Iberdrola, one of the world leaders in renewable energies *, "is one of the three main Spanish energy groups, along with Repsol and Gas Natural Fenosa. Its main activities are the production and transmission of electricity and the marketing of electricity and gas. ** Madrid, Spain - December 2, 2019.
Here is what we find on the internet concerning those companies that sponsor the COP.
“[…] The Iberdrola and Endesa groups are among the sponsors of this event, hosted at the last minute in Spain after Chile announced that it was giving up on organizing it due to an unprecedented social movement.
[… T hese] two large Spanish energy groups [… derive] the majority of their income from fossil fuels […]. A group of NGOs fear that the presence of these large groups, alongside others such as Suez, Santander or Acciona, could affect the discussions in progress. […] ”***
*https://www.usinenouvelle.com/article/le-geant-espagnol-des-renouvelables-iberdrola-tente-sa-chance-en-france.N899624 (consulté le 8 novembre 2020)
**https://www.google.cl/amp/s/www.connaissancedesenergies.org/fiche-pedagogique/iberdrola%3famp (consulté le 8 novembre 2020)
***https://www.capital.fr/entreprises-marches/iberdrola-endesa-ces-inquietants-sponsors-de-la-cop25-1357136 (consulté le 8 novembre 2020)
On the internet we found this about IFEMA
IFEMA: “Institución Ferial de Madrid (España) which organizes each year exhibitions linked to different economic sectors, in which the main companies meet to generate business relationships, increase their contacts and present all the news."* [… It] is one of the five major institutions for professional collaboration in Europe and the first in Spain. Throughout the year, more than 700 trade fairs, conferences and events are organized here. Many of them […] are events of immense international significance."**
*http://dictionnaire.sensagent.leparisien.fr/IFEMA/es-es/ (consulté le 8 novembre 2020)
**https:s//www.esmadrid.com/fr/information-touristique/feria-de-madrid (consulted 8 novembre 2020)
Here is what we read on the internet about this park:
“Juan Carlos I Park is a public park located in the northeast of Madrid, in the Corralejos district. It covers more than 160 hectares, making it the second largest park in the Spanish capital, ahead of Retiro Park (118 ha) and only preceded by Casa de Campo Park. It includes a lake, an outdoor auditorium and many abstract sculptures. […] ”*
*https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parc_Juan_Carlos_Ier (consulted 8 novembre 2020)
We read this on the Madrid tourist website:
“Located in the district of Campo de las Naciones, the Juan Carlos I is an immense park which extends over an area of 160 hectares which hosts, among others, an olive grove which lists more than 2000 specimens of the old olive grove of Hinojosa, a lake, an auditorium, a collection of outdoor sculptures and an activity center. This park was opened to the public in 1992 on the occasion of the "Madrid, European Capital of Culture". […] ”*
*https://www.esmadrid.com/fr/information-touristique/parc-juan-carlos-i?utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F (consulted 8 novembre 2020)
IFEMA building with the street in the colors of the COP25. On the logo of the COP, like a needle indicating noon, the design of the Chilean country in red. This is reminiscent of the many banners of COP24 in Katowice (see Reports in Poland on our site) where the black hands of an alarm clock indicated that it was five minutes to midnight (therefore more than time!) to act against global warming.
Initially, Brazil was to host the COP this year. The country was pleased to play a "leading role" on the climate by being the host. But following the election on October 28, 2019, of notorious climate-skeptic Jair Bolsonaro (who had indicated his desire to exit the Paris Agreement), Brazil recused itself through the voice of his Minister of Foreign Affairs citing budgetary restrictions. Chile then volunteered to take over and organize the 25th World Conference on Climate Change, but its president Sebastián Piñera preferred to give up on October 30, facing a strong social protest. The UN thought for a time of retreating to Bonn in Germany, which is home to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Finally, Pedro Sánchez, the Spanish Prime Minister offers to host the event in Madrid * and on the same dates and “The conference will be held under the chairmanship of the government of Chile and will be organized with the logistical support of the Spanish government. The conference chair-designate is Carolina Schmidt, Chile's Minister of the Environment. […] ”** Madrid, Spain - December 2, 2019.
*https://www.courrierinternational.com/article/environnement-cop-25-lespagne-se-propose-pour-remplacer-le-chili (consulté le 8 novembre 2020)
**https://unfccc.int/fr/news/mise-a-jour-sur-la-cop25-du-chili-qui-aura-lieu-a-madrid-du-2-au-13-decembre-2019 (consulté le 8 novembre 2020)
- "Be vegan - Make peace"
In front of the IFEMA-Feria de Madrid which hosts the COP25, as at the COP23 in Bonn, I find the distribution team of vegan food: sandwiches whose meat is replaced by sliced soy accompanied by cucumbers and white sauce, small dry cakes ...
They also hand out flyers with internet references where you can read:
“It's wise to switch to a vegetarian diet forever. It's good for the health. It is economical. It's ecological. It is compassionate. It is noble. It is peace.”* Madrid, Spain - December 2, 2019.
Here is what we can read
- on one of the recommended websites and
- on the given flyer:
“Eating vegetarian is one of the best things you can do to stop climate change […] Our planet is getting warmer. By replacing meat with vegetarian sources of protein (nuts, seeds, beans and lentils for example), we can reduce carbon emissions and other greenhouse gases. The entire farm-to-fork food production process accounts for 30% of all global greenhouse gas emissions. […]”*
“Meeting recently, in October 2019, the United Nations Panel on Climate Change (IPCC for its acronym) called for an immediate reduction in the consumption of meat and dairy products. A plant-based diet can reduce up to 8 gigatons of carbon emissions per year. […] The main contributions to global warming of livestock come directly and indirectly from the deforestation of tropical forests to grow feed for livestock, the significant emissions of methane from farms and the energy costs of animal slaughter, processing. and refrigeration, right through to transporting meat around the world. […]. Not to mention the enormous consumption of water generated by livestock.”**
*https://vegsoc.org/info-hub/why-go-veggie/environment/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
**Vida Alternativa (Flyers distributed on site)
- "Miami disappearing under the sea is no change. Don't call it change, call it a climate emergency."
In the Feria de Madrid metro station which serves IFEMA-Feria de Madrid, the exhibition center where the COP25 is held. Panels bearing the logos of the COP and of Acciona (a Spanish construction and energy company, real estate and also a maritime transport company, it is the sponsor of the event) describing the consequences of climate change line the walls.
Along with other large groups such as Endessa and Iberdrola, Acciona is investing in renewable energies (wind, photovoltaic). “[…] A group of NGOs fears that the presence of these large groups, alongside others such as Suez, Santander […], could influence the discussions underway [… at COP25].”*
Later, in Chile in the Atacama Desert, we will find ourselves in front of one of Acciona's huge solar panel parks under construction. Madrid, Spain - December 2, 2019.
About Miami we found this on the internet:
Miami, like New Orleans, Jakarta, Venice, New York, Shanghai will suffer greatly from the rise in water levels due to global warming.
“[…] Miami will be almost submerged under the sea, even with a warming of 2 ° C. […]”*
“[… Florida] The seas rise faster than elsewhere and the tides, stronger than before, are particularly destructive during the season of the king tides, those giant fall tides. The outlets of the drainage pipes are then found under the sea, the salt water enters the drainage system and flows back, along with the wastewater, through the sewers, submerging for days during the roads and underground parking lots. . […] This recent phenomenon has been dubbed sunny day flooding because it occurs even without rain. In some islands of the Florida Keys, the archipelago that stretches south of Miami, flooding lasted ninety days in a row in 2019, a record. […]
Mr. Philip Stoddard, the former mayor of South Miami, one of Miami County's 34 municipalities, is one of the few elected officials to say the words "voluntary departure." "Few political leaders are ready to tell people the truth," he explains. […]”***
*https://www.nouvelobs.com/planete/20191207.OBS22038/les-ong-s-inquietent-de-l-influence-de-grands-groupes-energetiques-a-la-cop25.html (consulted on 8 November 2020)
**https://www.cnews.fr/monde/2019-05-21/rec chaudement-climatique-quelles-sont-les-villes-qui-devrait-etre-submergees-par (accessed November 8, 2020)
***https://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/2020/05/RAIM/61762 (accessed November 8, 2020)
- "Don't call it change, call it a climate emergency."
In the Feria de Madrid metro station which serves IFEMA-Feria de Madrid, the exhibition center where the COP25 is held.
Panels bearing the logos of the COP and of Acciona (a Spanish construction and energy company, real estate and also a maritime transport company, it is the sponsor of the event) describing the consequences of climate change line the walls.
Along with other large groups such as Endesa and Iberdrola, Acciona invests in renewable energies (wind, photovoltaic). “[…] A group of NGOs fears that the presence of these large groups, alongside others such as Suez, Santander […], could influence the discussions underway [… at COP25].”*
Later, in Chile in the Atacama Desert, we will find ourselves in front of one of Acciona's huge solar panel parks under construction. Madrid, Spain - December 2, 2019.
Note that the reports produced in Spain between 2006-2007 on intensive agriculture in Spain can be viewed on our site.
On the internet, we read this about desertification:
“[…] Desertification refers to 'land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas as a result of various factors, including climatic variations and human activities”. **
The 14th UNCCD (the COP of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification) (1) held in New Delhi, from September 2 to 13, 2019 “[…] attempts to raise awareness of solutions and the need to rehabilitate the land. Among the urgent measures to be put in place: prevent soil erosion, manage water resources, improve the management of pastures, forests and livestock, reforest forests ... The Convention, for whom "desertification is to both a cause and a consequence of poverty", affirms that "any effective strategy must fight against poverty". […]”**
“We're going to have a lunar landscape! Spain is grappling with desertification. Huge greenhouses that supply Europe with tomatoes, intensive cultivation of almond or olive trees ... In Spain, these agricultural practices cause erosion, degrade the soil and lead, in short, to accelerated desertification. from the country. […]”*** “[…] a fifth of Spain is threatened with becoming a desert. […]”**
(1) The CNULD: “This is the last of the three COPs, created at the same time as the other two: the best known is devoted to climate change and the second to biodiversity. All three were created in 1992, during the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Adopted in 1994 and entered into force in 1996, the COP of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) began to meet in 1997. It has now been held every two years since 2001.”**< br>
*https://www.nouvelobs.com/planete/20191207.OBS22038/les-ong-s-inquietent-de-l-influence-de-grands-groupes-energetiques-a-la-cop25.html (consulted on 8 November 2020)
**https://www.franceculture.fr/environnement/conference-sur-la-desertification-la-cop-meconnue (accessed November 8, 2020)
***https://reporterre.net/On-va-avoir-un-paysage-lunaire-L-Espagne-affronte-la-desertification (accessed November 8, 2020)
At a bus stop in Madrid.
- "I don't want to be exposed to the lethal radiation of nuclear poison" "Madrid, Cuenca, Toledo, Ciudad Real, Albacete" "I don't want to be exposed to nuclear waste"
Feria de Madrid metro station which serves IFEMA-Feria de Madrid, the exhibition center where the COP25 is held.
Madrid, Spain - December 5, 2019.
About nuclear waste in Spain, we found this on the internet:
“The Orano plant in La Hague (Manche) reprocesses spent nuclear fuel for the whole world. In addition to reusable fuel, foreign countries must recover their waste from treatment. Problem, some countries are falling behind in picking up this nuclear waste. In secrecy, penalties apply. They would already amount to more than 550 million euros for Spain. […] Spain is still not ready to receive its own nuclear waste, for lack of a site that allows it. […]”*
(Note that soon we will be posting on our site a report on energy production in France (nuclear, wind, etc.) which contains images made in La Hague).
*https://www.lamanchelibre.fr/actualite-783627-la-hague-dechets-nucleaires-etrangers-trop-longtemps-entreposes-des-millions-d-euros-de-penalites (accessed November 8, 2020)
About the sponsors of the COP we found this on the internet:
The COP25 is “[…] relocated to Spain at the last minute, instead of Chile. Apparently, it is impossible to organize such an event without counting on the generosity of a few sponsors, what is more in the emergency. But perhaps it would have been better to avoid some… […]
Indeed, the title of sponsor gives access to 74 events of the World Emissions Trading Association (IETA), which includes oil companies such as Total, BP, Chevron, Engie and Shell. Out of the thousands of participants at COP25, IETA sent 141 people to the Congress in Madrid. Or more than the delegation of the European Union ... However, according to internal documents of this association unveiled by the Climate Research Center, its members are indeed using the negotiations to advance their ideas. […]”*
*https://www.consoglobe.com/cop25-sponsors-co2-cg (accessed November 8, 2020)
At the entrance to IFEMA-Feria de Madrid, the convention center where the COP25 is being held, billboards from the official sponsors of the event: Coca-Cola, L'Oréal, Endesa, Iberdrola, Acciona, Lanjarón ( Danone). Madrid, Spain - December 2, 2019.
Here is what we found on the internet concerning the Coca-Cola and Danone (Lanjaron) companies and recycling:
“[…] "A world without waste" is the wonderful world in which the Coca-Cola firm would like us to live by 2030. The company, which gives birth to 4,000 bottles every second, has given its aims to recover and recycle the equivalent of all the packaging it produces. […] However, on the packaging side, Coca-Cola had started off on a good basis. […] But from 1960, "the industrialization and the appearance of disposables made the deposit more outdated", explains Coca-Cola on its site. […]
In her investigation, journalist Sandrine Rigaud tracked down a Michigan scientist who was nevertheless consulted before sending the idea of the instructions in the trash. He was interested in the environmental impact of Coke bottles. Taking into account all the parameters, he compared plastic, aluminum and glass. In the report written at the request of the company, its conclusion is clear: "The reusable glass bottle, provided it is reused 15 times, is the ecological solution par excellence." But it's the lightness of the plastic that wins the day. And no more need to finance a whole recovery circuit. […] Now that the planet is inundated with plastic, the firm is communicating its desire to enter the circular economy. […]”*
“[…] Danone North America, owner of the So Delicious brand, has become the largest company in the world to be B Corp certified, demonstrating its commitment to environmental and social responsibility. Redesigning packaging in innovative ways to reduce the carbon footprint and use less non-renewable resources is a fundamental part of this change. […] The new plant-based bottles and the emphasis on organic plant-based drinks is a logical step in the alliance of the two pillars of Danone's vision: One Planet, One Health.”**
“COP 25 [day 1]: a summit full of contradictions
The Climate Summit kicks off in Madrid. Inconsistencies and greenwashing collide with struggle and urgency, and in this battle those with everything to lose are, as always, the most vulnerable. […]
During the official opening, greater fatalism was instilled. "We are not doing everything we need to deal with this crisis," IPCC chief South Korean Hoesung Lee chided world leaders in his opening speech. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has also gotten serious. "If we don't urgently change the way we live, we are going to be life threatening," he said. The last to speak at the opening session was Spanish President Pedro Sánchez, who began his speech by acknowledging the contribution of Eunice Foote, a pioneering scientist in the study of the greenhouse effect, whose the works, as in so many other cases in history, have been attributed to one man, Joseph Henry. […]
At the entrance, a sign from Coca-Cola, one of the companies that Greenpeace says pollutes the planet the most with plastics, urged those in line to enter not to buy "if we don't go. not recycle together", while Lanjarón has promised to be carbon neutral by 2025? Yes, with question marks. Indoors, Acciona distributed soft charcoal “because we behaved badly and polluted too much,” according to one of the young people who distributed them.
Not all of them were contradictions: at least there were water sources to fill the bottles that the organization had given to each participant, the apples could be picked in certain places, there was waste separation and they had taken care to put biodegradable disposable cups (and urged to be reused). »***
*https://www.liberation.fr/planete/2018/09/12/pollution-derriere-la-com-volontariste-de-coca-cola-des-montagnes-de-plastique_1678281 (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.danone.com/fr/stories/articles-list/plant-based-bottle-drinks.html
***https://www.climatica.lamarea.com/cop25-greenwashing-contradicciones/
- "40% of the Antarctic ice that is melting is not a change. Don't call it change, call it a climate emergency."
At the entrance of the IFEMA-Feria de Madrid, the convention center where the COP25 is held. Signs with the COP and Acciona logos (Spanish construction and energy company, real estate and also company of maritime transport, it is the sponsor of the event) decline the consequences of climate change.
Along with other large groups such as Endesa and Iberdrola, Acciona invests in renewable energies (wind, photovoltaic). “[…] A group of NGOs fears that the presence of these large groups, alongside others such as Suez, Santander […], could influence the discussions underway [… at COP25].”*
Later, in Chile in the Atacama Desert, we will find ourselves in front of one of Acciona's huge solar panel parks under construction.
Madrid, Spain - December 2, 2019.
About melting ice we found this on the internet:
“[…] Protected by sea currents. Unlike the Arctic, Antarctica is not warming, and remains the coldest place on the planet. "That's why for Antarctica, everything happened later," explains Sabrina Speich [physicist]. […] If Antarctic ice floes and glaciers begin to melt, global warming and ocean rise will be amplified, more rapidly and intensely than the IPCC scenario predicted at the end of last year [... 2018]. He was already very alarming.”**
“Météo France also explains why the melting ice is critical for the temperature on Earth. "Melting sea ice, which reflects more radiation back to space than open water or snow-cleared ground, increases the amount of solar energy absorbed by the Earth. It therefore accelerates global warming.”***
*https://www.nouvelobs.com/planete/20191207.OBS22038/les-ong-s-inquietent-de-l-influence-de-grands-groupes-energetiques-a-la-cop25.html (consulted on 8 November 2020)
**https://www.lesechos.fr/idees-debats/sciences-prospective/climat-la-fonte-mysterieuse-des-glaces-de-lantarctic-1036202 (accessed November 8, 2020)
***https://www.leparisien.fr/societe/l-antarctic-fond-plus-vite-que-jamais-15-01-2019-7988805.ph (accessed November 8, 2020)
- "143 million climate migrants by 2050 is not a change. Don't call it change, call it a climate emergency."
At the entrance of the IFEMA-Feria de Madrid, the convention center where the COP25 is held. Signs with the COP and Acciona logos (Spanish construction and energy company, real estate and also company of maritime transport, it is the sponsor of the event) declining the consequences of climate change lining the walls.
Along with other large groups such as Endesa and Iberdrola, Acciona invests in renewable energies (wind, photovoltaic). “[…] A group of NGOs fears that the presence of these large groups, alongside others such as Suez, Santander […], could influence the discussions underway [… at COP25].”*
Later, in Chile in the Atacama Desert, we will find ourselves in front of one of Acciona's huge solar panel parks under construction.
Madrid, Spain - December 2, 2019.
Here is what we read on the internet about climate migrants:
“135 million people, or the equivalent of the combined population of Germany and France, are at risk of being displaced by desertification. About 60 million people are expected to move from desertified areas of sub-Saharan Africa to North Africa and Europe over the next 20 years. Each year, between 700,000 and 900,000 Mexicans leave their arid rural areas to earn a living as migrant workers in the United States. Half of the 50 armed conflicts in 1994 had environmental causal factors characteristic of drylands.
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification”**
*https://www.nouvelobs.com/planete/20191207.OBS22038/les-ong-s-inquietent-de-l-influence-de-grands-groupes-energetiques-a-la-cop25.html (consulted on 8 November 2020)
**https://www.franceculture.fr/environnement/conference-sur-la-desertification-la-cop-meconnue (accessed November 8, 2020)
- ETSAM UPM - acciona
ETSAM: Higher Technical School of Architecture of Madrid - UPM: Polytechnic University of Madrid
“The Architecture ETS of the Polytechnic University of Madrid was commissioned to paint a 41-meter-long wind turbine blade as part of the Climate Summit held in Madrid. […] The blade of the wind turbine will be painted by volunteers from the school and will be exhibited at the entrance to the IFEMA exhibition center, thus becoming the emblem of COP25.”*
Along with other large groups such as Endesa and Iberdrola, Acciona invests in renewable energies (wind, photovoltaic). “[…] A group of NGOs fears that the presence of these large groups, alongside others such as Suez, Santander […], could influence the discussions underway [… at COP25].”**
Later, in Chile in the Atacama Desert, we will find ourselves in front of one of Acciona's huge solar panel parks under construction.
Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
Some details found on the internet concerning these two COP25 participants:
“The UPM held a Stand for three days in the Green Zone of the COP25, in which more than forty researchers from the UPM were able to show participants their research activity related to the fight against climate change, one of the only two universities that had their own booth in the green zone.
Likewise, more than twenty UPM researchers participated as experts in the conferences, workshops and official dialogues of COP25, both in the Green Zone (general public) and in the Blue Zone (negotiation space for representatives of different countries) at events organized by institutions around the world.”***
“ACCIONA strengthens its capacity for innovation and technique in the development of renewable technologies, such as wind power and photovoltaics, with greater maturity and competitiveness. With more than 10,500 MW of its own power installed in 16 countries on 5 continents, it has consolidated its privileged position to defend its Business as Unusual model, which promotes investments in the renewable energy sector and low carbon activities. A different way of doing business that accelerates universal access to energy, in order to reach the global objective n ° 7 "Clean and affordable energy", and the adoption of a carbon-free energy model. […]”****
*https://blogs.upm.es/cop25/2019/11/18/la-etsam-recibe-el-encargo-de-pintar-el-emblema-de-la-cumbre-del-clima/ (consulted on November 8, 2020)
**https://www.nouvelobs.com/planete/20191207.OBS22038/les-ong-s-inquietent-de-l-influence-de-grands-groupes-energetiques-a-la-cop25.html (consulted on November 8, 2020)
***https://blogs.upm.es/cop25/2019/12/20/balance-actividades-upm-en-el-marco-de-la-cop25/ (accessed November 8, 2020) **** https://www.acciona.com/solutions/energy/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
"Tic Tac Tic Tac Don't call it change, call it climate emergency." Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
Here is what we read on the internet about the working objectives of the 25th World Climate Conference:
“On the occasion of this 25th edition, decisions should be taken on at least three subjects: greenhouse gas emission reduction targets which must be revised upwards, aid to the most vulnerable countries, and the supervision of "carbon markets" (1). […]
A priori, this COP 25 should not be the occasion for major decisions. She is expected to kick-start the momentum towards Glasgow, Scotland, next year. The eagerly awaited COP 26 will be the first major meeting in the UN cycle since the signing of the Paris agreements: voluntary states will be called upon to present new, more ambitious "national contributions".”*
(1) Carbon markets: According to Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, a country that emits a lot of CO2 can buy emission reductions in another low-polluting country: for this, it finances for example a project of renewable energies.
*https://www.lenouvelpritpublic.fr/podcasts/184 (accessed November 8, 2020)
- The green zone is the space dedicated to civil society and businesses, the blue zone is the negotiation space for representatives of the different countries, strictly reserved for accredited persons.
Like every year we were unfortunately unable to access the blue zone due to lack of accreditation.
