Young Italian activists: “To the umpteenth Cop of fine words”

They all agree in defining this COP, the 26th underway in Glasgow, as the COP of fine words. They no longer have high expectations but they have great questions and demands and are determined to make themselves heard through their tales of negotiations, with strikes and acts of non-violent civil disobedience. Because, say the young Italian activists, in the Scottish city or about to leave, in the ‘rooms’ of the negotiations the voices of those who should be heard have no place, and then they will have to take streets and squares. From Glasgow, Martina Comparelli, a 28-year-old Milanese who moved to Brussels where she did an internship at the European Parliament, spokesperson for Fridays for Future Italia, told AdnKronos that “at the G20 things already said were repeated, they simply seemed to have forgotten them. And also at COP , many beautiful words. There was a blow from India but we know well that it is the countries of the north of the world that have to lead the way: we have industrialized ourselves at the expense of the planet. And then, they invite the supreme leader to speak of the Amazon while there is nobody from Fridays for Future. I smell like mockery. If these are the premises, where are we going? We never lose the desire to be heard but at this point I don’t have high expectations, but I have big questions and demands. The premises are what they are, we will make ourselves heard about the strike “. Marco Pitò, 22 year old Sicilian, international relations student engaged in an internship at the European Parliament on the same line:” The problem of these Cops – he tells AdnKronos from Glasgow – is that the voices of the most affected people are not heard, in the rooms there are the big polluters and not the people who should speak. We will continue to denounce those who continue to pollute and those who continue to finance those who pollute. “They are already doing so with a series of actions in Glasgow, they will do so on November 5 with the Fridays for Future march, and on November 6 on the World Day dedicated to climate justice with actions of non-violent civil disobedience. “This is the 26th COP – adds Marco – the 26th year in which they meet to negotiate. They reached agreements in 2015 in Paris, which no one is respecting but continue to negotiate. It is highly frustrating. “Giovanni Mori, 28 years from Brescia, spokesman for Fridays for Future Italia and energy engineer, also remembers this, leaving for Glasgow on Thursday.” The words spoken by the leaders at the G20 and Cop26 – he tells AdnKronos – are those right, but the whole action part is missing. This is demonstrated by the fact that we are at COP26, that is the 26th time they meet, but meeting is useless if there is no political will to change things. The problem will not be solved thanks to yet another Cop, it will be solved only when we decide to really change things. The words are beautiful, but we do very little of them. “In short, as emphasized Sofia Pasotto, 22 year old from Mantua, activist and member of the collective of journalists Destination Cop, in the first year of a masters in climate change in Copenhagen from where she is about to of leaving for Glasgow, “the G20 has laid the foundations for a COP that has potential success but right now, as usual, and I say this with bitterness, we do not see much will to act. So many beautiful words, on the desire to change things, yes, but then India sets 2070 as a goal for climate neutrality “. The comparison with young people?” We have not yet had time to understand whether to believe in the words of Draghi, but so far we have not been listened to, politics has moved but not with the urgency it should have had “. By Stefania Marignetti