COP 26 Day 5 | Young people raise their voices
Euronews Green delivers a Special COP26 email to my mailbox every day during the two weeks it is running (01-12 November 2021). I’ll publish it in its entirety for those who are interested. This is the fourth in the series.
Today’s takeaway
After world leaders, financiers and energy experts had their say, COP26 turned its focus to young people and marginalised communities on Friday.
“What do we want? Climate justice! When do we want it? Now!” thousands of mostly young protesters chanted as they took to the streets of Glasgow.
Instead of the optimistic statements by officials over the past few days, activists slammed COP26 as a “failure”.
“We will not accept it,” climate activist Greta Thunberg told a buzzing crowd at the Fridays for Future march. She compared the summit to a “global north greenwash festival” and finished with, “this is shameful”.
Young people raised their voices not just outside the summit venue but also inside. The COP26 Presidency said the views of over 40,000 young climate leaders were presented to ministers and negotiators at a meeting today.
However, young activists said they were not sure they were being heard. “I feel like I’m being seen,” said Brianna Fruean, a 23-year-old activist from Samoa at the beginning of the conference. But – “I will know if I’ve been heard by the end of COP.”
In other news today, a study by Oxfam charity found that the world’s richest 1 per cent would emit 30 times more carbon dioxide than the amount deemed compatible with the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C. The world’s richest “appear to have a free pass to pollute,” Oxfam said.
If you weren’t able to follow along on Thursday, here are the 5 key takeaways from day 4 of COP26.
At a glance
Climate activists walk 820km in 26 days to reach COP26
Meet the activists who walked from London to Glasgow to raise awareness, engagement and action on the climate crisis. Over the course of 26 days, the hikers battled rain, wind and storms to arrive on time for the beginning of COP26.
Read more
Greta Thunberg speaks to thousands: ‘COP26 is a PR event to fight for the status quo’
The young Swedish activist spoke with urgency, attacking the climate conference itself on the Youth Stage at COP26 today. “COP has turned into a PR event where leaders are giving beautiful speeches and fancy commitments and targets,” she said.
Read more
Meet the young people turning eco-anxiety into eco-activism
Phoebe Hanson felt powerless, alone and afraid when she first learned about climate change as a teenager. But instead of giving in to feelings of despair, she has turned her own experience into a tool for helping other young people suffering from eco-anxiety.
Read more
Social exclusive
4 Responses to “As Seen from Afar 11/05/2021”
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Quote of the day
Net zero may be impossible even if we are serious. We might get to 100% net xero devices, but those devices still have to be manufactured, and getting to net zero on the manufacturing is harder – if it’s even possible. But we CAN get a whole heck of a lot closer than we are.
Comment from Mitch –
That’s my fear, as Greta, voiced it, with others: “blah, blah, blah.”Mitch
The only immediately measurable commitment I’ve seen is the one to stop the World Bank and IMF from financing fossil fuel projects. On the rest, Greta is right.
Thanks for these Lona–it made me sure the media I’ve been following hasn’t missed anything expected to make a difference in our speed and progress towards disaster for life on earth.