- "1.5 ° C from words to deeds
Continuing efforts to limit the rise in temperatures to 1.5 ° C above pre-industrial temperatures was the countries' initial commitment during the Paris Agreement at COP21. “The COP25 is seen as an intermediate step before the COP26 to be held in Glasgow (United Kingdom) in December 2020, during which the States must submit new plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions more ambitious - while the current promises of the States put the planet on a trajectory of more than 3 ° C of warming."*
Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
On the internet, we find these details on the practical organization of the World Climate Summit:
“The Conference site covers 113,000 m2 at the Exhibition Center (IFEMA) in Madrid. It is divided into three zones: "blue zone", managed by the UN, which will host the 25th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the 15th meeting of the parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP15 ) and the Second Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Climate Agreement (CMA2), as well as other United Nations events.
The "green zone" will host around 500 conferences and debates, which will see the participation of NGOs and civil society actors, while the "Castellana verte" zone will host several cultural and social activities.”**
*https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2019/10/30/secoue-par-une-violente-crise-sociale-le-chili-renonce-a-organiser-la-cop25_6017460_3244.html (consulted November 8, 2020)
**https://fnh.ma/article/alaune/climat-la-cop25-en-chiffres (accessed November 8, 2020)
This participant carries the portraits of the royal family of Saudi Arabia which surely adorned the walls of various stands and places during the meetings, as I saw during the COP22 in Morocco. Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
“It was only on November 1 that the COP, scheduled for December 2 to 13, was transferred urgently to the Spanish capital after Chile announced that it was giving up on hosting it because of a movement. social unprecedented, which killed 22 people. […]”*. IFEMA-Feria de Madrid, Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
*https://www.ouest-france.fr/europe/espagne/madrid/cop25-madrid-dans-une-course-contre-la-montre-pour-organiser-l-evenement-6620279 (accessed November 8, 2020)
- In the green zone of the COP25, two Chilean participants pose in front of a reproduction of a statue of Easter Island. It is a Chilean island, made famous by its imposing and numerous statues 'Moais' and at one time by total deforestation of natural or human origin.*
A volcanic island in Polynesia, “Easter Island (or Rapa Nui in Rapanui!) Is a Chilean island in the South Pacific. It is one of the most isolated populated places on the planet. […] The Chilean coast, to the east, is more than 3,500 km away. Tahiti is located 4,200 km to the west. Easter Island was inhabited in 2017 by 7,750 people gathered in Hanga Roa, the only village on the island.”**
It is Chile which was to host the COP this year but which preferred to cancel in the face of "an unprecedented social movement, which left 22 dead. […]".*** IFEMA-Feria de Madrid, Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
Here is what we read on the internet about Easter Island and the collapse syndrome attributed to it, fueling many controversies:
“The notion of 'the collapse of civilizations' has indeed been very successful in recent years […] 'The best example of a society which is destroyed by the overexploitation of its own resources' in the words of Jared Diamond. [the author of "Collapse"] […]
Simplistic! So now say Christopher M. Stevenson and Thegn N. Ladefoged. "This concept of collapse is an erroneous characterization of the prehistoric population of Easter Island", […] When agricultural production began to decline, adjustments had to be made, leading the inhabitants to abandon certain areas to settle in others, more fertile ones. […] Researchers' conclusion: "The people of Easter Island have rather successfully fought against natural environmental obstacles than degraded their environment".”*
*https://www.sciencesetavenir.fr/archeo-paleo/on-comprend-mieux-comment-s-est-eteinte-la-civilisation-de-l-ile-de-paques_21762 (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://tahitileblog.fr/tourisme/ile-de-paques-histoire-mysteres-rapa-nui/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
***https://www.ouest-france.fr/europe/espagne/madrid/cop25-madrid-dans-une-course-contre-la-montre-pour-organiser-l-evenement-6620279 (consulted on 8 November 2020)
- Interview with a cook
- A "selfie" in front of the COP logo.
As every year, due to lack of accreditation, we were unfortunately unable to access the blue zone (negotiation space for representatives of the different countries).
IFEMA-Feria de Madrid, Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
On the internet, we find these details on the blue zone:
“[…] 'Blue zone', managed by the UN, which will host the 25th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the 15th Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP15) and the second meeting of the parties to the Paris climate agreement (CMA2), as well as other United Nations events. […]”*
*https://fnh.ma/article/alaune/climat-la-cop25-en-chiffres (accessed November 8, 2020)
- "# CHAOCARBÓN" (1). # chaocarbón is a movement for the closure of thermoelectric coal-fired power plants in Chile in order to fight against air pollution and its impact on health and the environment.
- "# Dear COP25 - We need solutions now"
IFEMA-Feria de Madrid, Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
(1) “#CHAOCARBON is a citizens' movement which asks the President of the Republic to immediately close the oldest coal-fired thermoelectric units in the country, still in operation in the 5 so-called sacrifice zones: Tocopilla, Mejillones, Huasco, Puchuncaví - Quintero and Coronel.
"Mr. President, please shut down the coal-fired thermoelectric power stations in Chile's sacrifice zones. Our compatriots are dying." This is our motto.”*
Here is what we found on the internet about this movement:
“Coal in Chile.
In Chile, one of the main socio-environmental problems is air pollution and its impact on the health of people and ecosystems. The production of electricity from coal is its main cause, being an industry that generates polluting and obsolete energy. For this reason, in many developed countries this type of thermoelectric power plant has been phased out due to its severe damage and multiple negative impacts. […]
PETITION # CHAOCARBÓN
97,379 have taken action.
ASK THE CHILEAN PARLIAMENTARIANS TO APPROVE THE CLOSURE OF THE COAL-FIRED THERMOELECTRIC PLANTS BY 2025 ”**
Note that for our report "Chile after the COP" which you can find on our site, we went by bike to these 'Zones of Sacrifice'.
*https://m.facebook.com/notes/chao-carbón/movimiento-por-el-cierre-de-las-termoeléctricas-a-carbón-en-chile / 189475175167232 / (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://chaocarbon.cl/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
Activists have discreetly redecorated the premises.
- "# CHAOCARBÓN" (1). # chaocarbón is a movement for the closure of thermoelectric coal-fired power plants in Chile in order to fight against air pollution and its impact on health and the environment.
- "Mask" by Sebastián Piñera, the President of Chile who was to host the COP this year but who had to give up in the face of the social crisis that is shaking his country.
IFEMA-Feria de Madrid, Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
(1) CHAOCARBÓN: “Alliance Chao Carbon
We are a citizen coalition of socio-environmental organizations from across the country.
Our goal is to achieve the closure of coal-fired thermoelectric plants by 2030, requiring the urgent closure of the most obsolete coal-fired plants in Chile's energy matrix.”*
Here is what we found on the internet:
- about #ChaoCarbon and the health problems caused by coal pollution in Chile
- extracts from newspaper articles that talk about why the Cop moved from Santiago to Madrid:
“Following the complex wave of poisonings that recently occurred in Quintero and Puchuncaví, various organizations, social leaders and residents of so-called sacrifice zones have promoted the coalition's 'Living in a zone of sacrifice' campaign. #ChaoCarbon, to raise awareness of the risks associated with life in these contaminated areas and to ask the government to close the 28 coal-fired thermoelectric plants currently in operation in the country.”**
“The cancellation [of the summit] dealt a blow to the image of Chile, considered one of the most stable countries in Latin America but shaken since October 18 by an unprecedented social sling, which left 20 dead and a thousand injured, according to the latest official report. […].”***
“The announcement on October 18 of the increase in the price of the metro ticket was the trigger for anger in the streets of Santiago. Since then, Chileans have not stopped protesting against the inequalities that reign in a country with a prosperous economy and where the state is, according to them, failing in the fields of education, health and pensions. […] A tide of demonstrators in Santiago, a burnt down university […]
While toughening the tone on the theme of public order, President Sebastian Pinera has made no announcements in the social field to respond to the demands of the street on the amount of retirement pensions, health or education.”****
Note that in our report "Chile after the COP" that you can find on our site we went by bike to these "Zones of Sacrifice".
*https://chaocarbon.cl/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://chaocarbon.cl/campana/vivir-en-una-zona-de-sacrificio/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
***https://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/l-espagne-propose-d-accueillir-la-cop-25-selon-le-president-chilien-20191031 (accessed November 8, 2020)
****https://www.leparisien.fr/international/chili-manifestations-monstre-a-santiago-une-universite-incendiee-09-11-2019-8189763.php (accessed November 8, 2020)
Painting and discussion groups in the green zone, the space dedicated to civil society and businesses at COP25.
This earthen jug was present on the table during the conferences of indigenous peoples at the Social Summit for the Climate which was held in the premises of the UGT (Confederal Trade Union Headquarters of the General Union of Workers) in the historic center of the capital.
And in the premises where the social counter-summit for the climate took place, many posters urged not to consume water purchased in plastic bottles: water being a common good and plastic constituting polluting waste. IFEMA-Feria de Madrid, Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
As every year, due to lack of accreditation, we were unfortunately unable to access the blue zone (official zone where negotiations between representatives of the different countries take place). IFEMA-Feria de Madrid, Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
Here at the "Business Ambition for 1.5 ° C" stand
- "Sustainable development objective N ° 7: Affordable and clean energy"
- "Business Ambition for 1.5 ° C - Our only future - Global Compact - Red Espagnole"
IFEMA-Feria de Madrid, Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
We found this on the United Nations website about Business Ambition for 1.5 ° C:
“[…] UNITED NATIONS, Madrid, December 13, 2019 - At COP25, 117 companies pledged to set highly ambitious emission reduction targets to help limit the most serious effects of climate change. […]
As part of the “Business Ambition for 1.5 ° C - Our Only Future” campaign, the new signatories have pledged to set targets aligned with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 ° C above pre-industrial levels and achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 at the latest. […]
They should also give governments the confidence to improve their national climate plans, including their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and long-term strategies, in line with the most recent results of climate research. By establishing policies and setting targets aligned with the “1.5 ° C” trajectory, governments will in turn give businesses the clarity and confidence they need to invest decisively in carbon neutral economies in the world. future. […]”*
*https://unfccc.int/fr/news/cop25-de-plus-en-plus-d-entreprises-s-engagent-pour-le-climat-et-pour-un-futur-a-15-degc (accessed November 8, 2020)
In the green zone, the space dedicated to civil society and businesses at COP25.
Pedal to make fruit juice at the stand of the Spanish company Iberdrola, supplier of electricity and natural gas and one of the sponsors of the 25th United Nations Summit on Climate Change. Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
About Iberdrola, we found this on the internet:
“Giants of fossil fuels as sponsors of COP25. The presence in Madrid of the companies Iberdrola and Endesa, two large Spanish energy groups which derive the majority of their income from fossil fuels, worries several NGOs.” (1)
“A world-class energy specialist and one of the leaders in renewable energies […]”. (2) “[…] Thanks to a sustainable growth strategy focused on renewable energies for more than 20 years […] we are one of the least CO2 emitting companies and are an international benchmark for our contribution to the fight against climate change. […]”(3)
“Butler* noted that Iberdrola's share price has risen 54% in the past two years, compared to Total (down 35%) and Shell (down 53%).
"An investor might well wonder why invest in Shell or Total to gain exposure through renewable energies when he could invest in NextEra, Orsted or Iberdrola, given that these companies are much more advanced in the energy transition". (4) To limit global warming, the top priority is to reduce CO2 emissions. "The good thing is that citizens are getting started, but now so are businesses. They used to green their speech without really doing much, it's very different now. To have access to the consumer, you have to integrate ecological issues into the production process, and that changes everything".”(5)
*Butler (Thomas J.): Director of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Credit Ratings Bureau.
(1) https://www.capital.fr/entreprises-marches/iberdrola-endesa-ces-inquietants-sponsors-de-la-cop25-1357136 (accessed November 8, 2020)
(2) https://www.iberdrola.fr/a-propos-iberdrola/iberdrola-en-france (accessed November 8, 2020)
(3) https://www.iberdrola.fr/a-propos-iberdrola/groupe-energetique (accessed November 8, 2020)
(4) https://www.planete-business.com/2020/07/27/les-majors-energetiques-continuent-dinvestir-massivement-dans-les-combustibles-fossiles/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
(5) https://www.lenouvelpritpublic.fr/podcasts/184 (accessed November 8, 2020)
A world-class energy producer and one of the leaders in renewable energies, the Spanish company “Iberdrola specializes in the production, distribution and marketing of green electricity and natural gas.”* IFEMA-Feria de Madrid, Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
Note that we had already crossed the road of the caravan of electric bikes sponsored by Iberdrola "Move for the Climate, Now!" During our stay in Katowice (see our COP24 subject in Poland on our site).
About the sponsorship of Iberdrola suspected of "greenwashing", we read this on the internet:
“But in parallel with this pro-renewable policy, Iberdrola remains weighed down by its non-renewable activities and is reinvesting in its dilapidated nuclear power plants in Spain.
[… Also,] Iberdrola still owns 27 thermal power stations in Spain. As a result, fossil fuels still represent 23% of its European electricity production capacity.”**
“[…] Giants of fossil fuels as sponsors of COP25. The presence in Madrid of the companies Iberdrola and Endesa, two large Spanish energy groups which derive the majority of their income from fossil fuels, worries several NGOs.
[…] Limiting global warming to well below 2 ° C, or even 1.5 ° C, […] would require drastically reducing the use of fossil fuels.
[However] Endesa is the main emitter of greenhouse gases in Spain, having produced just over 60 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2018, according to the NGO Corporate Accountability watchdog. Iberdrola produced 24.6 million. […]”***
*https://www.iberdrola.fr/a-propos-iberdrola/groupe-energetique (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.capital.fr/entreprises-marches/iberdrola-endesa-ces-inquietants-sponsors-de-la-cop25-1357136 (accessed November 8, 2020)
***https://www.guide-electricite-verte.fr/avis-fournisseur/iberdrola/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
- "We cannot change the world alone"
- "Area of innovation and science - # It's time to act"
As every year, due to lack of accreditation, we were unfortunately unable to access the “[…] "blue zone", managed by the UN, which will host the 25th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on climate change, the 15th Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP15) and the Second Meeting of the Parties to the Paris Climate Agreement (CMA2), as well as other UN events. […]”* IFEMA-Feria de Madrid, Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
*https://fnh.ma/article/alaune/climat-la-cop25-en-chiffres (accessed November 8, 2020)
- "Levers to move Spain"
- "Innovation, industry and education facing the demographic challenge"
IFEMA-Feria de Madrid, Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
- At the "Youth and Civil Society Forum" stand: "Latin American women in climate science - December 10" - In the background, reproduction of a statue of Easter Island, a Chilean island, made famous by its imposing and numerous statues "Moais" and a period of totally natural or human deforestation.*
“Chile, which had volunteered to host COP 25 after Brazil's withdrawal, had given up organizing this great international event, which will be held from December 2 to 13 in Santiago.”**
IFEMA-Feria de Madrid, Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
This is what we read on the internet about
- December 10, Gender Day at COP25
- Easter Island and the collapse syndrome attributed to it fueling many controversies:
“This year, the COP25 devoted a diary of its agenda to women. Gender Day, as they called it, will take place on December 10 and aims to recognize and celebrate gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in climate policy and action. […]”***
“For women, being a woman is already difficult, but being indigenous and a defender is three times more difficult,” said DW Ruth Alipaz, General Coordinator of the National Coordination for the Defense of the Territories of Indigenous Indigenous Peasants and Protected Areas of Bolivia, an organization made up of 95% of women who have already been created a year ago to avoid oil exploration in a wildlife and flower reserve located in the south of the country. "We must overcome the barriers and set up an organization to be able to make known what is happening to us in the territory with the extractive policies that threaten our lives", she said, enumerating the obstacles in different areas. […]”****
“The notion of "the collapse of civilizations" has indeed been very successful in recent years […] "The best example of a society destroyed by the overexploitation of own resources"in Jared Diamond's words. [the author of "Collapse"] […]
Simplistic! So now say Christopher M. Stevenson and Thegn N. Ladefoged. "This concept of collapse is an erroneous characterization of the prehistoric population of Easter Island", […] When agricultural production began to decline, adjustments had to be made, leading the inhabitants to abandon certain areas to settle in others, more fertile ones. […] Researchers' conclusion: "The people of Easter Island have rather successfully fought against natural environmental obstacles than degraded their environment".”***
*https://www.sciencesetavenir.fr/archeo-paleo/on-comprend-mieux-comment-s-est-eteinte-la-civilisation-de-l-ile-de-paques_21762 (I consulted on November 8 2020)
**https://2m.ma/fr/news/le-gouvernement-espagnol-adopte-une-batterie-de-mesures-pour-garantir-la-reussite-de-la-cop25-20191108/ (I the consulted November 8, 2020)
***https://latinamericanpost.com/es/31135-women-en-la-cop25-dia-del-genero (I consulted on November 8, 2020) ****https://www.dw. com / es / the-fight-against-climate-change% C3% A1tico-commence-avec-les-femmes / a-51602490 (I consulted on November 8, 2020)
- At the "Youth and Civil Society Forum" stand: "Latin American women in climate science - December 10"
- In the background, a reproduction of a statue of Easter Island, a Chilean island, made famous by its imposing and numerous 'Moais' statues and at one time by total natural or human deforestation.*
“Chile, which volunteered to host COP 25 after Brazil's withdrawal, gave up organizing this major international event, which was to be held from December 2 to 13 in Santiago.”**
IFEMA-Feria de Madrid, Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
Here is what we read on the internet about
- December 10, Gender Day at COP25
- Easter Island and the collapse syndrome attributed to it fueling many controversies:
“This year, the COP25 devoted a day of its agenda to women. Gender Day, as they called it, will take place on December 10 and aims to recognize and celebrate gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in climate policy and action. […]”***
“ "For women, being a woman is already difficult, but being an indigenous and a defender is three times more difficult," Ruth Alipaz, General Coordinator of the Coordination, told DW. National Defense of the Territories of Indigenous Indigenous Peasants and Protected Areas of Bolivia an organization made up of 95% women which was created a year ago to avoid oil exploration in a flora and fauna reserve located in the south of the country. "We must overcome the barriers and put in place an organization to be able to make known what is happening to us in the territory with extractive policies that threaten our lives," she said, listing the obstacles in various fields. […]”****
“The notion of 'the collapse of civilizations' has indeed been very successful in recent years [...] "The best example of a society that is being destroyed by overuse of own resources" in the words of Jared Diamond. [the author of "Collapse"] […]”
*https://www.sciencesetavenir.fr/archeo-paleo/on-comprend-mieux-comment-s-est-eteinte-la-civilisation-de-l-ile-de-paques_21762 (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://2m.ma/fr/news/le-gouvernement-espagnol-adopte-une-batterie-de-mesures-pour-garantir-la-reussite-de-la-cop25-20191108/ (consulted November 8, 2020)
***https://latinamericanpost.com/es/31135-mujeres-en-la-cop25-dia-del-genero (accessed November 8, 2020)
****https://www.dw.com/es/la-lucha-contra-el-cambio-climático-empieza-con-las-mujeres/a-51602490 (accessed November 8, 2020)
Suez company stand in the green zone, the space dedicated to civil society and businesses at COP25.
“Suez is a French water and waste management group. It is the number one private water supplier in the world.” (1)
“[…] Suez Environnement is setting up in Spain and Chile. The GDF Suez subsidiary takes control of Agbar [Aguas de Barcelona], Spain's number one water company. […]”(2)
In these two countries, the company is faced with a scarcity of water in quantity and quality and consequently with a decrease in agricultural production and is transforming its services.
“[…] SUEZ has profoundly changed its businesses to meet these challenges, and has become a leader in the circular economy and digital solutions. The Group thus contributes to optimizing the use of available resources and decoupling economic development and greenhouse gas emissions. […]”(3) IFEMA-Feria de Madrid, Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
Note that you can find our work on Agriculture in Chile and Spain on our site.
On Suez and on the water in Chile we read this on the internet:
“An industrial group that is a world expert in the water and waste industries,” (4) “[…] We all know that by 2040, 30 to 40% of the world population will have to face a depletion of its resources by water available. A situation which already affects many regions of the world and which could lead to conflicts of use between agriculture, industry and the needs of communities. This is the reason why we must preserve water resources, thanks to smart technologies and the provision of alternative water resources such as the reuse of treated wastewater, desalination or the replenishment of groundwater. […]”(3)
“The crisis affecting the country is transversal: it is social, political, economic, moral, and also environmental. While this last dimension tends to be hidden by others, one can sometimes read, in the middle of a demonstration or at the bend of a street, messages such as “No more zones of sacrifice”, “The human right to water is essential”, or “Your oasis is dry”. […] In the context of the historic drought affecting central Chile, access to water is an urgent demand that environmentalists are striving to make visible. It is indeed the only country in the world which privatizes this natural resource: the dictator Augusto Pinochet had opened the way to the sale, the rental and the speculation of water, by the means of the Constitution of 1980, still in force.”(5)
(1) https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suez_(enterprise,_2015) (accessed November 8, 2020)
(2) https://www.lefigaro.fr/societes/2009/10/23/04015-20091023ARTFIG00342-suez-environnement-s-installe-en-espagne-et-au-chili-.php (accessed November 8 2020)
(3) https://www.suez.com/fr/actualites/solutions-economie-circulaire-dessineront-monde-de-demain-tribune-jean-louis-chaussade (accessed November 8, 2020)
(4) www.suez.com (accessed November 8, 2020)
(5) https://reporterre.net/Chili-meme-sans-la-COP-les-ecolos-se-mobilisent (accessed November 8, 2020)
Suez company stand in the green zone, the space dedicated to civil society and businesses at COP25.
“Suez is a French water and waste management group. It is the number one private water supplier in the world.” (1) IFEMA-Feria de Madrid, Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
Here is what we read about Suez and its presence in Chile:
“On the occasion of the COP25 which is being held in Madrid until December 15, SUEZ is strengthening its commitment to the fight against climate change. To do this it is committed to the 1.5°C trajectory recommended by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), and is accelerating its action toward of the protection of water resources and the oceans. […]
SUEZ took part in the "Business Ambition to 1.5°C, Our Only Future" Pledge initiated by the United Nations Global Compact last September. […]”(2)
A global industrial expert in the water and waste businesses (3) “[…] Suez supports cities and industries in the circular economy to preserve, optimize and secure the resources essential to our future.”**
“In Chile, the Suez environment group - via its Spanish subsidiary Agbar - has built a very lucrative business empire in just a few years […]. According to an investigation by CIPER, a Chilean organization dedicated to investigative journalism, the Franco-Spanish group benefits both from shortcomings in Chilean law and from its privileged relations with officials responsible for regulating the sector. […]
Four NGOs have today called on the SUEZ company to comply with the French law on due diligence of March 27, 2017, requiring it to take the necessary measures to deal with the failures and illegalities of their service of water delivery in Osorno in order to prevent another health crisis from reoccurring in the city or in other municipalities in Chile where ESSAL and other companies controlled by the French group operate. […]”(4)
“We ask SUEZ to ensure correct and secure access to water for the communities to which it is committed to providing this service. Since the brutal privatization of public drinking water services under the Pinochet dictatorship, the supply of water to the population has continued to deteriorate, while the multinationals and their Chilean branches have made copious profits.”(6)
(1) https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suez_(enterprise,_2015) (accessed November 8, 2020)
(2) https://www.jobteaser.com/fr/companies/suez-environnement/newsfeed/company_life-33857-cop25-et-suez-un-engagement-reaffirme-en-faveur-du-climat (consulted on 8 November 2020)
(3) www.suez.com (accessed November 8, 2020)
(4) https://blog.valoservices.suez.fr/plan-du-site/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
(5) https://multinationales.org/Business-de-l-eau-comment-Suez-a (accessed November 8, 2020)
(6) https://www.fidh.org/fr/themes/mondialisation-droits-humains/suite-a-la-crise-sanitaire-d-osorno-chili-suez-mise-en-demeure-de (consulted November 8, 2020)
Here is what we found on the internet about this radio:
“[…] Radio 3 is a Spanish public radio station that is part of Radio Nacional de España, the public broadcaster of the Spanish state.
