COP26: demonstrations planned around the world to demand “climate justice” – Le Monde

Demonstrations to demand the “Climate justice”. After the call to action of thousands of young people in Glasgow, tens of thousands of people are expected again, Saturday 6 November, in the host city of the United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP) on the climate and in the world.

From Sydney to Paris via London, Nairobi or Mexico City, more than 200 events are planned, according to the coalition of organizations behind the mobilization. It is about demanding immediate measures for communities already affected by climate change, in particular in the poorest countries of the South.

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In Sydney and Melbourne, demonstrators disguised as piles of coal or Scott Morrison, Australia’s prime minister and great defender of the mining industry, denounced COP26 as being ” a comedy “, and their head of government, as “An absolute shame”. “Enough of the blah, real climate action now”proclaimed a banner.

50,000 people expected in Glasgow

In Glasgow, Scotland, police said they were waiting for up to 50,000 people, who will parade not far from the convention center, placed under high security, where the 26^e COP on the climate, considered capital for the future of humanity.

In a statement from the organizers, 23-year-old arts student Iona, who is experiencing her first big event, explains:

“I think it will be so important to put pressure on the world leaders gathered at COP26 and show them that we are holding them to account. “

This global day of action is, according to her, “A perfect opportunity to unite people across the world and demand justice for our planet and those on the front lines of the climate crisis”.

A demonstration bringing together thousands of young people came to cry out the climate emergency had already been organized Friday in Glasgow, at the end of the first of two weeks of COP26.

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Do more and faster

Protesters are calling on the world’s greats to do more and faster to counter the devastating effects of rising temperatures due to greenhouse gas emissions generated by human activities. On this occasion the face of the youth movement for the climate, the Swedish Greta Thunberg, denounced:

“It’s no secret that COP26 is a failure. “

She described COP26 as “Celebration (…) blah “ and of “Greenwashing festival” “ after commitments, sometimes with vague outlines, by groups of countries to fight against deforestation, reduce methane emissions into the atmosphere or put an end to fossil fuels.

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Concrete measures rather than words is what the demonstrators will demand again on Saturday. “It is obvious that fine words are not enough, and that the week of discussions to come must be marked by a strong ramp-up of concrete projects”, insists Mikaela Loach, a British activist who disputes oil exploration projects in the United Kingdom.

Vulnerable poor countries

The challenges of COP26 are numerous in a context of a pandemic that has weakened poor countries already vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

Some 200 delegations are examining in particular how to limit, as foreseen the paris agreement, global warming well below + 2 ° C, and if possible at + 1.5 ° C. Every tenth of an additional degree of warming counts and has its share of consequences, heat waves, fires or floods.

However, according to the latest estimates from the United Nations, which must be updated with the latest promises, the world is currently heading towards global warming. “Catastrophic” of + 2.7 ° C. And, according to a scientific study, global CO emissions₂, the main greenhouse gas, rebounded in 2021 to levels close to the records recorded before the Covid-19 pandemic.

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In recent days, new commitments have been announced by India, Brazil and Argentina, which could change forecasts. The COP26 negotiations, scheduled to last until November 12, will continue on Saturday before a break on Sunday.

The World with AFP