Hundreds of demonstrators are protesting in front of Congress this Friday in Madrid against dependence on fossil fuels. Mario Bermuda
The consequences of climate change are becoming increasingly visible. This summer, the hottest on the planet since records began, saw extreme weather phenomena such as the fires in Canada, Greece and Tenerife and the floods in Libya. And as recently as Thursday, the United Nations agency warned that CO2 emissions, the main greenhouse gas, continue to rise, as reflected in the United in Science 2023 report. For this reason, this Friday thousands of people gathered in the main cities of Spain and in other capitals of the world to demonstrate against climate change, just a few days before the climate summit that will take place on September 20th in New York.
Under the motto decarbonization now! Quickly, fairly and clearly, dozens of groups led by Greenpeace, Youth for Climate and Climate Alliance have expressed their concerns about the slow pace of action. “We believe that decarbonization is not progressing at the necessary speed and that governments need to take more urgent measures,” criticized Climate Alliance spokeswoman Belén Ortega in Madrid.
Despite the Paris Agreement, in which almost 200 countries pledged not to exceed two degrees compared to pre-industrial levels by the end of the century, and the European Green Deal, which aims for climate neutrality in 2050, last year saw a record high CO2 emissions, at 40.6 billion tons. 50 years ago it was 17.08 billion tons. For this reason, the Expert Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) believes that climate change poses “a threat to human well-being and the health of the planet.”
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In the Madrid demonstration, around 500 people of different ages marched from the Plaza Mayor to the House of Representatives, accompanied by a Batucada and dozens of banners with slogans such as “Change your life, not your climate”, “Avoid fossil fuels”. , public transport” or “Not one degree more, not one way less.” Youth for Climate spokesperson Carmen Carreño criticized the lack of involvement of the companies that pollute the most and urged greater social commitment: “Climate denial is more comfortable than living in fear.”
Countries’ responsibility for the effects of climate change is unequal. China and the United States are responsible for half of the world’s CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. In addition, the richest 1% of the world’s population emits more greenhouse gases than the poorest 50%, according to the Oxfam-Intermón report “Carbon inequality in 2030”.
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