The station mainly broadcasts music […] which is not popular on the charts. It also offers genres that cannot be found on commercial radio […].
Besides music, Radio 3 also offers a serialized radio soap opera and collects information on different cultural expressions: literature, cinema, theater and visual arts, always highlighting and supporting the most innovative and agitated in each discipline. […] In 2018, Radio 3 could count on an audience of around 505,000 listeners per day.”*
*https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_3_ (Spain) (accessed November 8, 2020)
- A Chilean activist invites herself topless during a concert broadcast by Radio 3.
- Teresa Ribera, socialist activist, member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, Minister of the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge.
She assisted her counterpart, the Chilean Minister of the Environment Carolina Schmidt -President of COP25-, during this 25th World Summit on climate change, the event having been moved from Santiago to Madrid, Chile facing an unprecedented social crisis.
IFEMA-Feria de Madrid, Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
On the internet we found some of his statements:
“[…] Under pressure, the Spanish government released emergency funds to cover the cost of the summit. It is valued at 60 million euros by the Minister for the Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera.”*
“[…] After Chile's withdrawal, was it necessary to maintain a COP this year, a meeting at which the States will have to increase their commitments and which was scheduled for the end of 2020?
Teresa Ribera [replies:] This is an important moment for multilateralism. Climate change is a complicated subject that requires a lot of action. The suspension of the COP would have been horrible news: it would have represented a lack of hope, a demoralization, for many people who do not understand why governments cannot do more. If even the annual meeting to cooperate on climate action had not taken place, that would have been the wrong signal. And if Latin America, which was willing, had not figured out how to host the COP, that would also have given a very bad signal: that only Europe can chair a COP. By keeping the same dates, the same presidency, the same committed region, and a Chile that retains the leadership, we are sending a very important message of normality and commitment.”**
IFEMA-Feria de Madrid, Madrid, Spain - December 9, 2019.
*https://www.ouest-france.fr/europe/espagne/madrid/cop25-madrid-dans-une-course-contre-la-montre-pour-organiser-l-evenement-6620279 (accessed November 8, 2020 )
**https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2019/12/01/face-au-recygiène-de-la-planete-nous-n-avons-plus-le-temps_6021224_3244.html (consulted on November 8, 2020)
Here is what we read about it on the internet:
Elected on June 4, 2019 to succeed Maria Fernanda Espinosa of Ecuador, he “[…] stressed that the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development would be one of his priorities during the year in which he will chair the General Assembly.
"I am committed to promoting the partnerships that all actors need to achieve our goals and, ultimately, to ensure that we do our best to ensure peace and prosperity, especially for the most vulnerable.", he said. […]”*
*https://news.un.org/fr/story/2019/06/1044841 (accessed November 8, 2020)
Here is what we read about it on the internet:
“[…] The President of the General Assembly noted that many countries showed leadership at the Climate Action Summit in September in New York by committing to increase their efforts by 2020 and achieve neutrality carbon by 2050. "I encourage all other Member States to emulate them in order to ensure a better world for all," he said.
He recalled that developed countries have agreed to support climate action in developing countries by mobilizing $ 100 billion per year by 2020. "The deadline is fast approaching. I congratulate those who are committed to climate finance. However, funds remain low. We need to catalyze all financial flows faster to meet the growing demands for adaptation and mitigation," said Mr. Muhammad-Bande. […]”*
*https://news.un.org/fr/story/2019/12/1057921 (accessed November 8, 2020)
The COP has been moved from Santiago de Chile to Madrid and on this subject we read on the internet that:
“The main consequence of this change of host country will be the reduction of delegations from certain countries. "There are fears for southern NGOs and civil society in the poorest countries that may not be able to afford to come," points out the diplomatic source to AFP.
"Many people who were going to come will not come", like NGOs which had already invested in plane tickets and hotel reservations to go to Chile and will not have the means to change destination, deplores Tatiana Nuño of Greenpeace Spain.
However, these organizations "are essential to push governments to take action and act quickly", and thus guarantee "that the Paris agreement is respected", she underlines.
The absence of negotiators from developing countries or small islands can "have real and lasting consequences for the most vulnerable populations" in the face of climate change, warns Harjeet Singh of the NGO ActionAid.”*
*https://www.ouest-france.fr/europe/espagne/madrid/cop25-madrid-dans-une-course-contre-la-montre-pour-organiser-l-evenement-6620279 (accessed November 8, 2020 )
Chile was to be the host country of this climate summit but, following unprecedented protests and devastated metro stations in Santiago, President Sebastián Piñera preferred to cancel the hosting of the event.
The Chilean people who are rising up are also protesting “against the inequalities that reign in a country with a prosperous economy and where the State is, according to them, failing in the fields of education, health and pensions.”* She also calls for a new constitution and that water becomes again a public good while it is privatized. IFEMA-Feria de Madrid, Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
(1) Mapuche: native people of the South American continent
Here is what we can read on the internet about the Mapuche:
“[…] The Mapuche, literally "People of the Earth" (in Mapudungún "Mapu" = the land and "Che"= the people), once extended over the entire southern region of the continent. Precipitated by the arrival of Spanish settlers and the massacres orchestrated on their lands from the 16th century, the decrease in Mapuche territory over the years is unparalleled. The latter is now established in Araucania in a much smaller region, between Chile and Argentina. However, their resistance is legendary. First by refusing Inca servitude and then that of the Spanish colonists, they became the only people in America to stop the Iberian conquest and obtain certain guarantees for the respect of their fundamental rights, as attested by the pact of Quillin (1641).
True protectors of nature, the Mapuche are immutably linked to Mother Earth or "Nuke Mapu". Formerly, the "Mapu" was filled with huge thousand-year-old trees that protected and nourished its benefactors. […]”**
*https://www.leparisien.fr/international/chili-manifestations-monstre-a-santiago-une-universite-incendiee-09-11-2019-8189763.phple parisien (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://alterlatine.com/2017/02/16/les-mapuches-peuple-de-la-terre-et-du-combat/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
"Pedro Sánchez, interim president Socialist President of the Government" on a newspaper page, in the section dedicated to civil society and business at COP25. IFEMA-Feria de Madrid, Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
On the internet we can read this about Spain and ecology:
“Host of COP25, Spain does not have a Green party. This mobilization against the climate crisis is a first in Spain, a country which in early November offered to host COP25 off the cuff in its capital, after Chile gave up. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has achieved a nice political and international coup here, especially as in Spain environmental parties remain virtually absent from the political landscape. […]”*
*https://www.la-croix.com/Monde/Europe/Hote-COP25-lEspagne-pas-parti-Vert-2019-12-06-1201064830 (accessed November 8, 2020)
- "#Boycottez Brazilian food - #Saving the Amazon"
- "We consume the planet"
Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
Here is what we read on the internet about this boycott:
“Join us in the boycott of Brazilian food to stop deforestation and the increase in dangerous pesticides by the Bolsonaro government. Together we can move mountains. And governments!”*
“Amazonia: call for a boycott of Brazilian agribusiness
The plan of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, his government and his industrial partners and lobbyists is simple: to increase ever more industrial exploitation of lands to satisfy their power and their enrichment, whatever the consequences on nature. Faced with this plan, an appeal was launched to boycott all Brazilian agribusiness products. […]
Fair trade players and Brazilian companies that meet rigorous standards with respect for human rights and the environment are not affected by our action. On the contrary, we assure them of our full support.
Concretely: The barcode of products made in Brazil starts with 7.89 or 7.90. […] In general, avoid shopping in large-scale retailers. Favor products from organic farming in short circuits and fair trade products in associative distribution networks. […]”**
*https://m.facebook.com/pg/boycottbrazilianfood/about/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://blogs.mediapart.fr/cest-deja-ca-cafe-culturel/blog/230819/amazonie-appel-au-boycott-de-lagrobusiness-bresilien (accessed November 8, 2020)
We encounter the bear again as at the COP in Bonn and Paris, where the bear was represented either in the form of a statue or disguises of participants in the climate counter-summit (see COP21 and COP23 reports on our site).
The image of the polar bear is often used by activists, who protest against the lack of action by governments to fight against global warming, because - with the melting of the sea ice which is its habitat - it symbolizes the difficulty of living in an environment which has become inhospitable. Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
On the internet we read:
“[…] Due to the gradual disappearance of the pack ice, polar bears are pushed back to land or very far out to sea, where the ice persists but floats in waters less rich in seals and fish. Faced with this lack of food, polar bears risk seeing their populations dwindle. […]”*
*https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2017/12/13/l-ours-polaire-famelique-est-il-vraiment-victime-du-recygiène-climatique_5229296_3244.html (accessed November 8, 2020)
- Chilean press conference in the Amazonas room.
"Cumbre social por el clima": Social summit for the climate
"We save the earth" On the ceiling, a banner of Extinction Rebellion: "Tell the truth".
- “Minga indígena”: Indigenous Peoples Summit
"Minga indígena COP25" Traditional knowledge at the service of humanity in the face of climate change "" "We save the earth"
Madrid, Spain - December 4, 2019.
On the internet we find the comments made during the Chilean conference and information on the Minga indígena:
“The organizing groups of the March for the climate indicated this Wednesday during a press conference that more than 100,000 people are expected in the demonstration which will tour the streets of central Madrid on Friday 6 December at 6:00 pm.
One of the spokespersons of the March for the climate, Pablo Chamorro also indicated that he managed up to 1,300 homes for people outside Madrid and the State, as well as the arrival of 50 buses, while stressing that the peoples of Latin America will be at the head of the procession.”*
“ "2019 was undoubtedly the year of the climatic awakening", according to Pablo Chamorro, spokesperson for the demonstration [and representative of Greenpeace in Spain], in reference to the monster demonstrations of young people for the climate or to the emergence of the nonviolent civil disobedience movement Extinction Rebellion.”**
“What is MINGA INDIGENA COP 25?
This is the Alternative World Summit of Indigenous Peoples at COP25, in which indigenous leaders will participate by making visible the situation of their peoples and territories in the face of climate change, by generating spaces for learning, discussion and reflection, by preparing proposals for presentation to the Conference of the Parties (COP), the highest decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention (UNFCCC), which is the international response to climate change.
From this proposal, the good practices of indigenous peoples are recognized and disseminated to be carried by the participating leaders, seeking to be implemented in their respective territories.”***
*https://cumbresocialclima.net/marcha-por-el-clima/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.lecourriercauchois.fr/actualite-219989-manifestation-a-madrid-pour-mettre-la-pression-sur-la-cop25-sur-la-crise-climatique (accessed November 8, 2020)
***https://m.facebook.com/notes/minga-indígena/qué-es-minga-indigena-cop-25/150373339656107/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
Chilean press conference in the place that will host, from December 6, the Counter-Summit organized in parallel to The 25th United Nations Conference on Climate Change.
“Press conference to present the Climate March and the Social Climate Summit, with Ángela Valenzuela (spokesperson for Fridays for Future, Santiago de Chile); Javier Andaluz (spokesperson for the negotiations in the blue zone of COP25); Estafnía González (civil society spokesperson for climate action, SCAC, Chile); and Juan Antonio Correa (Mapuche Lafkenche, coordinator of Minga Indígena, Chile).”* And Pablo Chamorro, spokesperson for the Climate March and representative of Greenpeace in Spain.
These Chileans drew an eye on their hand and hide an eye in reference to the police repression in their country (just like in France with the Yellow Vests which we talked about during the COP24 in Katowice - see Report in Poland on our site -) which caused many eye injuries among the demonstrators. There would have been more than a hundred eye injuries in Chile during the social crisis that has rocked the country since October 18.**
Madrid, Spain - December 4, 2019.
We find the comments of the speakers on the website of the Social Summit for the Climate:
“The spokesperson for SCAC (1) Chile, Estafanía González, stressed that the Chilean social epidemic had been "brutally suppressed". "More than 200 Chileans have lost their eyes" (as she covered one eye throughout her speech at the press conference). "We want what is happening in Latin American society with the transfer of the summit to Madrid not to be made invisible." From Chile to Madrid, "the world is waking up and, as a civil society, we are not going to stop until we see concrete actions and rights linked to our lives". "Climate action translates into social equity," she said.”*
(1) SCAC: Civil Society for Climate Action, a platform bringing together more than 150 Chilean and international associations.***
*https://cumbresocialclima.net/marcha-por-el-clima/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.lepoint.fr/monde/au-chili-les-innombrables-eborgnes-de-la-mobilisation-sociale-13-11-2019-2346894_24.php (accessed November 8, 2020)
***https://www.lecourriercauchois.fr/actualite-219989-manifestation-a-madrid-pour-mettre-la-pression-sur-la-cop25-sur-la-crise-climatique (accessed November 8, 2020)
Here a conference of the "Minga indígena": Summit of Indigenous Peoples. Someone is helping us translate Minga which would mean collaborative work, doing together. Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
Here is what we read on the internet about the Minga indígena:
“[…] La Minga serves to promote 'traditional knowledge for the benefit of all mankind: indigenous solutions to climate change'. […] Minga is the indigenous peoples' alternative to COP 25. Indigenous leaders will share the situation in their communities and territories in the face of climate change. The Summit will allow learning, discussion and reflection and will conclude with the development of a series of proposals that will be presented to the Conferences of the Parties (COP), the supreme decision-making body of the UNFCC, the international response to climate change. […]”*
“Who are they?
A group of collectives, organizations and indigenous communities around the world, who seek to make visible and generate alternative proposals from the territories so that governments take into account their perspectives and their rights in the face of false climate solutions promoted during of the official summit […]
Indigenous territories are already affected by climate change. For this reason, it is more than ever necessary that the solutions and the commitments adopted to combat it be developed with the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples. In the event that the proposed solutions affect indigenous lands, territories or resources, the prior and informed consent of these communities must be obtained and their collective rights as established in international law must be respected.”**
*https://centerforearthethics.org/event/minga-indigena-the-alternative-cop-25-indigenous-peoples-summit/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://cumbresocialclima.net/reportaje-fotografico-de-minga-indigena/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
During the counter-summit (Social Summit for the Climate) of COP25.
Here a conference of the "Minga indígena": Summit of Indigenous Peoples.
Chile, which was initially supposed to host the COP, had to give up, facing demonstrations since October 18 with demands including the demand for a new constitution and for water to become a public good again.
“It is indeed the only country in the world which privatizes this natural resource: the dictator Augusto Pinochet had opened the way to the sale, the rental and the speculation of water, by the means of the Constitution of 1980, still in force.”*
- "Lamarea (1): The world is taking action"
Official poster of the: “March for the Climate - Climate emergency - 6 Dec 18: 00Atocha-Nuevos Ministerios Madrid - COP25 Madrid Chile-Spain # CopPourL'Avenir”*
Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
(1) Lamarea: “The cooperative newspaper La Marea was started by former journalists from the left-wing daily Público which ceased its print edition in February 2012. [...]”**
“La Marea is a bimonthly print magazine and daily digital media engaged in rigorous and committed journalism, specializing in analysis, research and culture. The publication is edited by the MásPúblico cooperative, 100% owned by its readers and workers, which allows us to be completely independent from political and commercial powers.”***
About the March for the Climate, we read on the internet that:
“[…] Under the slogan 'The world has woken up to the climate emergency", while temperatures and polluting emissions continue to rise on the planet, this five-kilometer climate march in the center of Madrid is part of Atocha station. […]
In a manifesto, the associations organizing the march sent a clear message: "We are going back to the streets () to demand real and ambitious measures from the political leaders of the whole world gathered at the COP" and so that they recognize "that the insufficient ambition of their agreements will lead the planet to a disastrous scenario of global warming".”****
*https://reporterre.net/Chili-meme-sans-la-COP-les-ecolos-se-mobilisent (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.courrierinternational.com/notule-source/la-marea (accessed November 8, 2020)
***https://m.facebook.com/notes/la-marea/our-story/1462609350501317/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
****https://www.lecourriercauchois.fr/actualite-219989-manifestation-a-madrid-pour-mettre-la-pression-sur-la-cop25-sur-la-crise-climatique (accessed November 8 2020)
This bag comes from a neighboring restaurant of the UGT in rue Hortaleza. The place promotes local and seasonal food. - "Sitting Bull - Lakota" famous Sioux Indian chief of a tribe called Hunkpapa Lakota, famous for his resistance against the American army**
"Teck Frontier Mine***, The largest oil sands open pit mine project"
In this room, a conference was held on the fight of indigenous peoples against Teck, a company that plans to build the largest tar sands mine on the planet on indigenous territories, in northern Alberta, in Canada.***. In the premises of the Confederal Trade Union Headquarters UGT (Unión General de Trabajadores: General Union of Workers who host the meetings of the counter-summit (Cumbre Social por el Clima) of the COP25. Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
On the internet we find this information about the restaurant and the Teck Frontier mine project:
“What we believe:
"honest greens" was created to show that it's possible to eat without worry.
Our food is real - always in season, fresh, unprocessed, and without any additives, preservatives or added sugars. We love to eat locally sourced and responsibly produced food which means we support farmers, local producers and artisans using sustainable methods. We respect many varied diets and offer many gluten-free, vegetarian, plant-based and paleo-free dishes. […] We want to offer the possibility of feeling good by eating everything.”
“Sitting Bull (born March 1831 - died December 15, 1890) is a tribal chief of the Sioux. He is one of the resistance fighters against the American army between 1860 and 1890. He is also a medicine man (that is to say, knowing the diseases and the care). […] "When the last drop of water is polluted, the last animal hunted and the last tree cut down, the white man will understand that money cannot be eaten." ”**
“[…] The provincial government of Alberta and the Canadian federal government are still considering approving the Frontier project. In June, the Canadian government led by Liberal Justin Trudeau, who publicly portrays himself as an advocate for the environment and Indigenous rights, approved a 980 km extension of the Transmountain pipeline from Edmonton, Alta., To Vancouver in British Columbia. This decision had also sparked widespread protests from Indigenous communities and environmental groups in Canada and elsewhere. […] ”***
“[…] Once completed the mine would cover an area of 292 square kilometers. […]”*** “[…] A $ 20.6 billion mine proposed by Teck Resources Ltd. of Vancouver, […]. Those proposing the project have said its ultimate production capacity would be around 260,000 barrels per day of bitumen, if approved. […]
Over the summer, a federal-provincial committee ruled that the oil sands project was in the public interest even though it could fundamentally harm the environment and Indigenous peoples. […]”****
*honestgreens.com (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://fr.vikidia.org/wiki/Sitting_Bull (accessed November 8, 2020)
***https://peoplesdispatch.org/2019/12/13/at-cop25-indigenous-rights-groups-protest-proposed-tar-sands-mine/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
****http://globalnews.ca/news/6280884/indigenous-protest-cop-25-madrid-oilsands-frontier-alberta/ (Accessed November 8, 2020)
François Paulette, representative of the Dene Nation and the Smith Landing First Nation fighting against the Teck Frontier mine project.*
Basically, Nigel Henri Robinson is part of the Indigenous Youth Delegation of Climate Action (ICA).
- "Let's decolonize, October 12, nothing to celebrate"
Ta'kaiya Blaney, is part of “The Climate Action Indigenous Youth Delegation [ICA] which personally delivered a letter to Minister Wilkinson and the Canadian negotiating team on concerns regarding Article 6 [of the Paris agreement, which sets the rules for buying back CO2 emissions reductions from one country to another]”** which should include the issue of respecting their sovereignty over their territories.***
Hugs at the end of the conference on Indigenous peoples' struggle against Teck Resources, a Vancouver-based mining and energy company with plans to build a massive tar sands mine on Indigenous lands in northern Alberta, in Canada.
In the premises of the Confederal Trade Union Headquarters UGT (Unión General de Trabajadores: General Union of Workers) which hosts the counter-summit (Cumbre Social por el Clima) of the COP25. Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
On the last scheduled day of the COP (it was finally extended by two days), about the Teck tar sand mine project we read on the internet that:
“Hundreds of demonstrators led by Indigenous Chiefs disrupted events in the main hall of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP25) 2019 in Madrid. Campaigners were protesting against the proposed huge tar sands mine in northern Alberta, Canada, and the lack of action by governments united to address the climate emergency. […]
In their press release on the protest, the group claimed that the proposed mine would be in Indigenous territory and that it would have disastrous consequences on the lives and livelihoods of Indigenous people, as well as negatively impact on the land. ecosystem of the region. It will also harm the food security, water and other treaty rights of Indigenous people, in addition to adding 6.1 million megatonnes of carbon to the atmosphere each year. The group therefore demanded that the Government of Canada be forced to reject the proposal. […]”***
*https://peoplesdispatch.org/2019/12/13/at-cop25-indigenous-rights-groups-protest-proposed-tar-sands-mine/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.indigenousclimateaction.com/entries/ica-youth-delegation-demand-non-market-climate-solutions-and-indigenous-rights-in-article-6 (accessed November 8, 2020)
***https://aqoci.qc.ca/les-jeunes-autorigins-au-coeur-de-l-action-a-la-cop-25/ (Accessed November 8, 2020)
This meeting room mainly hosted the conferences given by the indigenous peoples who made the trip to be present despite the relocation of the COP from Santiago de Chile to Madrid in Spain.
- Interview with Ángela Valenzuela (spokesperson for Fridays for Future, Santiago de Chile) at the end of the Chilean conference in the "Amazonas" room.
In the premises of the Confederal Trade Union Headquarters UGT (Unión General de Trabajadores: General Union of Workers) which hosts the counter-summit (Cumbre Social por el Clima) of the COP25. Madrid, Spain - December 4, 2019.
We find the remarks she made during the conference on the website of the Social Summit for the climate (Cumbre Social por el Clima):
“The spokesperson for Fridays for Future of Santiago de Chile, Angela Valenzuela, stressed that many Chileans are in Madrid today to make the voice of what is happening in the country heard. "COP25 was supposed to be a Latin American COP, but it wasn't, so we are bringing its voice." The last few years have been "dramatic", if we allude to the IPCC reports and the time they give to act before climate change becomes irreversible. "It seems a fable to be below 1.5 degrees", because "it has already been 25 years and we have still not succeeded in making the balances of the planet's ecosystems a priority". "Those who have caused the problem are the countries of the north and a few companies, and those suffering from it are those in the south," she said, concluding with a "wake-up call" signal.”*
*https://cumbresocialclima.net/marcha-por-el-clima/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
These photos bear witness to the violence and assassinations targeting indigenous peoples who are trying to defend their territories.
