13 posts
55 minutes ago
"We have no time to waste! Our house is on fire"
By CNN's Isil Sariyuce
Emine Ozkan, a co-spokesperson for Turkey's Green Party, welcomed President Tayyip Erdogan's announcement this week that Turkey will bring the Paris Agreement to parliament for approval next month before COP26.
"As of Tuesday, Turkey was one of the six countries that had not ratified the Paris Climate Agreement, along with Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Libya and Yemen," Ozkan said.
"We, the Greens, and the climate movement in Turkey have been fighting for years for this result. Our struggle and interest in climate policy, especially the Paris Climate Agreement in the international arena, did not allow Turkey to resist for longer, "he added.
"Issues such as the floods and forest fires we have suffered this year, the economic crisis we have been through, youth unemployment and access to the right to housing, which has become more visible recently, pressure the government from all angles" told CNN at a climate rally in Istanbul on Friday.
"We have to see that the ratification of the Paris climate agreement is the beginning, not the end. Turkey has a lot of work ahead of it. First, the greenhouse gas emission reduction targets need to be realistically updated accordingly. with the target of 1.5 degrees. After this update, strategic plans should be drawn up on how the reduction will be carried out in all policy areas, and Turkey should set a target year to be carbon neutral, "he continued.
"As opposition parties, we must closely monitor and audit all processes and press for bold action. Because we have no time to lose. Our house is on fire," added Ozkan.
29 minutes ago
"We are the last generation to change this wrong path"
Turkey's climate activist Yaren Ozca
Young people in Istanbul want more to be done for climate change.
"We have recently faced the surprising results of the climate crisis in Turkey and around the world," university student Yaren Ozca told CNN.
The country suffered some of the worst forest fires in its history this summer, followed by heavy flooding in Turkey's Black Sea provinces, killing dozens of people in the north.
"We are the last generation to change this wrong path," said the 21-year-old.
"This is an international day. We have met in Istanbul, but there are strikes in other cities in Turkey. We are here to make our voice heard and to raise awareness of the climate emergency," he added.
"It is a hopeful development that Turkey has announced that it will ratify Paris," Ozca said in reference to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's announcement at the UN on Tuesday that Turkey will bring the Paris Agreement to Parliament for approval next month before COP26. .
"We were surprised by the news as we prepared for today. We are happy and will closely monitor its implementation," he added.
32 hours ago
The work that world leaders do is "essential, but not enough"
Protesters in front of the Reichstag building that houses the German Bundestag (lower house of parliament).
(Photo: JOHN MACDOUGALL / AFP via Getty Images)
Members of the Climate Action Network (CAN) have reacted to the 76th UN General Assembly, held this week in New York.
Throughout the week, world leaders addressed the climate crisis and announced their agendas for the coming year, but CAN members maintain that they are not doing enough.
A few weeks before the COP26 climate summit, members of the group, including 1,500 NGOs from more than 130 countries, are calling on world leaders to work together to tackle the climate crisis.
Today, millions of people take to the streets to tell leaders that they cannot fake climate action with empty rhetoric. America's announcement on climate finance and China's announcement on coal are essential, but not they are enough, "said Eddy Pérez, director of international climate diplomacy for Climate Action Network Canada, in a statement Friday.
Following Friday's youth climate protests, Mitzi Jonelle Tan, a Fridays for Future activist from the Philippines, highlighted a key message from her #UprootTheSystem campaign, telling rich countries that they have a "climate debt to humanity."
Biden has pledged $ 100 billion for climate finance ahead of COP26, but Cansin Leylim, associate director of global campaigns at 350.org, said it's not enough.
"To ensure that the global temperature stays below 1.5 degrees, trillions of dollars are needed. The United States should pay its fair share," Leylim said.
48 hours ago
The global climate protest, in photos
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The young Swedish Greta Thunberg, creator of Fridays for Future, at the head of the demonstration in Berlin, Germany.
See in this gallery the best images of the global protest against climate change (Photo: Sean Gallup / Getty Images)
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Young people join the global day of protest in Bangladesh.
They demand changes in the country's energy policy from the government.
(Photo: Fridays For Future MAPA / Twitter)
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Insulate Britain protesters block the A20 that provides access to the port of Dover, in Kent, England.
Environmental activists have switched places after being banned from campaigning on London's M25 motorway.
(Gareth Fuller / PA via AP)
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Protesters gather during the Fridays for Future climate strike march in front of the Reichstag in Berlin, Germany, which will hold federal parliamentary elections on September 26 and climate policy is high on the voters' agenda.
(Photo: Maja Hitij / Getty Images)
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Greta Thunberg speaks with protesters taking part in the Fridays for Futures global climate strike in Berlin.
