conversation between Merkel and the climate activists is scheduled for around 90 minutes. Then Thunberg, Neubauer and their two Belgian colleagues Anuna de Wever and Adélaïde Charlier want to comment publicly. (kh) * merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editorial network

Video: Greta Thunberg receives multi-million dollar award for humanity

List of rubric lists: © Steffen Kugler / Federal Government / dpa