- "Mother earth is feminist, diverse and generous"
In the corridors of the premises of the Confederal Trade Union Headquarters UGT (Unión General de Trabajadores: General Union of Workers) which host the counter-summit (Cumbre Social por el Clima) of the COP25. Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
*FFAA: Bolivian armed forces
(1) Wallmapu: the entire Mapuche territory, land of conflicts and reunification of the Mapuche people**
“In Chile, as in many Latin American countries, there is fear of a hypothetical indigenous siege. In the event of a crisis, these populations would come and plunder the middle classes - which in reality do not exist because these people are poor too. […]
This myth of the indigenous siege reminds us of the criminalization suffered by the Mapuche populations, what link can you make between the particular repression they are subjected to and that of the current movement?
M: We can say that the Mapuche territories served as a laboratory. We are from a generation which did not live the dictatorship unlike our fathers, our mothers for whom the soldiers in the streets evoke the seventeen years of dictatorship - this only applies to the poor, the rich have no never suffered repression during the dictatorship.
In the Wallmapu, "democracy" has not changed anything, they have continued to be treated as terrorists and the presence of the army in their territory is the norm. […]”
**https://journals.openedition.org/jsa/10631 (accessed November 8, 2020)
***https://ngchili.wordpress.com/2020/03/14/chili-premiere-ligne-le-peuple-et-les-assemblees/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
"The climate is changing because we are not changing!"** One of the placards carried by the demonstrators during the great March for the Climate of December 6.
In the corridors of the premises of the Confederal Trade Union Headquarters UGT (Unión General de Trabajadores: General Union of Workers) which host the counter-summit (Cumbre Social por el Clima) of the COP25. Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
Here are two extracts from articles read on the internet about respect for indigenous lands in Brazil and one on the difficulty of changing behavior so that the climate does not change:
“[…] Jair Bolsonaro. A head of state who, during his long political career, has never failed to express his contempt for indigenous populations. So in 1998, when he told the newspaper Correio braziliense: "What a pity that the Brazilian cavalry did not prove to be as effective as the Americans. They have exterminated their Indians."
The president must "respect us", implores Raoni, whom we met in Brasilia:
"The government must understand that in this country live the native and the White. That everyone has a different way of life. We live by hunting and fishing, the White man raises cattle on large estates. These activities draw closer to us and threaten our lands. We want to see the President, the ministers, the Congress to find out what exactly they want to do. We want to dialogue!”*
“In Brazil, the situation of the Guarani, the country's many indigenous peoples, is dire, deprived of their ancestral lands and murdered with impunity by landowners.”***
“Climate change may be more prominent in the media than a few years ago, but it continues to suffer from a lack of visibility accompanied by a lack of political will. […]
How to explain such a deficit? Tackling the issue is vital if one is to be able to adapt to the world ahead. The task is all the more imperative as the shock wave that will accompany climate change will put enormous pressure on our societies, institutions and, more generally, our ability to cooperate with each other. From this point of view, the future of Europe, mired in its populism and selfishness, looks bleak.”**
*https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2019/03/02/bresil-la-detresse-des-indigenes-face-au-mepris-de-jair-bolsonaro_5430527_3210.html (accessed November 8, 2020)
**http://www.slate.fr/story/163532/10-raisons-changement-climatique-pas-pris-serieux (accessed November 8, 2020)
***https://www.lifegate.com/ladio-veron-guarani-kaiowa-interview (accessed November 8, 2020)
- Behind the door, a meeting of XR (Extinction Rebellion) (1)
In the premises of the Confederal Trade Union Headquarters UGT (Unión General de Trabajadores: General Union of Workers) which hosts the counter-summit (Cumbre Social por el Clima) of the COP25. Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
Here is what we read on the XR site program:
“The COP25 Climate Conference will now be held in Madrid from December 2 to 13.
This is where the biggest countries and contributors to greenhouse gas emissions will meet from December to flesh out the details of the implementation of the historic Paris Pact on the climate.
With the backdrop of the event being canceled in Chile due to deadly civil unrest involving protests amid rampant inequalities, extreme neoliberalism, and deficient healthcare and education, it is increasingly becoming more obvious that there is no climate and ecological justice without social and global justice.
Given the recent failure of the United Nations Climate Action Summit held in New York, United States, in September 2019, and the cold reception from many major stakeholders in the most recent reports of the IPCC and the 'IPBES, it is certain that for many rebels, Madrid is the ideal place in December. […]”*
(1) Extinction Rebellion: Global civil disobedience movement in the fight against ecological collapse and global warming launched in October 2018 in the United Kingdom.
*https://rebellion.earth/event/rebels-beyond-borders-at-cop25/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
- "Loving Mother Earth" and the Extinction Rebellion (XR) logo on the computer of Nils Agger,* one of the founding members of XR, whom we also photographed, almost identically !, at the COP24 of Katowice (see Reports in Poland on our site).
In the premises of the Confederal Trade Union Headquarters UGT (Unión General de Trabajadores: General Union of Workers) which hosts the counter-summit (Cumbre Social por el Clima) of the COP25. Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
On the internet we read about what Nils Agger said:
“[...] "Many NGOs are not telling the truth about the advancement of the ecological and climate crisis so as not to scare, calls out the young Swede of 25 years. They fear that if people realize the scale of the disaster, they will be paralyzed and unwilling to act. It's wrong. The success of Extinction Rebellion proves otherwise." […] "This is not just yet another awareness-raising or mobilization campaign," Agger proudly resumes. We have launched a rebellion against the British government to force it to negotiate with the people, and to protect them properly." […]
For him, the key player remains the government: "They have the necessary infrastructure and the means to coerce the private sector, but above all, they have a responsibility to act to prevent the widespread collapse that awaits us." [...] The notion of urgency is also the central element of their symbol: an hourglass in a black circle, which Agger now wears wherever he goes, on pins, flags, T-shirts.”*
*https://www.liberation.fr/debats/2019/01/20/nils-agger-rebelle-contre-l-inaction_1704205 (accessed November 8, 2020)
- "Dormitories: the rules ..."
Scene in the premises of the Confederal Trade Union Headquarters UGT (Unión General de Trabajadores: General Union of Workers) which hosts the counter-summit (Cumbre Social por el Clima) of the COP25. Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
- "XR room"**
Upstairs, the rooms that serve as dormitories, in the premises of the Confederal Trade Union Headquarters UGT (Unión General de Trabajadores: General Union of Workers) which house the counter-summit (Cumbre Social por el Clima) of the COP25. Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
*FFF: FridaysForFuture. "Fridays for the Future" is a global climate strike movement that began in August 2018, launched in Sweden by 15-year-old Greta Thunberg. Followed by the young people, they go on strike at school on Fridays by taking time off to participate in demonstrations in which they protest against the lack of action for the fight against climate change. (1)
**XR: Extinction Rebellion. Global civil disobedience movement in the fight against ecological collapse and global warming launched in October 2018 in the United Kingdom. (2)
(1) https://fridaysforfuture.org/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
(2) https://extinctionrebellion.fr/qui-est-extinction-rebellion-xr/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
The two young girls come from Pampelone and say they have been demonstrating every other Friday since March.
Their parents agree with their approach, their teachers on the other hand are not enthusiastic and do not follow them.
They tell us that 80 young people are welcomed here.
- Another dorm ...
Upstairs, the rooms that serve as dormitories, in the premises of the Confederal Trade Union Headquarters UGT (Unión General de Trabajadores: General Union of Workers) which house the counter-summit (Cumbre Social por el Clima) of the COP25. Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
“ "Comida" Food 2-7 euros” at the Cumbre social canteen.
- "Stop coal (in Japanese)" Preparation of banners for the climate march on 6 December organized to put the COP25 under pressure.
In the premises of the Confederal Trade Union Headquarters UGT (Unión General de Trabajadores: General Union of Workers) which hosts the counter-summit (Cumbre Social por el Clima) of the COP25. Madrid, Spain - December 4, 2019.
Here is what we find on the internet about "WINDforPlanet (Wind for the planet)" written on the bags distributed to the accredited people of the COP:
“SOBRE #WINDforPlanet (Wind for the planet)
Since we learned that the Climate Change Summit, COP25, was being held in Madrid, we have started to think about how wind energy has visibility, a presence, the place it deserves as a technology of the future to generate electricity in the world. In Spain, wind energy already produces 19% of all the electricity we consume and in a clean way, without polluting and taking care of the environments where wind farms are installed.”*
*https://www.windforplanet.org/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
In the premises of the Confederal Trade Union Headquarters UGT (Unión General de Trabajadores: General Union of Workers) which hosts the counter-summit (Cumbre Social por el Clima) of the COP25. Madrid, Spain - December 4, 2019.
(1) “The Pachamama is a major deity of the peoples of South America. The term Pachamama has several meanings […]”*
*https://mythologica.fr/inca/pacha.htm (accessed November 8, 2020)
- Extinction Rebellion* on the sweatshirt, Fridays For Future** on the table.
Preparation of banners and placards for the March for the Climate of December 6 organized to put the COP25 under pressure.
In the premises of the Confederal Trade Union Headquarters UGT (Unión General de Trabajadores: General Union of Workers) which hosts the counter-summit (Cumbre Social por el Clima) of the World Conference on Climate Change under the aegis of the United Nations. Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
*XR: Extinction Rebellion. Global civil disobedience movement in the fight against ecological collapse and global warming launched in October 2018 in the United Kingdom. (1)
**FFF: FridaysForFuture. "Fridays for the Future" is a global climate strike movement that began in August 2018, launched in Sweden by 15-year-old Greta Thunberg. Followed by the young people, they go on strike at school on Fridays by taking time off to participate in demonstrations in which they protest against the lack of action for the fight against climate change. (2)
(1) https://extinctionrebellion.fr/qui-est-extinction-rebellion-xr/
(2) https://fridaysforfuture.org/
“CRISIS IN CHILE: "Piñera, resign!", The cry of protests in Chile that cannot be realized”*
"Deadly lie"
Caroline Schmidt, Minister of the Environment has been appointed President of Cop25 by the Chilean government. She will lead the UN climate talks. Although organized in Spain it is chaired by Chile, the country which was supposed to host the event but which had to cancel due to an unprecedented social movement.
Preparation of signs for the March for the Climate of December 6 organized to put the COP25 under pressure. In the premises of the Confederal Trade Union Headquarters UGT (Unión General de Trabajadores: General Union of Workers) which hosts the counter-summit (Cumbre Social por el Clima) of the COP25. Madrid, Spain - December 4, 2019.
We read these words from Carolina Schmidt on the internet:
“I want to be clear, if we are all here, if we have all made efforts to make this Cop hold, it is because we believe in it, […]. "Now is the time to act" is the watchword here. The success of this Cop depends on all of us, we are facing a historic challenge, there will be no excuses. I call on you to work together […]”.**
*https://www.publico.es/internacional/pinera-renuncia-grito-manifestaciones-chile.html (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.lindependant.fr/amp/2019/12/12/cop25-la-presidente-chilienne-simpatiente,8599917.php (accessed November 8, 2020)
Preparation of the Extinction Rebellion banners (1) for an action at Zara, a ready-to-wear store in Gran Via street.
In the garage of the Confederal Trade Union Headquarters UGT (Unión General de Trabajadores: General Union of Workers) which houses the counter-summit (Cumbre Social por el Clima) of the COP25. Madrid, Spain - December 4, 2019.
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Nonviolent civil disobedience movement against government inaction in the fight against climate change.
Here is what we read on the XR site about the pollution generated by fashion:
“[…] The disposable fashion industry is the second most polluting sector on the planet - with a larger carbon footprint than international flights and shipping combined. It uses 20% of water resources and emits 10% of CO2 in the world, with a very damaging impact in southern countries in particular, both environmentally and socially. […]”*
*https://extinctionrebellion.uk/2019/12/04/breaking-cop25-extinction-rebellion-occupies-zara-on-madrids-gran-via-greenwashing-is-a-cop-out-green-words-toxic-truths / (accessed November 8, 2020)
- "Green Words, Toxic Truths" on the Extinction Rebellion banner in front of a Zara clothing store.
- "Do you really need it?" ”In front of a Zara clothing store. The Cop being held every year before Christmas, a major period of consumption, this panel encourages us to think about our attitudes. Madrid, Spain - December 4, 2019.
On the XR website here is what we read about this action:
“[…] About thirty Extinction Rebellion activists have occupied Zara on Gran Via today, with people glued to the windows inside the store. People are holding banners saying "Green Words, Toxic Truth" outside Zara, which is part of the INDITEX Group - one of the world's largest fashion retailers - to highlight how companies are using greenwashing strategies in the face of the climatic and ecological emergency.
Zara was chosen for today's action because she is currently attempting to go green with her storefronts that "demonstrate" her social commitment to the COP 25 motto: "Time to act". […]”*
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Nonviolent civil disobedience movement against government inaction in the fight against climate change.
*https://extinctionrebellion.uk/2019/12/04/breaking-cop25-extinction-rebellion-occupies-zara-on-madrids-gran-via-greenwashing-is-a-cop-out-green-words-toxic-truths / (accessed November 8, 2020)
Solar panels in the Cantoblanco University parking lot. This autonomous university in the north of Madrid is a Spanish public university located on the Cantoblanco campus.
In connection with COP25, students organized an Extinction Rebellion meeting there. (1) Near Madrid, Spain - December 3, 2019.
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Nonviolent civil disobedience movement against government inaction in the fight against climate change.
In connection with COP25, students organized an Extinction Rebellion meeting there. (1) Near Madrid, Spain - December 3, 2019.
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Nonviolent civil disobedience movement against government inaction in the fight against climate change climate change.
In connection with COP25, students organized an Extinction Rebellion meeting there. (1) Near Madrid, Spain - December 3, 2019.
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Nonviolent civil disobedience movement against government inaction in the fight against climate change.
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Nonviolent civil disobedience movement against government inaction in the fight against climate change.
Clara and Miguel invite people to meet them in the room allocated for the occasion.
On the door of this one: "What is the COP? (Precedes the logo of XR)".
About twenty people will come to listen to this conference on the Cop, the latter being considered as "pure words for 25 years". Spain is very concerned by climate change being threatened with desertification at 74% in 2100.
We take the photo outside because the university administrator told us by phone that we were prohibited from taking photos within the walls of the university. Near Madrid, Spain - December 3, 2019.
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Nonviolent civil disobedience movement against government inaction in the fight against climate change.
Although organized in Spain it is chaired by Chile, the country which was to host the event but which had to cancel because riots and demonstrations shook the Chilean capital. Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
On the internet we read this about the new presidency of the COP and about what is happening in Chile:
“[…] "I will not give up the deep conviction of the need for the Chilean people and the world to press for action on climate change," said Ms. Schmidt, who stressed the importance of COP25 and its motto "Time for Action". […]
According to her, "We have social, environmental and economic problems that are different from those in developed countries and these problems are made worse by climate change. These are problems that we can only tackle if we work together through the multinationalism and solidarity".
For his part, Mr Kurtyka thanked Spain for agreeing to host COP25 with only one month's notice. […] More than 29,000 people, including some 50 world leaders and representatives from 196 countries, will attend COP25, which aims to turn words and promises into action to stabilize the global temperature rise at 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. […]”*
“[…] With public transport nearing a standstill, shops mostly closed and soldiers patrolling the streets, Santiago was paralyzed on Monday and feared further violence after three days of riots and looting. […]”**
“[…] Chile, considered one of the most stable countries in Latin America, has been rocked since October 18 by an unprecedented social revolt, which has left 20 dead and a thousand injured, according to the latest official report. A rise in the price of metro tickets in the capital was the trigger for this wave of protest unprecedented for decades in this country of 18 million inhabitants. Despite the suspension of the measure, the movement has gathered momentum, fueled by resentment over social inequalities. […]
"We want to put the social agenda before the political agenda", declared the Chilean president to justify the cancellation of the two world summits, also saying for the first time not to "exclude structural reforms" from the socio-economic model Chilean ultraliberal.
The cancellation of the two summits [COP 25 in December, as well as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) summit, which was to take place in Santiago in mid-November] was however seen by many observers as an admission of weakness on the part of the government of the conservative president, in office since March 2018 and already at the head of Chile between 2010 and 2014. […] ”***
“[…] Sebastián Piñera had announced that the head of the Spanish government Pedro Sanchez had "generously offered to organize the COP25 in Madrid on the same dates that this conference was scheduled in Chile". […]”****
*http://french.xinhuanet.com/2019-12/02/c_138600486.htm (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.ouest-france.fr/monde/chili/chili-11-morts-paralysie-et-craintes-santiago-apres-trois-jours-d-emeutes-6575229 (accessed November 8, 2020)
***https://www.la-croix.com/Monde/Ameriques/LEspagne-accueillera-COP25-place-Chili-2019-11-01-1201057859 (accessed November 8, 2020)
****https://www.sudouest.fr/2019/11/01/annulee-au-chili-a-cause-des-emeutes-la-cop25-de-decembre-se-tendra-en-espagne- 6773395-4803.php (accessed November 8, 2020)
At the COP25 are expected 25,000 people, 40 heads of state, and Greta, the high school student who launched the global movement of school strikes on Friday for the climate (Fridays For Future - Fridays for the Future).
Little known during her speech at the previous COP in Katowice in Poland (see Report from COP24 on our site), she has since become the icon of the fight to encourage governments to act against global warming by reducing emissions of CO2 in their country.
- Arrival in Lisbon of the boat aboard which is Greta Thunberg who comes to attend the COP25 which has been moved to Madrid.
- Greta on the boat that brings her back from the United States -where she made, among other things, a very remarkable intervention ("How dare you?") at the United Nations summit on the climate emergency in New York- to Lisbon so that she can attend the 25th World Conference on Climate Change which was moved to Madrid. Madrid, Spain - December 3, 2019.
Here is what we read on the internet about the arrival of Greta Thunberg:
“After attending the UN climate summit in New York in September, young environmental activist Greta Thunberg once again crossed the Atlantic, this time to attend COP25 in Madrid.
[…] The 16-year-old girl, who refuses to take the plane to reduce her carbon footprint, then thought she could easily go to COP25 since it was to take place in Chile: but because of a massive movement of protest against the power of Sebastián Piñera, the country could not accommodate the event finally relocated to Madrid. Greta Thunberg therefore had to make an appeal on social media for help to cross the Atlantic Ocean a second time.
It was finally aboard "La Vagabonde", a 14-meter-long catamaran, that the activist traveled from Hampton (Virginia) to Lisbon. After three weeks at sea, she then took an overnight train from the Portuguese capital to Madrid, where she led a big climate march. Greeted with great fanfare, Greta Thunberg quipped on Twitter about her arrival in the Spanish capital: "I don't think anyone has seen me!" ”*
*https://www.courrierinternational.com/dessin/le-dessin-du-jour-greta-thunberg-est-arrivee-madrid-pour-participer-la-cop25 (accessed November 8, 2020)
She and other young activists will hold a press conference there* before heading to the climate march organized to put pressure on COP25.
- Arrival of Greta Thunberg at Casa Encendida in Madrid where with other young activists she will hold a press conference.* Watched as a real rock star, she enters through the back door to avoid the crowd massed in front of the main entrance. Madrid, Spain - December 6, 2019.
On the internet, we read about this that:
“At the height of her 16 years, the Swedish teenager at the origin of the Fridays For Future movement is emerging as the undisputed star of the COP25. She is eagerly awaited by those who see her as the embodiment of the demands of a generation in the face of climate challenges. But she is especially expected by environmental activists, who are counting on her to also participate in the mobilizations for the climate on the sidelines of the summit and trigger a click among the youngest and awaken them to activism.
His arrival in Madrid will be the end of a complicated journey. A few months ago, she sailed across the ocean to America, invited to speak at the UN and planned to travel to Chile, where the climate change summit was to be held. But the renunciation of the country shaken by a wave of social protests had upset his plans.
It was finally Madrid who took over at short notice to host the meeting. And this impromptu change, announced at the beginning of November, had forced the young girl to urgently seek a new sailboat to leave for Europe, without knowing if the bad weather would allow her to arrive on time.”**
(1) Casa Encendida: House on or "the House is burning"
*https://www.lefigaro.fr/sciences/greta-thunberg-arrive-en-train-a-la-cop25-a-madrid-20191206 (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.lesechos.fr/monde/enjeux-internationaux/la-cop25-attend-louragan-greta-thunberg-1153124 (accessed November 8, 2020)
“After three weeks at sea, she then took a night train from the Portuguese capital to Madrid," * and it was from a small red electric car that she got out in front of the Casa Encendida.
In this social and cultural center in the center of the capital Greta Thunberg will participate with other young activists in a press conference before heading to the Climate March at 6 p.m.
She arrives from New York where she “delivered another powerful message to world leaders - this time to the United Nations Climate Action Summit in the United States.”** Madrid, Spain - December 6, 2019.
*https://www.courrierinternational.com/dessin/le-dessin-du-jour-greta-thunberg-est-arrivee-madrid-pour-participer-la-cop25 (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/49801041 (accessed November 8, 2020)
- “Journalists had to get accreditation the day before to attend the press meeting that [Greta Thunberg] conducted with other young activists.”**
The room turned out to be too small for the hundred more people who wished they had been present and who were crowding outside. Luckily and cunning I managed to sneak in. The young Swedish girl's "rock star" effect is staggering and leaves those around her in awe.
Madrid, Spain - December 6, 2019.
(1) Fridays for Future ([baptized] Youth for Climate in France, Cyprus, Belgium and Luxembourg):***
School strike for the climate, usually on Fridays; international movement launched on August 20, 2018 by the young Swedish Greta Thunberg.
On the internet we find the comments made by Greta Thunberg:
“[…] Greta expressed her desire to see real change after the COP25 climate event.
[…] The activist said she hoped something concrete would come from the summit and lead to greater awareness on climate issues.
Despite the school strikes, which started over a year ago, Greta believes the leaders have done little.
She criticized world leaders who she said failed to grasp the urgency of the climate crisis.”*
*https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/50697892 (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.lefigaro.fr/sciences/greta-thunberg-arrive-en-train-a-la-cop25-a-madrid-20191206 (accessed November 8, 2020)
***https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grève_étudiante_pour_le_climat (accessed November 8, 2020)
“Greta [Thunberg] spoke out on climate change alongside teen activists Shari Crepi (Fridays for Future Spain), Vanessa Nakate ((Fridays for Future Uganda) and Alejandro Martinez (Fridays for Future Spain International).”* Madrid , Spain - December 6, 2019.
Here are their words for the day and the following days that we found on the internet:
“ "Clearly the movement is getting a lot of media attention, but the problem is we've been walking for a year and they've only declared a climate emergency. It's more than words, promises or statements, we have to take specific action, otherwise we will not go anywhere," said Shari Crespi, a young Spanish activist from Fridays for Future.
They also criticized the corporate sponsorship of the United Nations event, which included advertisements from Spanish energy companies, as well as Coca-Cola, Facebook, Google and Ikea. “ "They are just trying to cover up their mess, brainwash us and blind us," said Vanessa Nakate, a member of Fridays for Future in Uganda.”**
“The Spaniard Alejandro Martínez insisted on the fact that "climate justice is defended by listening to the voices of those who suffer the most" and stressed that in this first COP in which the FFF movement participates," we must take the opportunity to to convey a unique message ". "We are facing the greatest crisis that exists, there has never been an emergency of this magnitude, but previous crises have not been solved by governments, but by people," he said. he declares. For this reason, this Friday "we will take to the streets of central Madrid again and to the COP25 to demand more ambition, because the goal of not exceeding 1.5 degrees of global temperature increase will not be not achieved with current commitments." ”***
*https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/50697892 (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.aa.com.tr/en/environment/greta-thunberg-heads-massive-protest-in-madrid/1666250 (accessed November 8, 2020)
***https://www.elcomercio.com/tendences/jovenes-greta-reclamo-madrid-cop25.html (accessed November 8, 2020)
Before continuing with the great March for the Climate, she waits in the hallway leading to the lodge where Greta Thunberg has isolated herself from the too large crowd of journalists. The latter is also patienting there before joining the demonstration which will begin at 6 p.m.