(Photo: TOBIAS SCHWARZ / AFP via Getty Images)
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Protesters hold up a banner that reads "All generations: act now" during the day organized by the Fridays for Future movement in Vienna.
Activists of the movement are demonstrating around the world and in more than 350 German cities to call for structural changes through socially just and coherent measures to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
(Photo: JOE KLAMAR / AFP via Getty Images)
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Protesters in front of the Reichstag building that houses the German Bundestag (lower house of parliament).
(Photo: JOHN MACDOUGALL / AFP via Getty Images)
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Greta Thunberg speaks at a large-scale climate march held by Fridays for Future in front of the Reichstag in Berlin, Germany.
(Photo by Maja Hitij / Getty Images)
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A performance group called Red Rebels joins the hundreds of people participating in the global climate protest in Cape Town, to protest against the causes of global climate change and, in particular, against the South African Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (AMD).
(Photo: RODGER BOSCH / AFP via Getty Images)
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Students take part in the climate protest popularized by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg in Glasgow, Scotland.
(Photo: Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images)
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A young man holds up a sign that reads "The Emperor has no clothes" during the climate protest outside the Scottish Parliament in Glasgow.
(Photo: Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images)
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Participants march during the protest day organized by the Fridays for Future movement in Vienna, Austria.
Activists of the movement are demonstrating around the world to call for structural changes with socially just and coherent measures to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
(Photo: JOE KLAMAR / AFP via Getty Images)
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Activists blow up a balloon with the image of the leader of the conservative German Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party and candidate for chancellor of the union of conservative parties CDU / CSU, Armin Laschet, with the caption "Climate protection in the CDU / CSU? Nothing but hot air! "
(Photo: JOHN MACDOUGALL / AFP via Getty Images)
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Women hold posters during in Istanbul's Kadikoy district.
(Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP) (Photo by OZAN KOSE / AFP via Getty Images)
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Climate activists gather during the march in Berlin, Germany, which will hold federal parliamentary elections on September 26, and climate policy is high on the voters' agenda.
(Photo: Maja Hitij / Getty Images)
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Environmental activists and supporters display banners during the day to combat climate change in New Delhi, India.
(Photo: JEWEL SAMAD / AFP via Getty Images)
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Greta Thunberg leads the march in Berlin, in the day against climate change organized by Fridays for Future.
(Photo: Sean Gallup / Getty Images)
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Participants hold a banner reading "Burn Capitalism, Not Coal" during the demonstration in Vienna, Austria.
(Photo: JOE KLAMAR / AFP via Getty Images)
2 hours ago
Istanbul protesters organize a vegan picnic
Climate activists in Istanbul start the protests with a vegan picnic.
(Photo: Courtesy of Ozlem Teke)
Climate activists in Istanbul hold a vegan picnic to kick off their protests against the climate crisis.
Footage from the picnic shows young activists sitting on blankets, eating food and holding signs calling for action.
It is the first climate strike since Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan announced at the UN on Tuesday that Turkey will bring the Paris Agreement to parliament for approval next month before COP26.
Turkey signed the Paris Agreement in 2016, but was one of six countries that did not ratify it, along with Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Libya and Yemen.
This is a big step forward, but many activists continue to call for more action.
Turkey is vulnerable to climate change, and this summer saw some of the worst forest fires in the country's history.
Soon after, strong flash floods swept through Turkey's Black Sea provinces, killing dozens of people in the north.
3 hours ago
Greta Thunberg speaks in front of a crowd in Berlin
Greta Thunberg speaks with protesters taking part in the Fridays for Futures global climate strike in Berlin.
(Photo: TOBIAS SCHWARZ / AFP via Getty Images)
The founder of the Fridays for Future movement, Greta Thunberg, spoke in front of a crowd of protesters in Berlin, two days before Germany went to the polls.
"There is no turning back, we can still turn this around, people are ready for change, we want change, we demand change and we are change," Thunberg said.
The country has the highest number of youth protests scheduled for this Friday, with more than 400 scheduled.
"Yes, you have to vote, you have to vote, but remember that just voting will not be enough. We must continue to go out into the streets," Thunberg said in direct reference to Sunday's elections.
"We have to all become climate activists and we have to start the system," he added.
3 hours ago
Guterres said the world "is moving in the wrong direction"
Guterres, during the UN General Assembly.
(Photo: JUSTIN LANE / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
At the United Nations General Assembly meeting of world leaders on Tuesday, General Secretary António Guterres sounded the alarm about the climate crisis, stating that the world is "moving in the wrong direction."
The window to keep alive the goals of the Paris climate agreement is "closing rapidly," he warned.
