A global climate strike: faces of protest

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Of Fridays for the Future’ initiated this week in the world, people on the street. Children as well as workers, taxi drivers, and engineers protest for more climate protection. Who the protesters are?

Starting Friday, millions of people around the world want to go on the road. They are part of the one-week global climate strikes, one of Fridays for the Future, launched a protest, joined by people of all ages and professions.

The protesters want an end to fossil fuels and call on their governments to the Paris climate agreement to be implemented.

Even if global warming has a different impact on different regions, calling for environmentalists everywhere, faster, and more drastic measures.

DW speaks with climate protesters from different countries, from Mexico to the Philippines, about their drive, the Situation on the ground, their Fears and desires.

The Production Manager

“We were before the Day-Zero scenario, if the water valves are turned off.” (Chantal Dette, 44 years old, Cape town, South Africa)

“What motivates me the most is that my country has suffered about a year ago under water scarcity and drought. We were before the Day-Zero scenario, if the water valves are turned off. The people in the Cape Flats (district of Cape town) have suffered greatly. I am a black and live in an environment in which violence and crime are not uncommon. When it comes to this day Zero, could people in the privileges of drilling more areas on their land to water, which is very costly. While disadvantaged people are literally sitting on the dry. That was very scary for me. I do not believe that climate change can be separated from social issues. It is a social issue. It is a matter of justice, human rights, water justice and food security. This topic affects every aspect of our lives.

The Taxi Driver

“I’m doing everything in my Power to drive ecologically” (Emilio Barco de la Rosa, 29 years old Madrid, Spain)

“My whole life I went in the summer with my father in many other countries. We were in France, Italy, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium. I love Driving and I love to discover new places. In my operation, I have decided to go a more ecological car, a Hybrid electric drive and petrol. If we want a sustainable economy, then we need to offer the Alternatives that already exist, also. I demand that the companies that always produce values of vehicles with a high exhaust, take the same responsibility, as I try to own it. With a couple of other riders we are considering to start a campaign. We want to offer a weeks of our Service free, so that we can inform the people who don’t go to the Protest on climate change. I would also like to convey a different image of a taxi driver.”

The Insurance Expert

“We are rich and live in a very cocoon-like existence.” (Sherebanu frog, 42 years old, Delhi, India)

“We are the wealthy people, you know. Unfortunately, we see that people like me are for the disproportionate amount of fossil fuels is responsible for a disproportionate amount of emissions, including the Rest of India suffers then. The main drive for me is the air pollution, because at the Moment my children are young and you are breathing bad air. At the local level, everyone is trying to save his own forests and trees. The government is threatened, you want to sell large parts of the forests. We have tried so much so that parents go on the road and for your children fighting, we try it more and more and in the end, only three or four parents. I do feel that we have become as parents, what we obligation for our children to have. But the children bring it now and that’s brilliant.”

The Economic Advisor

“When life is concerned, one must take a Position” (Damaris Yarcia, 43 years old, Manila, Philippines)

“If I could choose a measure, which would be immediately taken, I would have to decide that companies are not permitted to use plastic any more. Garbage is a big issue, especially if he gets into the sea. When it rains, clogged the waste to our wastewater system. My awareness of these things has collapsed, a Typhoon changed since a few years ago about us. It was died a violent storm and a lot of people. When life is concerned, one must take a Position. I mean, when you see just garbage on the road, then you will miss it sometimes. But when you see on TV, like people caught in the floods and they don’t come out of a pre-rushing wave, then it is traumatic. It’s your point of view changed on the topic and is personally. For me, this is the first Time that I’m going to a Protest. It is a personal Protest, a kind of personal Statement. For me, it doesn’t matter whether many people come, or just a handful, as long as there are people who want to advocate for a position.”

The Vegetable Supplier

“There were a lot of fruits and vegetables that we have grown used to, that’s possible today.” (Wessim Khiari, 25 years old, Tunis, Tunisia)

“I work with farmers. You are really suffering. Sometimes we have no water and we sometimes drown in the rain. There was not a lot of fruit and vegetables that we have grown used to, that’s possible today. The summers are longer and hotter and the Winter is no more Winter. Instead of tomatoes to grow for five months in the year, we can harvest them in last time only two months on the field. Many farmers do not understand the connection between their problems and environmental pollution. We have a lot of polluting industry. Even if we change our behavior, or try to convince people, careful with your environment, it will not be sufficient. We need to act on a larger level. These days we are voting for a new Parliament and a new Congress, so it’s now or never to take action, to show the politicians, if you don’t act, they will lose future voters. Only one of 26 candidates has been mentioned in the election campaign, in fact, environmental issues.”

The Security Man

“There are many people who say that Protest doesn’t change anything.” (Eduardo Dominguez, 21 years old Tuxtla Gutierrez, Mexico)

“We live here in the lack of. We are always more and always gives less food. Climate change creates poverty. Every year it gets hotter, more and more species are threatened. Here, too, the garbage is a big issue. The streets are full of them. And in the end it all ends up in the rivers and then the sea. Here, there is not yet much support for our Protest. Some of you have heard of climate change, but so far has not been done much. There are many people who say that are demonstrating doesn’t change anything and that we will die anyway at some point. But personally, I think when I see Fridays for the Future that Protest brings something. If you make the effort, you can change something, even if it is in this case against the government, which carries a large part of the responsibility. In July of this year, we have protested for the first Time. My main motivation is my six year old niece. I want you to has a decent future and the same opportunities as I had.”

The Statements have been revised for reasons of length and clarity.