The young activist (FFF) Vanessa Nakate also “created Youth for Future Africa as well as the Rise Up Movement, also based in Africa. "According to her, the issue of climate change has been westernized, "When it is debated in the north, it is from the angle of the risk of economic crisis for the rich countries. They do not realize that for us, it is a tangible drama." ”*
- Final preparations before the big climate demonstration organized to put the COP25 under pressure.
Madrid, Spain - December 6, 2019.
(1) Fridays for Future ([baptized] Youth for Climate in France, Cyprus, Belgium and Luxembourg)***: School strike for the climate, generally on Fridays; international movement launched on August 20, 2018 by the young Swedish Greta Thunberg.
Here is some information found on the internet about Vanessa Nakate and the impact of climate change on Africa:
“Vanessa Nakate […] is a Ugandan climate activist. Having grown up in Kampala, she joined in December 2018, after realizing the unusually high temperatures in her country.
Following the example of Greta Thunberg, she founded the climate movement in Uganda. It begins with an individual strike in January 2019, to oppose the passivity of governments in the face of climate change. […] For several months, she protested solo in front of the Ugandan parliament. She is then joined by several young people responding to her calls on social media, which draw attention to the problem of the Congo's rainforests. […]”*
“[…] As said […] the young South African scientist, Ndoni Mcunu:
"It is said that Africa accounts for only about 5% of greenhouse gas emissions in the world… Yet we are the most affected." The African continent is affected by severe droughts, rampant desertification, fires, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.
According to the student, who is writing a thesis at the Global Change Institute in Johannesburg, "nearly 20 million people have fled because of these changes and nearly 52 million are believed to be food insecure." […] ”**
On this last point, you can see on our site the reports made in West Africa.
*https://www.lepoint.fr/afrique/vanessa-nakate-cette-activiste-climatique-africaine-qu-on-a-voulu-ignorer-29-01-2020-2360341_3826.php (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.franceinter.fr/emissions/camille-passe-au-vert/camille-passe-au-vert-03-fevrier-2020 (accessed November 8, 2020)
***https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grève_étudiante_pour_le_climat (accessed November 8, 2020)
At the Casa Encendida in Madrid (social and cultural center of the capital), after the press conference given by activists from Fridays for Future (1) including Greta Thunberg (Fridays for Future Sweden) and before going to the big March for the Climate organized to put the COP25 under pressure.
These young demonstrators wait in the hallway leading to the lodge where Greta Thunberg has isolated herself from the too large crowd of journalists. The young girl is also patient there before joining the demonstration which will begin at 6 p.m. Madrid, Spain - December 6, 2019.
(1) Fridays for Future ([baptized] Youth for Climate in France, Cyprus, Belgium and Luxembourg)*:
School strike for the climate, generally on Fridays; international movement launched on August 20, 2018 by the young Swedish Greta Thunberg.
On the internet this is what we read about
- the rise of the oceans and
- from Greta that day:
“The current climate change has a direct impact on the average level of the oceans. The rise in ocean temperatures over the past century has caused water masses to dilate and mean ocean levels to rise. In addition, the global rise in temperature on earth is causing an imbalance in the exchanges of water between continents and oceans, with the melting of mountain glaciers and ice caps in the polar zones. This inflow of fresh water also contributes significantly to the rise of the oceans.”**
“[…] Fridays for Future was created by Thunberg when she skipped school every Friday to protest climate inaction in the Swedish Parliament. It has now grown into a massive global movement.
"It is not the durable solution for children not to go to school. We do not want to continue, we would like action from the people in power. People are suffering from the ecological emergency today and we cannot wait any longer," said Thunberg. […]”***
*https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grève_étudiante_pour_le_climat (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://ree.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/themes/milieux-et-territoires-a-enjeux/mer-et-littoral/etat-du-milieu-marin-et-littoral/article/elevation- of-the-sea-level (accessed November 8, 2020)
***https://www.aa.com.tr/en/environment/greta-thunberg-heads-massive-protest-in-madrid/1666250 (accessed November 8, 2020)
On the internet, we find these excerpts from her speech:
“[…] "COP25 is seen as an intermediate year. The big event is COP26 next year, but we cannot afford intermediate years, we cannot afford to go days without action. COP25 is not something we can ignore. Every chance we get to improve the situation must be taken," she said […].
At the press conference, Thunberg was joined by other young climate activists from Spain and Uganda.
Activists criticized the widespread inaction of government leaders. Thunberg said that although public awareness has grown around the issue, "nothing was done last year", stressing that C02 emissions are expected to increase by 0.6% in 2019. […]”*
(1) Fridays for Future ([baptized] Youth for Climate in France, Cyprus, Belgium and Luxembourg):**
School strike for the climate, usually on Fridays; international movement launched on August 20, 2018 by the young Swedish Greta Thunberg.
*https://www.aa.com.tr/en/environment/greta-thunberg-heads-massive-protest-in-madrid/1666250 (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grève_étudiante_pour_le_climat (accessed November 8, 2020
The young people of FFF (Fridays for Future - Youth for Climate) try to protect her from the groupies and journalists who rush on her. Madrid, Spain - December 6, 2019.
On the internet, we found the comments she made that day:
“[…] the teenager has become something of a face in the fight for the climate. She urges countries around the world to step up their ambitions to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions faster than expected.”*
"Hope is not between the walls of the COP25, but here, with you: we show the way and the powerful must follow us", hammered the muse of the movement for the climate, arrived the same morning by train from Lisbon, which she joined by catamaran from the United States, revealing her pessimism about the summit's results. […]”.**
“ "The current leaders are betraying us and we will not let this happen again. Change is underway, whether they like it or not, because we have no other choice…", declared the young Swede Greta Thunberg during a march on Friday in the Spanish capital”.***
(1) Fridays for Future ([baptized] Youth for Climate in France, Cyprus, Belgium and Luxembourg):****
School strike for the climate, usually on Fridays; international movement launched on August 20, 2018 by the young Swedish Greta Thunberg.
*https://www.lefigaro.fr/sciences/greta-thunberg-arrive-en-train-a-la-cop25-a-madrid-20191206 (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2019/12/06/a-madrid-une-marche-pour-le-climat-pour-mettre-la-cop25-sous-pression_6021998_3244.html ( accessed November 8, 2020)
***https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2019/12/06/a-madrid-une-marche-pour-le-climat-pour-mettre-la-cop25-sous-pression_6021998_3244.html (accessed November 8, 2020)
****https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grève_étudiante_pour_le_climat (accessed November 8, 2020)
(1) Fridays for Future ([baptized] Youth for Climate in France, Cyprus, Belgium and Luxembourg):*
School strike for the climate, usually on Fridays; international movement launched on August 20, 2018 by the young Swedish Greta Thunberg.
We find his words on the internet:
At the press conference, “[…] She said: "There are more and more of us and our voices are heard more and more, but of course that does not translate into political action". His speech has therefore not changed from his latest warnings against global warming and the call to action by the leaders of countries for future generations. In the summer of 2018, she launched "school strikes for the climate". […]”**
Later in the street, “[…] Surrounded by a swarm of sympathizers and journalists, the 16-year-old teenager has become the face of the defense of the planet since she launched in August 2018 "strikes school for the climate", was forced to abandon the procession after an hour because she could no longer move forward. "The police say that I cannot continue like this (...) I'm sorry (...) There are security reasons, there are too many journalists and people", she explained. before getting into a car. […]”**
*https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grève_étudiante_pour_le_climat (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://amp.lefigaro.fr/sciences/greta-thunberg-arrive-en-train-a-la-cop25-a-madrid-20191206 (accessed November 8, 2020)
"The planet rather than profit! - Tomorrow will be too late - FFF: Friday school strike for the future" (1)
Great March for the Climate: “[…] Environmental associations and collectives called a large demonstration this Friday, to sound the alarm bells for the climate emergency, on the sidelines of the negotiations underway at COP25 […].”*
Left Atocha station, nearly 500,000 demonstrators according to environmental organizations, 20,000 according to the prefecture, will march on the main artery of Paseo de la Castellana heading towards the stage where the young Swedish activist Greta Thunberg will pronounce a speech.** Madrid, Spain - December 6, 2019.
(1) FFF - Fridays for Future: School strike for the climate, generally on Fridays; international movement launched on August 20, 2018 by the young Swedish Greta Thunberg.
Here is what we read on the internet about this walk:
“[…] Thousands of people demonstrated in Madrid on Friday with the young Swedish Greta Thunberg to urge the countries gathered for COP25 in the Spanish capital to act against the climate crisis.
"The current leaders are betraying us and we will not let this happen again," the 16-year-old told the crowd gathered at the end of the protest.
"We say enough is enough. Change is underway, whether they like it or not because we have no other choice," added the young Swedish, who has become the face of the planet's defense since she launched in August 2018 "school strikes for the climate".
"We cannot wait any longer" because "people are suffering or dying due to the climate emergency", she had previously hammered in front of the press. […]”***
*https://www.lesechos.fr/monde/europe/a-madrid-lappel-a-une-transition-ecologique-socialement-juste-1154264 (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2019/12/06/a-madrid-une-marche-pour-le-climat-pour-mettre-la-cop25-sous-pression_6021998_3244.html ( accessed November 8, 2020)
***https://www.la-croix.com/Monde/A-Madrid-marche-climat-mettre-pression-COP25-2019-12-06-1301064816 (accessed November 8, 2020)
From Atocha station, nearly 500,000 demonstrators according to environmental organizations, 20,000 according to the prefecture, will march on the main artery of Paseo de la Castellana in central Madrid.
- "There is no planet B"
- "The sea rises and so do we"
Madrid, Spain - December 6, 2019.
On the internet we read this about rising sea levels:
“[…] The ocean is briefly mentioned in the preamble to the 2015 Paris climate agreement: a small place for a gigantic medium that occupies more than two-thirds of the Earth's surface.
Four years later, for COP25, Chile wanted to devote two days to it, on December 6 and 7, and more generally to present the 25th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (UNCAC) as a "blue COP" - even if it is held in Madrid and not in Santiago as originally planned. […] However, with climate change, [the oceans] are becoming more acidic, warming, expanding and their levels rising. […]”*
*https://www.lemonde.fr/climat/article/2019/12/07/a-la-cop25-de-madrid-l-ocean-ligne-d-horizon-des-negociations-sur-le-climat_6022008_1652612 .html (accessed November 8, 2020)
"Climate justice - We are fighting for life"
Madrid, Spain - December 6, 2019.
Here is what we read about this event:
“[…] Under the slogan "The world has woken up to the climate emergency", while temperatures and polluting emissions continue to rise on the planet, this five-kilometer climate march in the center of Madrid left from Atocha station. […]”*
“[…] Up front, it is the young people of the Fridays for Future movement who are calling for "climate justice".
Tens of thousands of people marched in the Spanish capital, on the sidelines of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP25) held there until December 13, to warn about the consequences of global warming and ask politicians to act as quickly as possible. […] 20,000 demonstrators according to the prefecture, 500,000 according to environmental organizations, who went to the scene where the young Swedish activist Greta Thunberg gave a speech. […] ”**
“[…] It is not certain that the COP25, faced with the reluctance of many governments, will manage to move forward on the resolution of the last conflicting points of the Paris agreement, such as the carbon market or the financing of the consequences of global warming. "We are not experts: we are just asking governments to listen to the scientists and step up the pace," insists Paula Mancebo, spokesperson for the Fridays for Future Spain movement. We do not have time to lose."”***
*https://www.lemonde.fr/climat/article/2019/12/07/a-la-cop25-de-madrid-l-ocean-ligne-d-horizon-des-negociations-sur-le-climat_6022008_1652612 .html (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2019/12/06/a-madrid-une-marche-pour-le-climat-pour-mettre-la-cop25-sous-pression_6021998_3244.html ( accessed November 8, 2020)
***https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2019/12/06/a-madrid-une-marche-pour-le-climat-pour-mettre-la-cop25-sous-pression_6021998_3244.html (accessed November 8, 2020)
From Atocha station, nearly 500,000 demonstrators according to environmental organizations, 20,000 according to the prefecture, will march on the main artery of Paseo de la Castellana.
- "Ecocides: USA, China, Brazil…"
- "The planet, not profit!" "Fracking assassinates and commercializes the life of our Latin American countries."
Madrid, Spain - December 6, 2019.
On the internet here is what we can read about
- Ecocides: USA, China, Brazil
- fracking in Latin America:
“[…] In 2018, the United States increased tariffs on products made in China, leading the latter to do the same on American products. Among the latter, soybeans, mainly used to feed livestock. […] In 2016, China bought 37.6 million tonnes of soybeans from the United States. To do the same, Brazil should increase by 39% the agricultural area dedicated to soybeans, or 13 million additional hectares -an area comparable to that of Greece. […]
According to the researchers, the battle for the Amazon appears to be lost, unless the United States and China decide to exclude soybeans from their respective blackmail. Otherwise, China will have to increase its soybean production, diversify its imports, and, perhaps, consider new consumption patterns, less loaded with meat.
"Governments, producers, trade regulators and consumers must act now. If they fail, the Amazon rainforest could be the biggest victim of the Sino-US trade war", the authors conclude.”*
“[…] Domestic and foreign oil companies are using hydraulic fracturing to extract gas that these countries do not need, without the agreement of civil society.
Water has been at the center of the debate, as all of Latin America faces problems related to the contamination, depletion and industrial overexploitation of this resource. Heavy use of toxic and carcinogenic chemicals poisoning traditional communities and entire villages.
Over the hours, it has become clear that these colossal mining and fossil fuel projects have as their corollary a paper democracy where human rights in general and those of indigenous people in particular are violated. despises opposition movements and even legislators, and where they are deprived of their right to information or to protest. […]”**
*https://www.journaldelenvironnement.net/article/l-amazonie-menacee-par-la-guerre-commerciale-chine-etats-unis,96880 (consulté le 8 novembre 2020)
**https://350.org/fr/on-ne-nous-fera-pas-taire-la-lutte-contre-la-fracturation-hydraulique-en-amerique-latine-un-vrai-guepier/ (supplément le 8 novembre 2020)
From Atocha station, nearly 500,000 demonstrators according to environmental organizations, 20,000 according to the prefecture, will march on the main artery of Paseo de la Castellana.
- "The rich pollute a lot"
- "Stop desertification now!" ""New green deal"
Madrid, Spain - December 6, 2019.
About the pollution of the rich and the "Green New Deal" we read on the internet:
“[…] The richest and most educated show a higher score of environmental sensitivity according to the study, but also a much higher ecological footprint (46.4%) than the French with low economic and cultural capital (40, 2%), which use much less resources. […] They are also a greater number to restrict their meat consumption, to eat products from organic farming and to favor short circuits.
According to Crédoc researchers, all their efforts are reduced to nothing with the use of a highly polluting mode of transport, the plane, for work or leisure. Equipping digital products and the high electricity consumption of these privileged classes would also have a strong impact on the carbon footprint left. […]”*
“[…] Ursula von der Leyen […] the President of the European Commission […:]
we present the Green Deal roadmap for Europe, the European Green Deal. Our goal is to become the first climate neutral continent by 2050, to slow global warming and mitigate its effects. […]
The Green Deal for Europe that we are presenting today is Europe’s new inclusive growth strategy. He wants to reduce emissions, while reducing jobs and improving our quality of life, not forgetting anyone. This is the green thread that will guide all of our policies - from transport to taxation, from food to agriculture, from industry to infrastructure. With this Green Deal, we want to invest in clean energies and extend the emissions trading system, but also to strengthen the circular economy and preserve Europe's biodiversity. […]”**
“[...] The Commission will not present its plan to reduce the Union's greenhouse gas emissions until summer 2020. Ambitious targets which could turn into a 'greenwashing' operation. This is the appreciation of civil society, gathered in Madrid for the world climate conference (COP25), after the presentation by the European Commission of its "green deal" on Wednesday 11 December. A communication that was expected, as the European Union is seen as the only one capable of taking over a leadership that has been failing for several years. […]
Despite everything, the RAC considers certain measures to be vague (such as those relating to the energy renovation of housing) or even counterproductive, such as the expansion of the carbon market to road transport, "old proposal of the conservatives to unravel any emission standard for cars and heavy goods vehicles". […]
The Commission will not present its plan to reduce the Union's greenhouse gas emissions until the summer of 2020. […] With this late timetable, "the European Union will probably arrive empty-handed at COP26 in Glasgow, in November 2020, Undermine the credibility of the Paris agreement," warns Clément Sénéchal, climate campaign manager for Greenpeace France. […]”***
*https://www.capital.fr/economie-politique/les-riches-plus-eco-responsables-mais-plus-gros-pollueurs-1331763 (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.lemonde.fr/idees/article/2019/12/10/ursula-von-der-leyen-un-green-deal-europeen-pour-ralentir-le-rec chaudement-de-la- planete_6022374_3232.html (accessed November 8, 2020)
***https://www.lemonde.fr/climat/article/2019/12/12/le-green-deal-europeen-entre-ambition-et-operation-de-greenwashing_6022609_1652612.html (accessed November 8, 2020 )
From Atocha station, nearly 500,000 demonstrators according to environmental organizations, 20,000 according to the prefecture, will march on the main artery of Paseo de la Castellana.
- "Be rational. Take action now. (An hourglass = the XR-Extinction Rebellion logo)"(1)
- "Cop Cop Cooop! #Less COP, More Acts"
Madrid, Spain - December 6, 2019.
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Non-violent civil disobedience movement against government inaction in the fight against climate change, born in the UK in 2018.
On the internet we read this about
- the presence of XR in the event and
- COPs that must move from speech to action:
“[…] They are not ready to wait. Not ten, not five, not even a year. "When do we want the change?" Cried a protester on Avenida de la Castellana, Madrid's main thoroughfare, on the evening of Friday 6 December. "Now," say a hundred activists from the Extinction Rebellion collective in chorus, while holding up signs with skulls and animal skeletons, against a disturbing background of sound waves.
"This performance is a collective cry in the face of the extinction of our planet", summarizes Léo, who came from Barcelona. […]”*
“[…] "Speeches are no longer enough, we need concrete actions", demanded Estefania Gonzalez, Chilean activist and spokesperson for Civil Society for Climate Action (SCAC), a platform bringing together more than 150 associations Chilean and international. […]”**
*https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2019/12/06/a-madrid-une-marche-pour-le-climat-pour-mettre-la-cop25-sous-pression_6021998_3244.html (consulted November 8, 2020)
**https://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/societe/environnement/a-madrid-une-marche-pour-le-climat-avec-greta-thunberg-avant-la-cop25_2110184.html (accessed November 8 2020)
From Atocha station, nearly 500,000 demonstrators according to environmental organizations, 20,000 according to the prefecture, will march on the main artery of Paseo de la Castellana.
- "Our future is chained to your actions (An hourglass = the logo of XR-Extinction Rebellion)"
- "Climate crisis, we're screwed" (An hourglass = the logo of XR-Extinction Rebellion) (1)
Madrid, Spain - December 6, 2019.
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Non-violent civil disobedience movement against government inaction in the fight against climate change, born in the UK in 2018.
Here is what we read on the XR website:
“Since the creation of the "Conference of the Parties" (COP) very few real commitments have been made - and even less implemented - which have a real impact on safeguarding the future of the world. humanity, and to face the CLIMATE AND ECOLOGICAL EMERGENCY. Rebels from all over the world are meeting in Madrid, Spain, to sound the alarm bells and tell the truth. […]
COP25 will bring together scientists, NGOs, politicians, activists and negotiators from all countries of the world, including the biggest emitters of CO2, to discuss again the 2015 Paris Agreements… But the current trend rather leads us to a catastrophic 3-5°C rise if we fail to impose "rapid and unprecedented transformation" on economic and political systems, says the IPCC.”*
*https://m.facebook.com/xrfrance/posts/2347147092226954/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
From Atocha station, nearly 500,000 demonstrators according to environmental organizations, 20,000 according to the prefecture, will march on the main artery of Paseo de la Castellana.
- "Banks that subsidize fossil fuels, No thank you"
- "Degrowth or Barbary - Rede"
Madrid, Spain - December 6, 2019.
Here is what we read on the internet about
- banks and fossil fuels
- degrowth
- from Rede:
“[…] On the eve of COP 25 in Madrid, commercial banks are making more strategic announcements of investments in the energy transition and divestment from coal… by 2030, 2040, even 2050. This does not take into account the severity of the climate emergency, after a lost decade.
Since COP21 in 2015, global banks have granted 1,688 billion euros in fossil fuel financing. Massive divestment from coal, oil and gas, however, is the only path to follow for finance if it is to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, aimed at limiting global warming to 2°C.”*
“[...] For economists, the idea is not to suppress the markets but to give them new rules: pollution taxes, universal allowance, income caps; and one constant: the reduction of working hours, which is the only way to avoid unemployment if production is brought back to the levels of 40 years ago.
The work also focuses on the role of companies and the resolution of a major methodological pitfall: how to take into account non-statistical elements of change, from enterprises to the household (when I cultivate my vegetable garden), non-monetary exchanges, the economy of reciprocity?
Basically, much of the thinking on degrowth revolves around the place of industry in our standardized consumer societies, and our freedom of choice in relation to them. Hence the fact that part of the economics of degrowth is also the search for non-industrial efficiency: improving the "quality of life" and the "quest for meaning". […]”**
“[…] We are a consulting, strategic planning, technical assistance and public health research firm based in Portland OR.
The Rede Group currently works with over 40 communities across Oregon, Alaska and beyond. We work with local government, state government, non-profit organizations, local and state coalitions, tribal health organizations, tribal societies, school districts, private companies, etc. We work in places ranging from rural villages to local centers to large cities. […]”***
*https://www.usinenouvelle.com/editorial/cop-25-en-europe-une-banque-du-climat-pour-l-example.N909029 (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.franceculture.fr/emissions/le-journal-de-leco/le-journal-de-leco-du-mardi-22-septembre-2020 (accessed November 8, 2020)
***https://fr-fr.facebook.com/redegroup/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
From Atocha station, nearly 500,000 demonstrators according to environmental organizations, 20,000 according to the prefecture, will march on the main artery of Paseo de la Castellana.
- "No to the Salamanca uranium mine - For a living rural world"
- "Transhumant pasture to conserve biodiversity and cool our planet"
Madrid, Spain - December 6, 2019.
About the uranium mine in Spain we found this on the internet:
“[…] In Spain, a company promises gold to open its uranium mine.