"Climate scientists tell us that it is not too late to keep alive the 1.5-degree goal of the Paris Climate Agreement. But the window is closing fast. We need a 45% cut in emissions by 2030. However , a recent UN report made clear that with current national climate commitments, emissions will increase by 16% by 2030, "he said.
"That would condemn us to a hell of temperature rises of at least 2.7 degrees above pre-industrial levels, a catastrophe," he added.
Ahead of the upcoming UN Climate Conference to be held in Glasgow, Guterres said the world is "apparently light years away from achieving our goals."
Noting that the OECD reported a gap of at least US $ 20 billion in essential climate finance promised to developing countries, it outlined its recommendations and called on multiple stakeholders to step up momentum for global action. against climate change, especially in the areas of mitigation, financing and adaptation.
Countries must commit to carbon neutrality by mid-century, and to concrete emission reduction targets by 2030 that will lead us to that goal, backed by credible action now.
Developing nations should finally see the $ 100 billion a year pledged for climate action, fully mobilizing resources from both international financial institutions and the private sector.
Developed countries must deliver on their promise to credibly support developing countries to build resilience and save lives and livelihoods.
This means that 50% of all climate finance provided by developed countries and multilateral development banks should be dedicated to adaptation.
In his message to all Member States, he said: "Do not wait for others to take the first step. Do your part."
Countries have the "opportunity and obligation to act," he said, while making green policy recommendations.
"Governments must also use the full force of their fiscal policymaking powers to make the shift to green economies. Taxing carbon and pollution rather than people's income to facilitate the shift to sustainable green jobs. By ending fossil fuel subsidies and freeing up resources to re-invest in healthcare, education, renewable energy, sustainable food systems and social protection for its citizens. Committing not to build new coal plants, "he said.
The Paris targets "will vanish" if all the planned coal plants come online, he warned.
4 hours ago
Protesters arrested in British port of Dover
Protesters from Insulate Britain block the A20 which provides access to the Port of Dover, in Kent, England, Friday, Sept.
24, 2021. The environmental activists have moved location after been banned from campaigning on the M25 motorway in London.
(Gareth Fuller / PA via AP)
Police have arrested 17 people in connection with the protests in Dover, the UK's busiest ferry port.
Kent County Police said they were dealing with the protest activity that began around 8:20 a.m. local time and lasted for about three hours.
The group has called on the British government to insulate homes across the country to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
4 hours ago
Bangladeshi protesters demand an end to fossil fuels
Young protesters from Bangladesh participated in the Fridays for Future global strike, calling on the Bangladeshi government to scrap planned new coal and gas projects.
Footage from the protests shows activists holding banners demanding system change and climate justice.
Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to the climate crisis and activists call for a green "New Deal", like that of the European Union, with an abandonment of fossil fuels in favor of renewable energy.
Bangladesh's carbon emissions output remains low, but the country is burdened by the climate crisis.
The Foundation for Environmental Justice estimates that one in seven people in Bangladesh could be displaced by climate change by 2050.
Protesters are demanding that the planned new coal and gas power plants be abandoned, with particular pressure for the Matarbari Ultra Critical Coal Power Project in the Moheshkhali area to be canceled.
The project aims to generate 2,400 MW of electricity, but protesters are concerned about its possible impact on the environment and the livelihoods of local residents.
Climate activists from MAPA (Most Affected People and Areas) countries, including Bangladesh, call for "northern settlers" to pay their climate debt to compensate poorer nations for the damage caused by the climate crisis .
5 hours ago
What is Fridays for Future and how did it start?
Greta Thunberg, at the first school protest outside the Riksdagen, the Swedish parliament building, on August 28, 2018 in Stockholm, Sweden.
(Photo: MICHAEL CAMPANELLA / Getty Images)
Fridays for Future (FFF) is a youth-driven global climate strike movement that began in August 2018, when then-15-year-old Swedish Greta Thunberg skipped school and organized Friday sit-ins in front of the Swedish Parliament.
In the three weeks leading up to the Swedish elections, he sat in front of Parliament every class day, demanding urgent action on the climate crisis.
Others soon joined and the group decided to continue its strike until the Swedish authorities implemented policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
They wanted climate efforts to be in line with the 2015 Paris Agreement goals of containing global warming to 2 degrees Celsius, but preferably 1.5 degrees, above pre-industrial levels.
Very few countries are in line with that goal right now.
The strikers created the hashtag #FridaysForFuture and encouraged other young people around the world to join them.
Sometimes they coordinate their protests, like today's, which are expected in more than 1,400 locations around the world.
4 hours ago
"The older generation is to blame," says a protester in Berlin
Protesters gathered in front of the Reichstag, which houses the lower house of the German parliament, in central Berlin, complained that young people were being pushed out of politics ahead of elections this weekend.
Others, old enough to vote, said their voices were being drowned out by the country's aging population.
