In an unprecedented action at COP25 in Madrid today, protestors representing Fridays For Future took over the plenary stage demanding aggressive action from delegates as they negotiate on the climate crisis. Just hours later, representatives from countries around the world flooded the halls outside the main meeting room expressing their frustration with the negotiations and the need for dramatic action.
The last time the UNFCCC encountered so many demonstrations was at COP15 in Copenhagen. The movement then was not driven by the power of the voice of youth from around the globe.
“We are desperate for any sign of hope,” Greta Thunberg told UN climate negotiators in a speech earlier this morning.
“Finding holistic solutions is what the COP should be all about, but instead it seems to have turned into some kind of opportunity for countries to negotiate loopholes and to avoid raising their ambition.”
Hilda Flavia Nakabuye, a 22-year-old activist from Uganda told a high-level plenary session “You’ve been negotiating for the last 25 years, even before I was born. I’d rather fail my exams than fail my generation,” explaining her choice to skip school on Fridays to join fellow students in weekly climate strikes.
Meanwhile, Extinction Rebellion has been blocking roads and sleeping in the street outside the venue. “demanding stronger action on climate change and protections for Indigenous peoples facing violence amid the destruction of the Amazon rainforest.”
‘Power to the people’ rings out as 100’s of civil society representatives were locked out of #cop25 for protesting against the way rich countries like the US, UK, EU, Australia etc are holding poor countries hostage b/c they want carbon market loopholes that will wreck 1.5c goal.
“We’ve been driven out of #COP25 and they’ve locked the gates,” tweeted 350.org campaigner Jamie Henn.
Follow #COP25 on Twitter as Henn live tweets from the conference.