Despite opposition from environmentalists, the project of the Australian company Berkeley seduces the village of Retortillo, in an area stricken by unemployment. […]
It must be said that the company promises gold to residents and investors alike. It guarantees the production of nearly 2,000 tonnes of uranium per year, or 10% of the needs in Europe. And it assures us that it will create 400 direct jobs and 2,000 indirect jobs in a region hit by mass unemployment, in particular that of young people, and by a dramatic rural exodus ... It works: the village is covered with signs "Yes to the mine. Yes at work. Yes to the future". Elsewhere, posters by environmentalists warn of the dangers of the project.
The local association Stop Uranio ("Stop uranium"), opposed to the mine, has filed several complaints against the former conservative mayor, his municipal councilors, some of whom were newly re-elected, but also against the last socialist mayor for "inaction of the town hall in the face of alleged urban and environmental offenses". […]
The WWF Spainish association can criticize the project in vain, recalling that in Europe "uranium mines have been abandoned because of their low profitability and risks to health and the environment", the regional government of Castile-León has given environmental authorization to the project. […]”*
*https://www.lemonde.fr/m-le-mag/article/2019/06/12/en-espagne-une- entreprise-promet-de-l-or-pour-ouverture-sa-mine-d -uranium_5475003_4500055.html (accessed November 8, 2020)
From Atocha station, nearly 500,000 demonstrators according to environmental organizations, 20,000 according to the prefecture, will march on the main artery of Paseo de la Castellana.
- "Capitalism is killing the planet"
- "The rich pollute a lot" "Do not wait until it is too late."
Madrid, Spain - December 6, 2019.
On the internet we read this about the march:
“[…] In a manifesto, the associations organizing the march sent a clear message: "We are going back to the streets (...) to demand real and ambitious measures from the political leaders of the whole world gathered at the COP" and so that they recognize "that the insufficient ambition of their agreements will lead the planet to a disastrous scenario of global warming".”*
*https://www.lecourriercauchois.fr/actualite-219989-manifestation-a-madrid-pour-mettre-la-pression-sur-la-cop25-sur-la-crise-climatique (accessed November 8, 2020)
- "This summit is a farce (Union of students)"
- "We need a revolution (Union of students)"
Madrid, Spain - December 6, 2019.
We read this on the internet about this march:
“[…] Tens of thousands of people marched in the Spanish capital, on the sidelines of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP25) which is being held there until December 13, to warn about the consequences of global warming and ask politicians to act as quickly as possible. "Without a planet, there is no future", "We are fighting for life", "There is no planet B", or "This summit is a joke" were displayed on the signs brandished by nearly 20,000 demonstrators according to the prefecture, 500,000 according to environmental organizations, who went to the scene where the young Swedish activist Greta Thunberg gave a speech. […]”*
*https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2019/12/06/a-madrid-une-marche-pour-le-climat-pour-mettre-la-cop25-sous-pression_6021998_3244.html (consulted November 8, 2020)
From Atocha station, nearly 500,000 demonstrators according to environmental organizations, 20,000 according to the prefecture, will march on the main artery of Paseo de la Castellana.
- "Do not wait before it's too late"
- "If the planet dies so do we" "Climate emergency: solutions now (Greenpeace)"
Madrid, Spain - December 6, 2019.
Here is what we read as testimonials about
- this march and
- Greenpeace comments concerning this COP:
“[…] Protesters carried a coffin to stage the burial of the environment.
"Climate change affects us all, but also future generations. We have to be aware of this, the world is coming to an end," Paula Sánchez, a 16-year-old from Madrid, told AFP.
Nadine Wulf, a 25-year-old German student, said for her part that she hoped that the mobilization would ensure that "people are convinced that climate change exists and that they must change their habits". […]”*
“[…] Greenpeace believes leaders need to turn words into action:
- Strengthening their climate objectives and defining in 2020 a plan for the planned contributions determined at the national level (INDC or Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) in English);
- Making sure to absorb the costs of the energy transition so as not to penalize populations while supporting the most vulnerable communities;
- Avoiding obscuring the Paris Agreement with carbon market loopholes that could create loopholes for polluters;
- Listening to science and people, not the mining industries that are blocking progress in the fight against climate change.
Greenpeace International Executive Director Jennifer Morgan said: "The leaders of this world will have the opportunity to face the climate crisis head-on in Madrid. They must seize this opportunity. The scientific scenarios clearly show us that the future impacts will be greater and more difficult to mitigate than what we had anticipated during the last negotiations in 2015.
[…] Those responsible must demonstrate their willingness to protect the most vulnerable, who are subject to the industrial powers led by profit. They need to walk the talk, immediately." […]”**
*https://www.la-croix.com/Monde/A-Madrid-marche-climat-mettre-pression-COP25-2019-12-06-1301064816 (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.greenpeace.org/canada/fr/communique-de-presse/27753/a-la-cop25-les-dirigeants-devront-prouver-quils-nous-ecoutent/ (accessed November 8, 2020 )
- "It's not a change, it's an emergency (Greenpeace)"
- "If the planet dies, so do we"
Madrid, Spain - December 6, 2019.
Here is what we read on the internet about this march:
“[…] Beyond the media phenomenon, this climate march marks the opening of a week of social summit and a series of meetings, debates and conferences to involve civil society and demand a green transition, just and inclusive.
"We are not resigned to being the powerless spectators of technical meetings and sold-out negotiations, we want to be involved, explains Pablo Chamorro, representative of Greenpeace in Spain. It is not only a question of asking States to raise their ambitions and respect their commitments, but also to give us the conditions for a just transition". […]”*
*https://www.lesechos.fr/monde/europe/a-madrid-lappel-a-une-transition-ecologique-socialement-juste-1154264 (accessed November 8, 2020)
In the center of Madrid, organized to put pressure on the COP25 which is being held there from December 2 to 13: the great March for the Climate whose slogan is "The world has woken up to the climate emergency".
From Atocha station, nearly 500,000 demonstrators according to environmental organizations, 20,000 according to the prefecture, will march on the main artery of Paseo de la Castellana.
Madrid, Spain - December 6, 2019.
From Atocha station, nearly 500,000 demonstrators according to environmental organizations, 20,000 according to the prefecture, will march on the main artery of Paseo de la Castellana.
Simultaneously another march is planned in Chile, in Santiago where the 25th World Conference on Climate Change was to take place (before the United Nations moved it to Madrid the previous month because riots and demonstrations were shaking the Chilean capital).
- "The neoliberal model is born and dies in Chile"
- "For the planet, for the animals, become vegetarian"
Madrid, Spain - December 6, 2019.
Here is what we found on the internet regarding the Chilean economic model and veganism and the planet:
“The nickname 'Chicago Boys' refers to a group of Chilean economists from the 1970s, trained at the University of Chicago and influenced by Milton Friedman and Arnold Harberger. […]
In The Shock Doctrine, Naomi Klein accuses the Chicago Boys of having participated in the Pinochet dictatorship, and of having applied their economic policy thanks to the terror exercised by the regime. In support of her thesis, she cites the opinion of Margaret Thatcher, who wrote in 1982 that 'some of the measures taken in Chile would be unacceptable in Great Britain, where there are democratic institutions'. She also quotes Sergio de Castro, who admits that 'public opinion' was 'very unfavorable' to them, and that they needed Pinochet to implement their policy.
For Stephan Haggard and Robert R. Kaufman, the sharp cuts in social spending resulted in substantial losses for families just above the poverty line, and who depended on state-guaranteed aid to maintain their standard of living. As a result, inequalities and poverty increased in Chile, despite the high growth rates achieved in the late 1970s and again in the second half of the 1980s ”. […]”*
“[…] Change your eating habits and become vegan to weigh less on the planet.
What we eat has direct consequences for the climate and the environment. Vegetating our food acts effectively against climate change, reduces pollution and deforestation and helps preserve forests. […]
According to the FAO, livestock as a whole are responsible for 14.5% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions worldwide, more than the direct emissions from all transport combined. These emissions are mainly due to ruminant farming. Indeed, producing 1 kg of protein in the form of beef emits an average of 290 kg of CO2 equivalent. […]”**
*https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Boys (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://vegan-pratique.fr/pourquoi-devenir-vegan/pour-l-environnement/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
From Atocha station, nearly 500,000 demonstrators according to environmental organizations, 20,000 according to the prefecture, will march on the main artery of Paseo de la Castellana.
- "The neoliberal model is born and dies in Chile"
Madrid, Spain - December 6, 2019.
On the internet we can read this about
- the displacement of the COP from Chile to Spain
- the Chilean neoliberal model:
“[…] Another march was planned simultaneously in Santiago de Chile, where the COP25 was to be held before the country gave up hosting it due to an unprecedented social movement and it was replaced at the last minute by Spain. […]”*
“The nickname 'Chicago Boys' refers to a group of Chilean economists from the 1970s, trained at the University of Chicago and influenced by Milton Friedman and Arnold Harberger. […]
In The Shock Doctrine, Naomi Klein accuses the Chicago Boys of having participated in the Pinochet dictatorship, and of having applied their economic policy thanks to the terror exercised by the regime. In support of her thesis, she cites the opinion of Margaret Thatcher, who wrote in 1982 that "some of the measures taken in Chile would be unacceptable in Great Britain, where there are democratic institutions". She also quotes Sergio de Castro, who admits that "public opinion" was "very unfavorable" to them, and that they needed Pinochet to implement their policy.
For Stephan Haggard and Robert R. Kaufman, the sharp cuts in social spending resulted in substantial losses for families just above the poverty line, and who depended on state-guaranteed aid to maintain their standard of living. As a result, inequalities and poverty increased in Chile, despite the high growth rates achieved in the late 1970s and again in the second half of the 1980s. […]”**
*https://www.lecourriercauchois.fr/actualite-219989-manifestation-a-madrid-pour-mettre-la-pression-sur-la-cop25-sur-la-crise-climatique (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Boys (accessed November 8, 2020)
- "Assassin - Thief"
- Mapuche flag (1) - "Piñera, the ego dominates you"
Madrid, Spain - December 6, 2019.
(1) Mapuche: native people of the South American continent.
On the internet we can read this about
- events in Chile
- Chileans in the demonstration:
“[…] Chile, considered one of the most stable countries in Latin America, has been rocked since October 18 by an unprecedented social revolt, which has left 20 dead and a thousand injured, according to the latest official report. The Chilean Public Prosecutor's Office has announced that it is investigating the deaths of 23 people, including five "as a result of the actions of state agents" and two in "police custody". A rise in the price of metro tickets in the capital was the trigger for this wave of protest unprecedented for decades in this country of 18 million inhabitants. Despite the suspension of the measure, the movement has gathered momentum, fueled by resentment over social inequalities. […]”*
“[…] Another march was planned simultaneously in Santiago de Chile, where the COP25 was to be held before the country gave up hosting it due to an unprecedented social movement and it was replaced on short notice by Spain. […]”**
“[…] "The world has woken up" […] this slogan, displayed on a banner carried by representatives of indigenous and indigenous peoples from Chile. Despite the relocation of the event to Spain, there were many at the head of a procession that brought together tens of thousands of people (500,000 according to the organizers, 15,000 according to the government delegation) in the Madrid capital. […]”***
*https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/environnement/2019-10-30/le-chili-renonce-a-accueillir-la-cop25-a-cause-de-la-crise-sociale (consulted on 8 November 2020)
**https://www.lecourriercauchois.fr/actualite-219989-manifestation-a-madrid-pour-mettre-la-pression-sur-la-cop25-sur-la-crise-climatique (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://reporterre.net/A-Madrid-une-manifestation-massive-pour-le-climat (accessed November 8, 2020)
Simultaneously another march is planned in Chile, in Santiago where the 25th World Conference on Climate Change was to take place, before the United Nations moved it to Madrid the previous month because riots and demonstrations were shaking the Chilean capital.
From Atocha station, nearly 500,000 demonstrators according to environmental organizations, 20,000 according to the prefecture, will march on the main artery of Paseo de la Castellana.
- "Thank you to the Front Line"*
- "Hold the front line"*
Madrid, Spain - December 6, 2019.
On our site you can consult the report we made in Santiago de Chile in January 2020.
We found this on the internet about the Front Line:
“Composed of anarchists, young people from working-class neighborhoods, the "front line" also houses a number of students from the middle classes. They share anger and frustration against Chilean society.
"The fact that we are there on the front line allows the rest of the demonstration to proceed peacefully. Otherwise, they (the police) would be here in our place" and would have dispersed the demonstrators with tear gas […]
During the demonstrations, they break the asphalt to launch projectiles, destroy bus stops to equip themselves with metal bars and throw Molotov cocktails at the police.
Opposite, when the police retaliate with rubber bullets, tear gas or water hoses, they take cover behind satellite dishes, traffic signs and other objects painted in the colors of Captain America, Iron Man or Spiderman. […]
As the clashes progressed, they perfected their gear, wearing protective gloves and goggles, using lasers to hamper police and ropes to knock down poles. […]”*
*https://www.lexpress.fr/actualites/1/monde/chili-la-premiere-ligne-heros-ou-casseurs-des-manifestations_2112039.html (accessed November 8, 2020)
From Atocha station, nearly 500,000 demonstrators according to environmental organizations, 20,000 according to the prefecture, will march on the main artery of Paseo de la Castellana.
At the same time, another march is planned in Chile, in Santiago where the 25th World Climate Conference was to take place, before the United Nations move it to Madrid the previous month because riots and demonstrations were shaking the Chilean capital.
- "In Chile, we torture, rape, murder. Piñera resign!"*
- "Yo que me encuentro tan hijos esperando una noticia me come to decir la carta que en mi patria no hay Justicia"
Madrid, Spain - December 6, 2019.
Here is what we found on the internet about the possibility of the Chilean president's resignation:
“ "Piñera, resign!", The cry of demonstrations in Chile that cannot be carried out
The rigidity of the Chilean Constitution prevents the resignation of the president and the possibility of an electoral advance.
"Of course I will reach the end of my government. I was democratically elected by a huge majority of Chileans and I have a duty and a commitment to those who elected me and to all Chileans." […]
The figure of Sebastián Piñera is today more delegitimized than ever. The latest polls give him the worst approval ratings for a president since the return to democracy, with figures varying between 9% and 14%, according to various polls. However, nothing suggests a possible resignation of the president, who still has two years in office before him. […]”*
*https://www.publico.es/internacional/pinera-renuncia-grito-manifestaciones-chile.html (accessed November 8, 2020)
From Atocha station, nearly 500,000 demonstrators according to environmental organizations, 20,000 according to the prefecture, will march on the main artery of Paseo de la Castellana.
- "Feminists demand climate justice"
- "Feminists against climate change"
Madrid, Spain - December 6, 2019.
Here is what we read on the internet about feminists and climate change:
“Women are particularly vulnerable to climate change. So, every year, women's groups campaign for better consideration of their interests and rights in negotiations.”*
“The Fundación Plurales celebrated the participation of the Plataforma Feminista por la Tierra in COP25 and declared: "It is an opportunity to make visible the strategies of community resistance, led by women defenders of the environment, which generate impacts at different local and global scales. It will be a space for discussion on the progress of the extractivist model and its effects on the human rights of women and their communities". "Although climate change affects us all, it primarily affects rural and indigenous women in different ways. They are the ones who put their bodies and their lives in danger every time they defend their territory against the advancement of extractive companies, or the external eyes of governments which prioritize economic interests over the self-determination of the people and the sustainability of the natural active ingredients", they added.”**
*http://www.ceres.ens.fr/etudiants/ue-cop-ens/article/2019-cop-25-a-madrid-exposition-photo (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.nodal.am/2019/12/plataforma-feminista-por-la-tierra-ni-la-tierra-ni-las-mujeres-somos-territorios-de-conquista/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
From Atocha station, nearly 500,000 demonstrators according to environmental organizations, 20,000 according to the prefecture, will march on the main artery of Paseo de la Castellana.
- "How dare you?"
The famous phrase of Greta Thunberg during her speech at the United Nations Summit on the Climate Emergency in New York.
- "Only 8 years before 1.5° C"
Children apparently 8 years old to remind us of the commitment made at COP21 during the Paris Agreement to do everything possible to limit global warming to 1.5° C above pre-industrial temperatures.
- "Do not wait before it's too late."
Madrid, Spain - December 6, 2019.
On the internet we found
- Greta Thunberg's speech in New York
- this on global warming:
“[…] This is not normal. I shouldn't be here. I should be in class across the ocean.
And yet you all come to ask us young people to have hope. How dare you ? You stole my dreams and my youth with your empty words. And again, I am one of the lucky ones!
People are suffering, people are dying, and ecosystems are collapsing. We're at the start of mass extinction, and all you're talking about is money, and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you ? For over 30 years, the science has been crystal clear. How dare you still look elsewhere? […]”*
“[…] Limiting warming to 1.5° C and not 2° C, or even more, has obvious advantages. Each additional fraction of a degree counts. […] Each year that passes, each choice we make matters.
The Special Report also reveals that recent emissions trends and the level of international ambition reflected in Nationally Determined Contributions presented under the Paris Agreement are deviating from the path to be followed for contain global warming to well below 2 ° C. If strengthened mitigation measures are not taken in the coming years in order to sharply reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, global warming will exceed 1.5° C in the following decades and will cause the irreversible loss of the most fragile ecosystems as well as repeated crises among the most vulnerable populations and communities. […]”**
*https://www.franceinter.fr/environnement/voici-la-charge-de-greta-thunberg-a-l-onu-en-francais (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/sites/2/2019/09/SR15_Summary_Volume_french.pdf (accessed November 8, 2020)
End of the great Climate March organized to put pressure on the 25th United Nations Climate Conference.
From Atocha station, nearly 500,000 demonstrators according to environmental organizations, 20,000 according to the prefecture, marched on the main artery of Paseo de la Castellana.
Madrid, Spain - December 6, 2019.
Here is what we read of the words of the young Greta Thunberg during this demonstration:
“[…] "We cannot wait any longer" because "people are suffering or dying due to the climate emergency", hammered Greta Thunberg to the press before the start of the demonstration. Become the face of the planet's defense since she launched in August 2018 "school strikes for the climate", Greta Thunberg said she hoped that the COP25, the annual meeting of the UN on the climate , leads to "concrete things".
"The climate crisis is still ignored by the people in power. It is not a sustainable solution that children miss school" to protest, "we would like actions from the people in power," she insisted. […]”*
“[…] "Hope is not between the walls of the COP25, but here, with you: we show the way and the powerful must follow us", demanded the muse of the movement for the climate, arrived on same morning by train from Lisbon, which she joined by catamaran from the United States, revealing her pessimism about the results of the summit. “The current leaders are betraying us and we will not let this happen again. Change is happening whether they like it or not, because we have no other choice ...", added the 16-year-old, [...]**
*https://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/societe/environnement/a-madrid-une-marche-pour-le-climat-avec-greta-thunberg-avant-la-cop25_2110184.html (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2019/12/06/a-madrid-une-marche-pour-le-climat-pour-mettre-la-cop25-sous-pression_6021998_3244.html ( accessed November 8, 2020)
- "There is no planet B."
- "The rich pollute a lot."
Madrid, Spain - December 6, 2019.
Here are the words
- from personalities who support this movement of struggle
- from Oxfam on the rich and pollution:
“[…] The Spanish actor Javier Bardem, very committed to the defense of the environment, also spoke at the end of this march for the climate which brought together 15,000 people according to the prefecture. Greta Thunberg mentioned the figure of 500,000 participants. […]”*
“[…] Javier Bardem also addressed the crowd. "We have only ten years to curb the worst consequences of climate change," he said, calling on politicians to "measure up" and commit to a 65% reduction in carbon emissions greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 compared to 1990, instead of the current 40% target. […]”**
“[…] "We are living through one of the most critical moments in our history and for the first time, we are speaking with one voice", he said, qualifying as "stupid" US President Donald Trump who has decided to quit the Paris Climate Agreement. […]”*
“[…] The Dalai Lama gave his support to the demonstrators in a tweet: 'We can no longer exploit the resources of the Earth () without worrying about future generations. I support the youth protests against the inaction of governments. facing the climate crisis". […]”***
“[…] "The richest 1% of the population (around 63 million people) were responsible for 15% of cumulative emissions alone", or "twice as much as the poorest half of the world's population" . And the richest 10% of the world's population (around 630 million people) were responsible for 52% of cumulative CO2 emissions. "Over the past 20-30 years, the climate crisis has worsened and the limited global carbon budget has been squandered in the service of intensifying the consumption of a wealthy population, not to lift people out of poverty", denounces Oxfam. […]”****
*https://www.la-croix.com/Monde/A-Madrid-marche-climat-mettre-pression-COP25-2019-12-06-1301064816 (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2019/12/06/a-madrid-une-marche-pour-le-climat-pour-mettre-la-cop25-sous-pression_6021998_3244.html ( accessed November 8, 2020)
***https://www.lecourriercauchois.fr/actualite-219989-manifestation-a-madrid-pour-mettre-la-pression-sur-la-cop25-sur-la-crise-climatique (accessed November 8, 2020 )
****https://www.francetvinfo.fr/meteo/climat/climat-les-1-les-plus-riches-emettant-deux-fois-plus-de-gaz-a-effet-de-serre- that-half-the-poorest-of-the-population_4113145.html (accessed November 8, 2020)
From Atocha station, nearly 500,000 demonstrators according to environmental organizations, 20,000 according to the prefecture, marched on the main artery of Paseo de la Castellana.
- "New green deal" (1) "There is no planet B." "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" ...
- "The rich pollute a lot." "Denial is suicide" "We are multiplying, the planet is not"
Madrid, Spain - December 6, 2019.
Here is what we read on the internet about
- the Green New Deal and
- pollution of the rich:
"Ursula von der Leyen: "A European 'green deal' to slow down global warming." […] The President of the European Commission sets out her measures intended to make Europe the first climate neutral continent. […] The Green Deal for Europe that we are presenting today is Europe’s new inclusive growth strategy. It will reduce emissions, while creating jobs and improving our quality of life, not forgetting anyone. This is the green thread that will guide all of our policies - from transport to taxation, from food to agriculture, from industry to infrastructure. With this Green Deal, we want to invest in clean energies and extend the emissions trading system, but also to strengthen the circular economy and preserve Europe's biodiversity. […]”*
“[…] Climate: the richest 1% emit twice as many greenhouse gases as the poorest half of the population. In a report published Monday, the NGO Oxfam underlines the disproportionate weight of the lifestyle of the richest populations in global warming. She calls for more social justice, especially in the post-Covid-19 recovery plans.
The figure is impressive. With their big cars and business air travel, the richest 1% in the world emit twice as many greenhouse gases as the poorest half of the population, according to an Oxfam report released on Monday. September 21. The NGO looked at the period 1990-2015, 25 years during which global CO2 emissions, responsible for the warming of a planet which has already gained more than + 1 ° C since the pre-industrial era, have increased by almost 60%. […]”**
*https://www.lemonde.fr/idees/article/2019/12/10/ursula-von-der-leyen-un-green-deal-europeen-pour-ralentir-le- (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.francetvinfo.fr/meteo/climat/climat-les-1-les-plus-riches-emettent-deux-fois-plus-de-gaz-a-effet-de-serre-que-la-moitie-la-plus-pauvre-de-la-population_4113145.html (accessed November 8, 2020)
Organized to put pressure on the COP25, the demonstration is also the kick-off of the counter-summit, the Cumbre Social por el Clima -the Social Summit for the Climate-(1) which is also held in Madrid from 6 to 13 December.