Amadeus Truman, a 27-year-old German literature student living in Berlin, has collaborated with Fridays for Future for more than two years, describing climate action and justice as his passion.
"The parties that are fighting now for the German parliament on Sunday have disappointed us. There are many parties that tell us that they want to reduce emissions and that it is on their main agenda, but they do not have the necessary measures and they have not told us how they are going to do it. "he told CNN.
"I believe that young people in Germany are very underrepresented in politics, in the party and voting system: there are many older people who vote and our voices, all young people under 40, do not count as much as those of those who vote. They are, for example, 60 years or older, because we have a lot of older people. "
Wolfgang Wolman, un editor de cine de 27 años de Berlín, dijo que no tenía muchas esperanzas de que el próximo gobierno del país tomara las medidas climáticas necesarias.
"Culpo a la generación anterior por habernos estropeado las cosas, no personalmente, sino en el conjunto de la sociedad. No aprovecharon la oportunidad de hacer algo por nosotros", dijo.
"Los políticos tuvieron la oportunidad de hacer algo sobre el cambio climático, pero nos han fallado".
Katharina Hetzel, una joven de 22 años que hace prácticas en Greenpeace y estudia ciencias sociales, dijo que los políticos "no hacen nada o muy poco".
"Por eso tenemos que estar aquí. Queremos una buena vida, queremos proteger nuestra vida y la de nuestros hijos y las futuras generaciones. Y, por supuesto, tenemos que proteger a la Madre Tierra", dijo.
"Los políticos no han visto el cambio climático como un gran problema de nuestro tiempo y pensaron que no empeoraría. Simplemente no pensaron en nosotros. Pensaban en sus propias vidas y en su bienestar. Realmente siento que se han olvidado de nosotros. Creo que todas nuestras generaciones jóvenes piensan lo mismo, por eso estamos aquí".
Dijo que quería ver más jóvenes en la política, incluso en el parlamento.
"Si miramos al gobierno hay mucha más gente mayor que gente joven y creo que la edad media de los miembros del parlamento en el Bundestag es de más de 40 años, así que todos los jóvenes, sus voces, sus pensamientos no están siendo respetados ni escuchados".
Hace 4 horas
Los jóvenes turcos se suman a las huelgas en Estambul
Los estudiantes turcos se unirán a la huelga mundial de Viernes por el Futuro en Estambul a las 14:00 horas locales.
Se trata de la primera huelga después de que el presidente Recep Tayyip Erdoğan anunciara el martes en la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas en Nueva York que su país llevaría el Acuerdo de París al parlamento para su ratificación en un mes.
Turquía es uno de los pocos países de los más de 190 que firmaron el Acuerdo de París en 2015, pero que aún no lo han ratificado por ley. Es la única nación del G20 que aún no lo ha hecho.
Hace 4 horas
Jóvenes alemanes protestan mientras su país se dirige a elecciones centradas en el clima
Por Sheena McKenzie de CNN
Los personajes representan "Caperucita Roja" en el jardín del monasterio.
Desde el saliente rocoso del castillo de la Bella Durmiente, en el centro de Alemania, la campiña se extiende en un mosaico de bosques verdes claros y oscuros antes de detenerse.
En el centro de este exuberante paisaje se encuentra una franja de tierra seca y desnuda. El suelo está vacío, salvo por unos pocos troncos blancos y fantasmales que apuntan hacia el cielo.
Las plagas de escarabajos de la corteza, agravadas por la sequía y el clima más cálido provocado por el cambio climático, han debilitado los árboles del parque natural de Reinhardswald, escenario de los cuentos de hadas favoritos de la infancia, como La Bella Durmiente y La Caperucita Roja.
"Una vez que la corteza se ha desprendido, los árboles parecen un poco como huesos", dice Peter Meyer, jefe de conservación de la naturaleza forestal en el Instituto de Investigación Forestal del Noroeste de Alemania en Göttingen y Hann Münden.
"Entonces, el escarabajo puede perforar el árbol, poner los huevos bajo la corteza y las larvas se alimentan del árbol, interrumpiendo el suministro de agua, y eso hace que el árbol muera", explica Meyer.
"La sequía es el detonante de las infestaciones de escarabajos de la corteza".
Alemania ha sufrido una sequía histórica en los últimos años y 2018 fue el más cálido desde que se iniciaron los registros hace 140 años. En otras partes del país, este verano la lluvia ha caído con fuerza y rapidez, provocando inundaciones mortales.
All of these events have put the climate crisis squarely on the election campaign ahead of Sunday's German federal elections.
They are the first in 16 years that Chancellor Angela Merkel has not run, and all the candidates vying to replace her are presenting their climate credentials.
Climate change Greta Thunberg
