Dressed as endangered fish or tigers or with toy polar bears on their heads, protesters marched through Brussels on Sunday to pressure world leaders to take bolder action to combat climate change at the UN climate summit. in Glasgow starting this month.
Thousands of people and 80 organizations participated in the protest, with the aim of making it the largest event of its kind in the capital of the European Union since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, which brought the weekly marches of the climate movement to a halt.
Cyclists, families with children and gray-haired protesters filled the city streets, chanting slogans demanding climate justice and waving banners in English, French and Dutch. One wore a stuffed polar bear on her head and others were dressed as animals endangered by human-caused climate change.
“After having seen all the disasters we have seen this summer, it is really crucial that we move now. Because everyone knows what the problem is, “said Xavier De Wannemaeker, a protester for Extinction Rebellion.
Scientists say there is little doubt that fuel emissions are contributing to extreme weather events like the droughts, fires and floods that have affected regions around the world this summer.
Demonstrator Lucien Dewanaga asked: “What do we do when we destroy the planet? We have nothing else. Human beings have to live in this world. And there is only one world. “
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Environmentalists are concerned that the 26th UN Conference of the Parties on Climate Change, known as COP26, in Glasgow starting October 31, will produce policies that do not do enough to reduce carbon emissions and slow global warming. planet.
The 12-day summit aims to secure more ambitious commitments to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius with the goal of keeping it at 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels. The event also focuses on mobilizing financing to combat climate change and protect vulnerable communities and natural habitats.
The crowd at Sunday’s protest included a mix of people with and without masks. With one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, Belgium is beginning to ease virus restrictions and allow such gatherings again.
Reference-www.nationalobserver.com