From Atocha station, nearly 500,000 demonstrators according to environmental organizations, 20,000 according to the prefecture, marched on the main artery of Paseo de la Castellana. Madrid, Spain - December 6, 2019.
On the internet, we find this about ICA (Indigenous Climate Action) and the words of Moñeka de Oro:
“The Climate Action Indigenous youth delegation [ICA] hand-delivered a letter to Minister Wilkinson and the Canadian negotiating team on concerns regarding Article 6 [of the Paris Agreement setting out the rules for buying back CO2 emissions reductions from one country to another]”(2) which should include the issue of respecting their sovereignty over their territories.”(3)
“Our work inspires, connects and supports indigenous peoples, strengthening our place as leaders in the climate change discourse and driving solutions for today and tomorrow. Our work is based on four main paths: gatherings, resources and tools, amplification of voices and support for indigenous sovereignty.”(4)
“Moñeka De Oro from Guam: "I see that my struggle to protect my land and waters from the militarization and expansion of US imperialism in my waters and throughout the Micronesia region is closely linked to violence and assaults on women across North and South America." ”(5)
(1) https://cumbresocialclima.net/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
(2) https://www.indigenousclimateaction.com/entries/ica-youth-delegation-demand-non-market-climate-solutions-and-indigenous-rights-in-article-6 (accessed November 8, 2020)
(3) https://aqoci.qc.ca/les-jeunes-autorigins-au-coeur-de-l-action-a-la-cop-25/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
(4) https://www.indigenousclimateaction.com/amplifying-voices (accessed November 8, 2020)
(5) https://www.democracynow.org/2019/12/10/headlines/protests_continue_in_madrid_spain_amid_cop25 (accessed November 8, 2020)
From Atocha station, nearly 500,000 demonstrators according to environmental organizations, 20,000 according to the prefecture, will march on the main artery of Paseo de la Castellana.
- "Indigenous climate action"
- Young protester
Madrid, Spain - December 6, 2019.
Here is what we find on the ICA site:
“[…] Indigenous Climate Action (ICA) is an Indigenous-led organization guided by a diverse group of knowledge keepers, water conservationists and indigenous land advocates from communities and regions across the country. We believe that the rights and knowledge systems of indigenous peoples are essential for developing solutions to the climate crisis and achieving climate justice.
The ICA works to connect and support Indigenous communities to strengthen our place as leaders in climate change solutions for today and tomorrow. We model our work and organizational structure on systems of free, prior and informed consent and self-determination. By providing communities with knowledge and resources, we can inspire a new generation of indigenous climate leaders by creating solutions centered on our inherent rights and cultures. […]”*
*https://www.indigenousclimateaction.com/amplifying-voices (accessed November 8, 2020)
Organized to put pressure on the COP25, the event is also the kickoff of the counter-summit, the Cumbre Social por el Clima -the Social Summit for the Climate- (1) which is also held in Madrid from 6 to 13 December.
From Atocha station, nearly 500,000 demonstrators according to environmental organizations, 20,000 according to the prefecture, marched on the main artery of Paseo de la Castellana. Madrid, Spain - December 6, 2019.
Here is what we can read on the internet about ICA and Ta'kaiya Blaney:
“The delegation of Indigenous youth from Climate Action [ICA] delivered a letter to Minister Wilkinson and the Canadian negotiating team on concerns regarding Article 6*”(2) which should incorporate the question of respect for their sovereignty over their territories.(3)
“[…] In its current form, Article 6 disproportionately focuses on market-based climate solutions and lacks guarantees for human rights and the rights of indigenous peoples. Carbon markets will further enable the colonial legacy of dispossession, privatization, violence against Indigenous women and girls, and destruction of Indigenous lands and culture for the extraction of fossil fuels. These extractive economies harm not only our communities, but also the ecosystems that our people have managed and have relied on for generations.
We call on the Government of Canada to act in accordance with its own international laws and obligations as signatories to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) to ensure that Article 6 respects human rights. and the rights of indigenous peoples. Article 10 of UNDRIP clearly defines your obligations to respect the right of indigenous peoples to prior and informed consent, a principle that must be reflected in all aspects of climate solutions emerging from COP25. […]”(4)
“Ta’Kaiya Blaney, Tla’amin First Nation: "We are here to oppose destruction because it affects us directly. Violence against land is violence against indigenous peoples and violence against land is violence against future generations. So we are here to give visibility not only to this desecration, but also to bring visibility, like indigenous climate advocates.”(5)
*According to Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, a country that emits a lot of CO2 can buy emission reductions in another low-polluting country: for this, it finances, for example, a renewable energy project.
(1) https://cumbresocialclima.net/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
(2) https://www.indigenousclimateaction.com/entries/ica-youth-delegation-demand-non-market-climate-solutions-and-indigenous-rights-in-article-6 (accessed November 8, 2020)
(3) https://aqoci.qc.ca/les-jeunes-autorigins-au-coeur-de-l-action-a-la-cop-25/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
(4) https://www.indigenousclimateaction.com/entries/ica-youth-delegation-demand-non-market-climate-solutions-and-indigenous-rights-in-article-6 (accessed November 8, 2020)
(5) https://www.democracynow.org/2019/12/10/headlines/protests_continue_in_madrid_spain_amid_cop25 (accessed November 8, 2020)
Bridge the day after the great climate march organized to put the COP25 under pressure.
In the background, the BBVA tower (BANCO BILBAO VIZCAYA ARGENTARIA), Spain's second largest banking group based in Madrid and Bilbao. Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
On the internet we find this about this bank:
“[…] BBVA is on the list of the world's "dirtiest" banks for its investments in fossil fuels […] Since 2016, BBVA has increased its investments in some of the dirtiest fossil fuels on the planet like oil, fracking gas or the development of liquefied natural gas
The environmental NGO Ecologistas en Acción denounces that BBVA is one of the banks that invests the most in fossil fuels and that it therefore appears on the list of financial institutions having the worst behavior in the face of climate change, along with Banco Santander. The environmental organization accuses the company of greenwashing: despite the rhetoric of environmental respect that the bank promulgates, the financial institution is one of the banks that contributes the most to climate change, for which it emphasizes the lack of "real commitment for environmental conservation". […]”*
*https://www.infolibre.es/noticias/economia/2019/03/12/el_bbva_encuentra_lista_bancos_mas_sucios_del_mundo_por_sus_inversiones_combustibles_fosiles_92819_1011.html (accessed November 8, 2020)
In the street that leads to the famous Puerta del Sol Square in the days following the great March for the Climate.
Near an inflated panda from the COP25 event, a man disguised as a panda animates the street for a coin. Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
- "Love Madrid" with feathers in the colors of Spain and a man disguised as a panda to liven up the square for a coin.
- A lucky ticket seller in front of La Real Casa de Correos or La Casa del reloj, seat of the Presidency of the Government of the Community of Madrid in the colors of the COP25. Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
- Puerta del Sol square, the statue of Antonio Navarro Santafé: the Bear and the Arbutus (1), these two elements are found on the city's coat of arms.
Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
(1) “It was in 1222, under Alphone VII, that the modern version of the escutcheon was adopted, following a conflict between the City and the Church, concerning the control of pastures and forests in Madrid and more specifically of trees and their resources. The litigation ends with the attribution to the Church of the ownership of the pastures, and to the City of that of the trees.”*
*https://lepetitjournal.com/vivre-a-madrid/lours-et-larbousier-symboles-de-madrid-pourquoi-220682 (accessed November 8, 2020)
Here is some information about the park found on the internet:
“[…] Large basin on the edge of which was built the monument which pays homage to King Alfonso XII. It is a sculptural and architectural ensemble designed by the architect José Grases Riera and in the center of which is the statue created by Mariano Benlliure of the monarch on horseback.*
"Madrid is home to several superb parks. The iconic Parque del Retiro is the most famous. Former royal garden, the park has been open to the public since the 1860s. […]”**
*https://www.esmadrid.com/fr/information-touristique/parque-del-retiro (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.airfrance.ng/NG/fr/common/travel-guide/l-ange-dechu-au-parc-du-retiro.htm (accessed November 8, 2020)
On the internet we read this about this statue:
“It is often said that Madrid is the only city in the world with a monument dedicated to the devil. It is in fact a fountain crowned by a sculpture representing the Fallen Angel at the time of his expulsion from Paradise.”*
*https://www.esmadrid.com/fr/information-touristique/el-angel-caido (accessed November 8, 2020)
- “SOS Madrid Green Capital” on a bag sold in the street hosting the COP25 counter-summit.
Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
Here is what we can read about ecology in Spain:
“Host of COP25, Spain does not have a Green party. […]
This mobilization against the climate crisis is a first in Spain, a country which in early November offered to host COP25 at short notice in its capital, after Chile gave up. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has achieved a nice political and international coup here, especially as in Spain environmental parties remain virtually absent from the political landscape. […]
No one doubts it, the presence of COP25 in Madrid will make all climate-related issues more visible and give a boost to the debate at the national level. "The perception is also changing in Spain because the country is increasingly the victim of periods of drought and torrential rains," said Javier Andaluz. "These disasters will make the public aware of the importance of the climate." […]”*
*https://www.la-croix.com/Monde/Europe/Hote-COP25-lEspagne-pas-parti-Vert-2019-12-06-1201064830 (accessed November 8, 2020)
- In the Del Buen Retiro Park the statue of "Ricardo Codorníu, Apostle of the Tree 1976."
Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
Here is what we read on the internet about
- The Del Buen Retiro Park
- The statue of Ricardo Codorníu:
“Retiro Park is an oasis in the heart of the capital. A setting of 15,000 trees which displays the richness of its heritage over 125 hectares.”*
“Ricardo Codorníu y Stárico […] was a Spanish forest engineer of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Among his most remarkable works we can cite the complete reforestation of the Sierra Espuña in the region of Murcia, works that began in 1889, as well as the restoration of the pine forest of Guardamar del Segura, work that was carried out as a method to contain the unstoppable advance of the dunes which threatened the city.
For his dedication to the environment and his defense of forests, he has been dubbed “the apostle of the tree”. His reflection is part of the regenerationist movement that spread in Spain at the end of the 19th century. […]”**
*https://www.airfrance.ng/NG/fr/common/travel-guide/l-ange-dechu-au-parc-du-retiro.htm (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.biodiversidadvirtual.org/etno/Monumento-a-Ricardo-Codorniu-Parque-del-Retiro-Madrid-img17329.html (accessed November 8, 2020)
- "Capitalism is killing the planet!" In the alleys of Cantoblanco University where an Extinction Rebellion (1) meeting was organized at the very start of COP25.
COP25 Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Nonviolent civil disobedience movement against government inaction in the fight against climate change.
- Electric car and bicycle meal delivery man in the city center of Madrid.
Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
- "Improvise a dinner, we will bring it to you - Food freedom"
Advertisement for Deliveroo (a company that delivers meals using bicycle couriers) at the Nuevos Ministerios metro station where the great March for the Climate ended.
Note that apart from the social problems generated by these platforms* and often mentioned in the press, during all the Cops since Cop21 we have met activists making very clear links with the change of diet to fight against climate change. Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
On the internet, we can read this about working at Deliveroo:
Deliveroo “[…] was the first company in the on-demand economy to offer delivery people a specific insurance formula, and the first to publicly defend the right of delivery people to more protection, calling for an end to opposition between flexibility and security currently inherent in labor law. […]”*
“[…] All over Europe, delivery men are rebelling against their status, demanding more rights and better prices. The self-employed status used by Deliveroo and its competitors (Uber Eats, Frichti, etc.) is under attack in many countries, where the courts have ruled in favor of the couriers. Especially in Spain, where one of them had seen his status reclassified as an employee of Deliveroo by a court in Valencia in November 2018. This forced the platform to pay contributions. In the United Kingdom, a country of liberalism, protest movements have also multiplied, accompanied by those of Uber drivers. […]”**
*https://deliveroo.fr/fr/about-us (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2020/02/07/deliveroo-pour-la-premiere-fois-condamne-en-france-pour-travail-dissimule_6028770_3234.html (accessed November 8 2020)
- "To organic farming and the environment - The future of all (on the T-shirts)".
Protests by organic farmers in front of the Ministry of Agriculture and in front of the Supreme Court, Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
On their flyer is written:
“CLM [Castilla-La-Mancha] Organic Agriculture Platform:
[…] Mitigate climate change and improve the environment.
The benefits of organic farming are well known… but in Castile-La-Mancha, the Garcia-Page government is sinking it with its cuts. […]”
Here is what we read about it on the internet:
“[…] Organic farmers defend their profitability by taking advantage of the Climate Change Summit
This morning, the platform for the defense of ecological agriculture and livestock, supported by the Union of Trade Unions of Castilla-La Mancha, demonstrated today in Madrid, in front of the Ministry of Agriculture and before the Supreme Court, to defend the profitability of its farms.
The representatives of organic producers presented a document to the Ministry of Agriculture, the General Council of Magistracy and the Supreme Court to denounce the complicated situation in which the failure of the Community Council of Castilla-La Mancha has put them in reducing aid considerably (up to 70% in some cases) when farmers had already made commitments for almost two years. […]”*
*https://unionclm.org/2019/12/11/los-agricultores-ecologicos-defienden-su-rentabilidad-aprovechando-la-cumbre-contra-el-cambio-climatico/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
During the COP25, in a window in the city center not far from the place where the counter-summit was hosted (the Social Summit for the Climate) in the premises of the UGT, calle Hortaleza. Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
On the internet, we read a message from the Pope on the planet on the occasion of COP 25:
“Pope Francis sent on December 1, 2019, a message for the opening of the 25th session of the Framework Convention of the United Nations Conference of States Parties (COP25) on climate change, meeting in Madrid (Spain) from December 2 to 13, 2019. […] For him, it is not too late to save the planet because "many studies say that it is still possible to limit global warming". But for that, it would take "a clear, far-sighted and strong political will, which is committed in a new direction aiming to refocus financial and economic investments on the areas which truly guarantee" a "healthy" planet for "today and in the future". […]”*
*https://www.la-croix.com/Urbi-et-Orbi/Documentation-catholique/Actes-du-pape/Le-pape-Francois-COP25-Existe-volonte-politique-dallouer-davantage-ressources-vue -dattenuer-negative-effects-climate-change-2019-12-10-1201065619 (accessed November 8, 2020)
Scribbled on a poster in the metro where there were often posters for COP25. Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
Here is what we can read on the internet about the Spanish Vox party:
Vox is the far-right political party, founded in 2013. “[…] The movement has based its fame on the fight against independence and immigration. […] The crisis in Catalonia will serve as an accelerator and […] Vox has become the third political force in Spain”* “[…] in the general elections in November (15%, 52 deputies). Its membership has more than doubled in one year, from 25,000 to 57,400. […]”** “[…] Until then, however, the Iberian Peninsula seemed immune to the radical right by forty years of Franco's dictatorship. […]”*** “[…] Unlike the RN in France, there are already bridges between the traditional right and the Vox movement. Several officials of the PP or Ciudadanos, especially in Andalusia, felt that it was possible to discuss with the new political formation, with a view to hypothetical alliances.”*
*https://www.lci.fr/amp/international/espagne-trois-choses-a-savoir-sur-vox-le-mouvement-d-extreme-droite-devenu-la-troisieme-force-du-pays -2137404.html (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.lejdd.fr/International/Europe/espagne-vox-lextreme-droite-en-mode-autoritaire-3953768.amp (accessed November 8, 2020)
***https://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/monde/europe/espagne-vox-le-parti-populiste-qui-prospere-grace-a-internet_2057664.html (accessed November 8, 2020)
- An exhibition of COP panels
- Public transport and electric bicycles for rent
Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
- "Your car or your planet"
An activist in Place de Cybèle (Plaza de Cibeles) the days following the great march for the climate.
The Plaza de Cybele is an emblematic public square in Madrid. Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
On the internet we read this about this place:
“This is one of the most lively, famous and spectacular squares in Madrid. […] This square is also characterized by the Palacio de Cibeles, seat of the town hall, which houses the CentroCentro cultural center and the Galería de Cristal.”*
*https://madrid.city-tour.com/fr/circuits-bus-touristique-madrid/ruta-1-madrid-historico/plaza-de-cibeles (accessed November 8, 2020)
Here is what we find on the internet about the Toxic Tour:
“Showing pollution in order to combat it better: this is the objective of the "Toxic tours". The movement exists in several countries around the world […]”*.
“Environmental organizations and different indigenous communities organized a 'toxic tour' in Madrid on the morning of December 5. With this, they wanted to denounce the murder of many activists who fight for the climate and explained how some companies whitewash their image by posing as "ecological". However, more organizers than journalists attended this interesting tour.”**
“The toxic second COP25 tour in Madrid was interrupted by the police, who arrived in large numbers and threatened to sentence the tour guides to a fine of up to € 6,000 for 'speaking bad' about the targeted companies (see video). It was nothing compared to the state-sponsored violence that took place in the streets of Santiago, but nonetheless a stark reminder of what happens when you challenge power.”***
*https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/paris-ile-de-france/seine-saint-denis/toxic-tour-une-visite-guidee-pour-decouvert-les-lieux-pollues-578742.html (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://omal.info/spip.php?article9045 (accessed November 8, 2020)
***https://corporateeurope.org/fr/2019/12/corporate-cop25-biggest-failure-so-far (accessed November 8, 2020)
Loyalty Square (Plaza de la Lealtad), on the steps of the Madrid Stock Exchange Palace: departure of the "Toxic Tour": a guided tour in the capital which tours the polluting companies that sponsor the COP25. Madrid, Spain - December 6, 2019.
Here is what we can read about the financing of the COP:
The COP which was to be held in Chile after Brazil's withdrawal was transferred urgently to the Spanish capital. “[…] Under pressure, the Spanish government released emergency funds to cover the cost of the summit. It is valued at 60 million euros by the Minister for the Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera.”*
“The Spanish government in office […] adopted a royal decree-law aiming to take a battery of measures to ensure the success of the 25th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 25) […] In this regard, the executive intends to encourage the participation of the private sector, through the granting of tax incentives, in accordance with article 27 of law n ° 49/2002 of 23 December of the tax system. non-profit entities and tax incentives for patronage, governing "support programs for events of exceptional public interest". […]”**
*https://www.ouest-france.fr/europe/espagne/madrid/cop25-madrid-dans-une-course-contre-la-montre-pour-organiser-l-evenement-6620279 (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://2m.ma/fr/news/le-gouvernement-espagnol-adopte-une-batterie-de-mesures-pour-garantir-la-reussite-de-la-cop25-20191108/ (consulted on 8 November 2020)
The "Toxic Tour" is a guided tour of the capital that goes around the polluting companies that sponsor the COP25.
It only has time to make four stations, in front of the Madrid Stock Exchange, the Santander Bank, the Naval Museum, the Prado Museum before being interrupted by the police who threaten the group with fines if there is no dispersion. And that's the separation.
The presenters told me that this action, the Toxic Tour, is organized by 3 groups:
Les Gastivistes, Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) and BankTrak, NL, associated with 2 groups: ÉS and Observatorio de Multinacionales de América Latina (OMAL), Ecologistas en Acción. Madrid, Spain - December 6, 2019.
Here is what we can read on the internet about the guided tour:
“We are walking around Madrid with several environmental organizations that want to focus on the companies that are sponsoring the Climate Summit and, at the same time, contributing to global warming. The tour departs from the Madrid Stock Exchange, a symbolic place that "reflects economic and financial power"
Some of the stops were a bank office in Santander or the Naval Museum, where activists wanted to denounce that "the colonization of the 'New World' continues thanks to corporate power" […] and the exploitation of oil, gas, coal and minerals", which generally involves "the displacement of rural and indigenous communities".
The activist [of Tierra Activa Colonia: María Alejandra Escalante] named the so-called “sacrifice zones” of Chile, which is the name given in the country to those spaces with a massive concentration of polluting industries close to the population, and more later left the floor to her colleague Claudia Campero, of the Mexican Alliance Against Fracking. Campero named the energy reform that her country approved in 2013 and which, she assures, "implied market liberalization, which was a clear demand from international companies in the sector."
Spanish investment in Mexico, she said, "is one of the engines that locks us into dependence on natural gas and to the detriment of community rights and the climate." Among other examples, the activist named the global Morelos project, in which companies like Abengoa participate and which includes the construction of two thermoelectric power stations and a gas pipeline which communities living in the region have repeatedly opposed. […]”**
*https://www.democracynow.org/about (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.eldiario.es/sociedad/toxic-tour-contaminantes-patrocinan-cop25_1_1203361.html (accessed November 8, 2020)
2nd stop of the "Toxic Tour", always Place de la Loyauté (Plaza de la Lealtad), in front of the Santander bank. A guided tour in the capital takes a tour of the polluting companies that sponsor the COP25. In front of the bank, the police begin to intervene by asking the speaker for his papers. It is the penultimate place that the tour was able to show before the group was dispersed by the police. The last will be the Prado Museum. Just like the Louvres Museum in Paris, the Prado Museum is singled out for its sponsors' links with fossil fuels. Madrid, Spain - December 5, 2019.
Here is what we read on the internet about Santander and the Museo del Prado:
“In September, Banco Santander was named the most sustainable bank in the world in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, the main benchmark for corporate sustainability that tracks the Group's performance in terms of economic, environmental and social criteria. […] Banco Santander joins COP25 as part of its commitment to sustainability and the environment.”* Santader Bank, which is proud to have taken part in the organization of the World Climate Conference off the cuff, finances fossil fuels.**
“A stop on the tour was the Museo del Prado, Spain's most famous art museum, which is sponsored by Iberdrola and has a wing renovated by Endesa that the company uses for public relations exercises. These typical corporate ''culture cleaning'' activities allow climate destroyers to cultivate a social presence and disguise their dirty business model. Outside, Hector de Prado of Friends of the Earth Spain explained how behind the ''washing of culture'' COP25 sponsor Endesa and its parent company Enel used carbon offsetting to give the impression that they had reduced their emissions to the detriment of rural communities in Latin America.”***
*https://www.santander.com/en/press-room/press-releases/banco-santander-joins-cop25-as-part-of-its-sustainability-and-environmental-commitment (Accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.capital.fr/entreprises-marches/iberdrola-endesa-ces-inquietants-sponsors-de-la-cop25-1357136 (accessed November 8, 2020)
***https://corporateeurope.org/en/2019/12/corporate-cop25-biggest-failure-so-far (accessed November 8, 2020)
- Not far from rue Hortaleza street where the COP25 counter-summit is hosted, Extinction Rebellion's display (1) in front of a Burger King.
- Beginning of the Extinction Rebellion action in the Gran Via, in front of the stores where customers crowd at 3 weeks before Christmas.
Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Movement that advocates “Non-violent civil disobedience against governments inaction against climate change.”
Here is what we read on the Extinction Rebellion website:
“To governments around the world, we have declared the climate and ecological emergency. You haven't done enough. To all the others, rebel,” insists the "XR" website.
More concretely, four demands constitute the basis of the movement. At the head, "the recognition of the gravity and the urgency of the current ecological crises and an honest communication on the subject", a requirement targeting the political leaders but also the media. […]”*
*https://www.lesechos.fr/politique-societe/societe/climat-qui-est-extinction-rebellion-mouvement-non-violent-qui-veut-passer-a-laction-1137953 (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.cnews.fr/france/2019-10-09/que-signifie-le-symbole-dextinction-rebellion-887459 (accessed November 8, 2020)
Extinction Rebellion action in the Gran Via, in front of the stores where customers crowd at 3 weeks before Christmas.
Here is what we read about and on the Extinction Rebellion website:
“They don't just march for the climate: to force governments to act, Extinction Rebellion activists, aka XR, are calling for civil disobedience around the world.”*
Extinction Rebellion requires “the creation of a citizens' assembly responsible for deciding the measures to be implemented to achieve [the objectives of maintaining global warming at 1.5 - 2 degrees] and guaranteeing a just and equitable transition”.** Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
*https://www.nouvelobs.com/planete/20191202.OBS21830/cop25-oui-les-solutions-a-la-crise-climatique-existent.html (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.lesechos.fr/politique-societe/societe/climat-qui-est-extinction-rebellion-mouvement-non-violent-qui-veut-passer-a-laction-1137953 (accessed November 8 2020)
XR action (Extinction Rebellion) in the Gran Via, in front of the stores where customers crowd at 3 weeks before Christmas. Madrid, Spain - December 2019. Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
About XR we read this on the internet:
“[…] It's a logo that has gone viral on social media: an hourglass inside the circle of the Earth, painted black. […] Environmental activists at Extinction Rebellion [denounce] governments' "criminal" inaction in the face of the climate crisis. […]”*
*https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2019/10/08/qui-est-extinction-rebellion-le-mouvement-qui-bloque-des-places-et-des-ponts-dans-le -monde_6014616_3244.html (accessed November 8, 2020)
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Nonviolent civil disobedience movement against government inaction in the fight against climate change.
About XR we read this on the internet:
“[…] By blocking bridges, roads or places of power, sometimes in a spectacular way, this movement of non-violent civil disobedience, launched at the end of October 2018 in the United Kingdom, is increasingly attractive. He claims more than 100,000 activists in 70 countries. […]”*
*https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2019/10/08/qui-est-extinction-rebellion-le-mouvement-qui-bloque-des-places-et-des-ponts-dans-le -monde_6014616_3244.html (accessed November 8, 2020)
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Nonviolent civil disobedience movement against government inaction in the fight against climate change.
Here is what we read on the Extinction Rebellion website:
“- December 7: Disobedience Disco / DISCOdisobedience:
Let's sync up on December 7th to post our groovy steps and show our desire to stay alive!
During the October Rebellion videos of Australians dancing on Stayin'Alive in central Melbourne went viral with a million views on Twitter. We want to reproduce this craze, replicate it on a global scale for our denunciation of the COP. […]”*
*https://m.facebook.com/xrfrance/posts/2347147092226954/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Nonviolent civil disobedience movement against government inaction in the fight against climate change.
Here is what we read on the Extinction Rebellion website:
“This year the COP25 was to be held in Chile, but due to the enormous civil unrest that the country is experiencing the summit had to be moved to Europe at the last moment, in disaster. This is an opportunity to show our solidarity with the Chilean and Spanish rebels and to unite, at this historic moment, in these times of convergence of all struggles and all peoples. We need as many rebels as possible to join us in Madrid to stand up, united in a great international movement that is already underway, and put pressure on world leaders to act immediately: ACT NOW.”*
*https://m.facebook.com/xrfrance/posts/2347147092226954/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
- "The Last Christmas" "Now is the time to act for the planet"
- " 'Phantom' at the theater, now in Madrid"
Madrid, Spain - December 7, 2019.
Here is what we read on the Extinction Rebellion website:
“Let us remind world leaders, multinationals and large corporations that we demand immediate action in the name of climate justice - and that we will continue to scale up our actions globally until our demands are heard and acted upon. implemented from the local to the global level.
It's time to rebel for the ALIVE!”
*https://m.facebook.com/xrfrance/posts/2347147092226954/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Nonviolent civil disobedience movement against government inaction in the fight against climate change.
Here is what we read on the Extinction Rebellion website:
“Since the creation of the 'Conference of the Parties' (COP) very few real commitments have been made - and even less implemented - which have a real impact on safeguarding the future of the world. humanity, and to face the CLIMATE AND ECOLOGICAL EMERGENCY. Rebels from all over the world are meeting in Madrid, Spain, to sound the alarm bells and tell the truth. We will also use nonviolent direct action to reach the hearts of all, including those best placed to bring about real systemic change on a global scale. […]”*
*https://m.facebook.com/xrfrance/posts/2347147092226954/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Nonviolent civil disobedience movement against government inaction in the fight against climate change.
Here is what we read on the Extinction Rebellion website:
“COP25 will bring together scientists, NGOs, politicians, activists and negotiators from all countries of the world, including the biggest emitters of CO2, to discuss again the 2015 Paris Agreements… But the current trend Rather, we are dragging us towards a catastrophic rise of 3-5 ° C if we fail to impose a "rapid and unprecedented transformation" on economic and political systems, says the IPCC.”*
*https://m.facebook.com/xrfrance/posts/2347147092226954/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
Extinction Rebellion action (1) in the Gran Via, in front of the stores where customers crowd at 3 weeks before Christmas.
XR calls for: "The immediate reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to achieve carbon neutrality by 2025, thanks to a reduction in consumption and a planned energy reduction". A way to castigate "good intentions", "non-binding agreements" and other "roadmaps".* Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Nonviolent civil disobedience movement against government inaction in the fight against climate change.
*https://www.lesechos.fr/politique-societe/societe/climat-qui-est-extinction-rebellion-mouvement-non-violent-qui-veut-passer-a-laction-1137953 (accessed November 8, 2020)
As at every COP since that of Paris in 2015, I find Sustaina Claus, the sustainable Santa Claus, Philip McMaster environmental activist. “[…] His message "Make Christmas EVERY Wednesday - SMILE ~ CHANGE ~ DISCONNECT _ \! / And make the world a better place for our children _ \! / […] Communicate and develop systems, methods and approaches that encourage humans to be more sustainable in their habits and actions on planet Earth.”*
On his site here is what we found among other things:
“[…] The environmental activist says we must stop overconsumption if we are to stop climate change and protect the planet's resources.
Instead of buying mountains of gifts for your loved ones at Christmas, "rather give of yourself".”**
“Philip McMaster is an 'Ambassador for Change', and has shared the 'Peace Plus One' 3-Finger Sustainability Symbol with thousands of people around the world …… known to the world as the healthiest and most happy Santa Claus.”***
*http://www.republicofconscience.com/personalities/&prev=search&pto=aue (accessed December 21, 2020)
**https://extinctionsolution.com/&prev=search&pto=aue (accessed December 21, 2020)
***http://www.republicofconscience.com/personalities/ (accessed December 21, 2020)
The new action of Extinction Rebellion (1) which started in Gran Via is transformed into "March of the Dead Sea" which heads towards Puerta del Sol. Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Nonviolent civil disobedience movement against government inaction in the fight against climate change.
Here is what we read on the Extinction Rebellion website:
“In addition to 'Paint the Streets', civil disobedience and some nice creative actions like' The Dead Sea March 'scheduled throughout the two weeks from December 1 to 13, you can also look forward to the' Social Summit for the climate' involving more than 150 grassroots organizations, including XR. This will take place independently at the COP from December 7 to 13 […]. On December 6th, we will join Fridays For Futures with many other organizations for a very big event across town. […]”*
*https://actionnetwork.org/forms/rebels-beyond-borders-cop25 (accessed November 8, 2020)
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Nonviolent civil disobedience movement against government inaction in the fight against climate change.
Here is what we read on the Extinction Rebellion website:
“[…] Next year, COP26 will travel to Glasgow, Scotland, remind world leaders and global businesses that we demand in the name of climate justice, urgent action now and that we will continue to program our actions globally over the next 12 months until we see our international demands met. […]”*
*https://actionnetwork.org/forms/rebels-beyond-borders-cop25 (accessed November 8, 2020)
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): “Born in the United Kingdom in October 2018 at the instigation of several academics, he now claims some 500 groups in 72 countries. Largely inspired by the strategy of the struggle for civil rights in the United States, or more recently by the actions of Occupy Wall Street, the movement claims to reject all forms of violence, but encourages civil disobedience. The hourglass, which has become their emblem, symbolizes the urgency which they believe justifies a certain form of radicalism.”*
*https://www.lesechos.fr/politique-societe/societe/climat-qui-est-extinction-rebellion-mouvement-non-violent-qui-veut-passer-a-laction-1137953 (accessed November 8, 2020)
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Nonviolent civil disobedience movement against government inaction in the fight against climate change.
Here is what we read on the internet about Extinction Rebellion:
“Without hierarchy or permanent spokesperson, the movement wants to be unpredictable and elusive. The greatest secrecy surrounds the actions of its members […]. Because besides the political leaders, it is the current economic system, considered harmful for the planet, that the militants intend to denounce. […]”*
“[…] Like Nuit Debout in 2016 or the yellow vests, Extinction Rebellion claims a decentralized organization. To date, there does not appear to be a legal structure, although several activists are receiving financial compensation in the UK.
XR's funding drew several criticisms. Extinction Rebellion receives financial support from Compassionate Revolution, a company specializing in supporting environmental movements. Above all, some XR branches have benefited from the Climate Emergency Fund (CEF), created by the American investor Trevor Neilson, the producer Rory Kennedy (daughter of the former Democratic Senator Robert Kennedy) and the philanthropist Aileen Getty, incidentally heir to the Getty Oil Empire. XR also received financial support from the philanthropic organization The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, founded by UK investor Chris Hohn. […]”**
*https://www.lesechos.fr/politique-societe/societe/climat-qui-est-extinction-rebellion-mouvement-non-violent-qui-veut-passer-a-laction-1137953 (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.usinenouvelle.com/article/cinq-questions-sur-le-mouvement-extinction-rebellion-en-france.N893239 (accessed November 8, 2020)
One of XR's claims: "the immediate end of the destruction of oceanic and terrestrial ecosystems, causing a mass extinction of the living world", criticizing pollution and "overexploitation" which affects biodiversity.”* Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Nonviolent civil disobedience movement against government inaction in the fight against climate change.
Here is what we read on the internet about XR:
“[…] It's a logo that has gone viral on social media: an hourglass inside the circle of the Earth, painted black. […] Environmental activists at Extinction Rebellion [denounce] governments' "criminal" inaction in the face of the climate crisis. By blocking bridges, roads or places of power, sometimes in a spectacular way, this movement of non-violent civil disobedience, launched at the end of October 2018 in the United Kingdom, is attracting more and more people. He claims more than 100,000 activists in 70 countries. […]”**
*https://www.lesechos.fr/politique-societe/societe/climat-qui-est-extinction-rebellion-mouvement-non-violent-qui-veut-passer-a-laction-1137953 (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2019/10/08/qui-est-extinction-rebellion-le-mouvement-qui-bloque-des-places-et-des-ponts-dans-le-monde_6014616_3244.html (accessed November 8, 2020)
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Nonviolent civil disobedience movement against government inaction in the fight against climate change.
Regarding the questions about XR financing that we have sometimes read on the internet, here is an article from the French newspaper Liberation which provides an update:
“[…] In summary: if George Soros did not contribute to the financing of Extinction Rebellion, the fact remains that several millionaires have made significant donations to the movement, which received a total of 2.5 million pounds since March. But this accusation cannot be made against the French movement, which has refused donations from the Climate Emergency Fund and is only financed through local crowdfunding. Only 5,500 pounds have been donated by the international XR movement to local French groups, according to an activist, who confides that there will be two other payments of the same order in the months to come.”*
*https://www.liberation.fr/checknews/2019/10/10/extinction-rebellion-est-il-vraiment-finance-par-de-riches-mecenes_1756242/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
Torre Espacio, Paseo de la Castellana, one of the two main avenues of Madrid, in the business district, demonstration of indigenous peoples and environmental associations in front of the Embassy of Canada to protest against the Teck Frontier tar sand mine project on their territory.
In the distance, the Cepsa tower (Spanish oil company) which will be the target of Extinction Rebellion (XR) action a few days later. Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
On the internet we found this about this event:
“[…] The Teck project aims to create the largest surface mine oil sands mine ever. If it is built, it will be impossible for Canada to meet its commitments to fight climate change, and the rights of Indigenous peoples will continue to be violated. […]”*
“[…] The protests were led by Indigenous youth and elders with the support of Indigenous Climate Action and their partners across Canada and the United States. […]”**
“[…] The Frontier project of Vancouver-based mining and energy company Teck Resources has sparked much controversy among Indigenous communities and environmentalists across Canada. Once operational, the Frontier project would be the largest tar sands mine on the planet. According to Teck Resources' proposal, the mine would cover 292 square kilometers when completed. […]”***
*https://aqoci.qc.ca/les-jeunes-autorigins-au-coeur-de-l-action-a-la-cop-25/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.indigenousclimateaction.com/entries/first-nations-demand-canada-reject-teck-frontier-mine-during-double-protest-at-cop-25 (accessed November 8, 2020)
***https://peoplesdispatch.org/2019/12/13/at-cop25-indigenous-rights-groups-protest-proposed-tar-sands-mine/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
- "Faced with climate collapse, international solidarity"
Torre Espacio, Paseo de la Castellana, one of Madrid's two main avenues, in the business district, demonstration by indigenous peoples and environmental associations in front of the Canadian Embassy to protest against the Teck Frontier mine on their territory. Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
On the internet we can read this about this event:
“[…] In the morning at the Canadian Embassy and later in the day, as part of the UN COP 25 climate negotiations. The protests were led by Indigenous youth and elders with the support of Indigenous Climate Action and their partners from across Canada and the United States. At the Canadian Embassy in the morning, the group held ceremonies, prayers and brought participants together to add their voices to a long list demanding that Canada reject the Teck Frontier mine, the largest open pit mine ever. proposed in the history of the Alberta tar sands.
A report released last week by 17 research and campaign organizations used projections from the oil and gas industry to show that Canada will be one of the worst violators of the Paris Agreement if it expands its extraction from oil and gas as expected, just behind the United States. The disposal of the Teck Frontier mine is an important first step the federal government can take to ensure a secure climate future. […]”*
*https://www.indigenousclimateaction.com/entries/first-nations-demand-canada-reject-teck-frontier-mine-during-double-protest-at-cop-25 (accessed November 8, 2020)
Torre Espacio, Paseo de la Castellana, one of Madrid's two main avenues, in the business district, in front of the Canadian Embassy:
- Speeches by indigenous peoples in front of the Canadian Embassy to protest against the Teck Frontier project, an open-pit tar sands mine in Alberta, a province in western Canada.
- Demonstration of the indigenous peoples of Northern Europe against projects outside their territory, including the railway linking the Arctic Ocean to Finland.
Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
On the internet we found this about
- the fight against the Teck project
- the demonstration of the indigenous peoples of Northern Europe against projects outside their territory:
“[…] Indigenous Climate Action helped a delegation of frontline Indigenous youth attend UN climate negotiations to lobby Canada and Minister of Environment and Climate Change Wilkenson to respect Canada's legal obligations to both the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the climate goals of the Paris Agreement. Approving Teck would make that impossible. […]”*
“This is one of the other effects of global warming: continuing to open up trade routes. Finland and Norway have come to an agreement [March 2018] to reflect on the construction of a rail link in the Arctic, an unprecedented project on a European scale.
The objective of the line would be to develop trade routes and exchanges in the region and in the north of the Old Continent. The construction of this link could cost around 2.9 billion euros. It could be operational in 2030, according to government studies. […]”**
“[…] This year, a delegation of young people from indigenous peoples,“ SustainUs ”, came to the COP to defend the land of their ancestors, to demand climate justice, to talk about global warming which is hitting the arctic zones hard. , denounce corporations exploiting their land. […] The issues facing indigenous peoples are rarely brought to the negotiating table because they are not politically represented by their country, even though it presents itself as a climate and human rights leader. (Ex: the Sami in Sweden) […]”***
“The Arctic Railway, wind farms or industrial mining installations… so many projects which seek to develop in the rich territories of Northern Europe but which meet with firm opposition from the last representatives of a people: the Samis . For the only indigenous people of the European Union, this collective struggle that transcends national borders is nothing new. […]”****
*https://www.indigenousclimateaction.com/entries/first-nations-demand-canada-reject-teck-frontier-mine-during-double-protest-at-cop-25 (Accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.lesechos.fr/2018/03/le-projet-fou-de-ligne-ferroviaire-dans-larctic-986279 (accessed November 8, 2020)
***http://www.ceres.ens.fr/etudiants/ue-cop-ens/article/2019-cop-25-a-madrid-exposition-photo (accessed November 8, 2020)
****https://leglobeur.com/2020/01/le-peuple-sami-une-lente-colonisation-toujours-a-loeuvre/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
Torre Espacio, Paseo de la Castellana, one of the two main avenues of Madrid, in the business district, protesters speak, indigenous peoples and their supporters demonstrate in front of the Canadian Embassy against the sand mine megaproject bituminous in northern Alberta, a province in western Canada. Right François Paulette, representative of the Dene Nation and the Smith Landing First Nation. Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
Here is what we found on the internet about this fight:
“[…] "This morning, at the Canadian Embassy in Madrid, representative of the Dene Nation, François Paulette declared that the thirty-three First Nations of the Dene Nation, including his native community of Fort Smith Landing, are united in their opposition to the Teck Frontier mine and any other expansion of the Alberta tar sands."
"My First Nation, the Smith Landing First Nation in Alberta, we categorically opposed the teak project. It is 30 km south of Wood Buffalo National Park. This project did not consult us, their report did not include the traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples. Until traditional First Nations knowledge is included in your report, you are missing out on the most important part of our relationship with Mother Earth, so do your homework before building projects that will destroy you and the Earth. […]"
Indigenous Climate Action will be present at COP 25 in Madrid, Spain, for the second week of COP 25, to put Canada on watch against its climate denial and the removal of indigenous rights to our lands, waters and air. for profit. […]”*
*https://www.indigenousclimateaction.com/entries/first-nations-demand-canada-reject-teck-frontier-mine-during-double-protest-at-cop-25 (Accessed November 8, 2020)
Here is what we can read on the internet about
- the struggle of the Sami and
- the arctic railway project:
“[...] For the past ten years, international trade players in northern Europe and Russia have been anticipating global warming and have been determined to take advantage of it. As the ice melts, a new, faster trade route between Asia and Europe appears to be opening up in the Arctic Ocean. […]”*
“[…] The Arctic Railway (1), the wind farms or the industrial mining installations… so many projects which seek to develop in the rich territories of Northern Europe but which come up against the firm opposition of the last representatives of 'a people: the Sami. For the only indigenous people of the European Union, this collective struggle which transcends national borders is nothing new.
The Sami people, formerly called pejoratively the "Lapps" - those who wear rags in Swedish - are today the only indigenous people in the European Union. Several borders, established between the XVIth and the XXth centuries, divided the ancestral lands of migration of this semi-nomadic people. They are now located in the territories of four states: Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. There are therefore Sami minorities established in each country, the result of a tumultuous history of conquest. According to the NGO IWGIA, the Sami are between 50,000 and 100,000 today. […]”**
“Some consider that the railroad will be a guarantee of economic development. It would allow the exploitation of mineral deposits and timber. Gas and oil reserves in the Barents Sea are also in the sights of the promoters of the project. D 'especially since these reserves constitute 5 to 13% of the untapped oil in the world and 20 to 30% of the untapped gas at the global level. Others stress the strategic importance of the railway in terms of connection to the world and to Central Europe, and freight transport.
However, the point of view of the Sami breeders seems to be quite different. Rather, the construction of the railway is synonymous with the loss of jobs and the disappearance of traditional animal husbandry.”***
(1) Arctic Railway: The Finnish government wants to build an industrial railway line through their land, which will threaten their traditional way of life and harm the Great Northern Forest. ****
*https://reporterre.net/Finlande-le-peuple-des-Samis-se-bat-contre-une-ligne-ferroviaire-vers-l-Arctic (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://leglobeur.com/2020/01/le-peuple-sami-une-lente-colonisation-toujours-a-loeuvre/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
***http://www.ceres.ens.fr/etudiants/ue-cop-ens/article/2019-cop-25-a-madrid-exposition-photo (accessed November 8, 2020)
****https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw602StkiTk (accessed November 8, 2020)
On the internet we can read this about CEPSA:
“[…] CEPSA is the second Spanish oil company with a refining capacity of 528,000 barrels per day, a network of approximately 1,750 service stations in Spain and Portugal and a production of hydrocarbons of around 55,000 barrels per day. CEPSA is also present in the petrochemicals, gas distribution and electricity sectors. […]
CEPSA or Compañía Española de Petróleos S.A.U., founded in 1929, was the first private Spanish oil company. Its headquarters are located in Madrid […]”*
“Cepsa and # COP25 - Innovation and technology are essential to reduce CO2 emissions! At Cepsa, we work every day to innovate and bring new solutions. We strive to be more sustainable!”**
“[…] This year COP25 in Madrid was funded by some of the biggest polluters trying to put in place smart ways to avoid liability through carbon accounting deception. In addition, these companies ignore the scientific consensus that calls for an urgent transition from the exploration and production of fossil fuels to renewable and alternative technologies. […]”***
*https://aqaprod-backoffice.total.com/fr/medias/actualite/communiques/total-confirme-la-cession-de-ses-4883-dans-la-societe-espagnole-cepsa-pour-un-montant-de-37 (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://m.facebook.com/cepsa/photos/a.164940100370638/1205462906318347/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
***https://extinctionrebellion.uk/2019/12/12/breaking-cop25-extinction-rebellion-vomits-up-oil-at-cepsa-the-world-is-getting-sick-we-need-to-put-people-before-profit / (accessed November 8, 2020)
Voici ce que nous lisons
- au sujet de CEPSA et
- sur le site d'XR à propos de cette manifestation :
“[…] Les 10 entreprises qui ont émis le plus de gaz à effet de serre en 2018 [1] étaient les suivantes: Endesa 30 millions de tonnes, 23% des secteurs fixes et 9,28% du total du pays; Repsol-Petronor 10,6 millions, 8% des secteurs fixes et 3% du total pour le pays; […] CEPSA, 4,6 millions, 3,55% des secteurs fixes et 1,44% […] des émissions totales du pays. […]
La relation entre le PIB et les émissions de CO2 n'est toujours pas «découplée». On observe qu'en Espagne entre 1990 et 2017, les émissions de CO2 ont augmenté de 17% et le PIB de 73%, tandis qu'en Europe sur la même période, les émissions ont baissé de 22% tandis que le PIB a augmenté de 58%. […]
D'autres pays ont déjà entamé leur chemin vers la décarbonisation, entre 1990 et 2016 Angleterre, -39,4% Allemagne, -27,3%, Belgique -19,7% Italie, -17,5%, ou Hollande -11,80 % les ont réduits progressivement, tandis que l'Espagne les a augmentés de 13%. Étant donné que ces pays se sont déjà engagés dans la décarbonation depuis des décennies, l'Espagne devra désormais prendre ces mesures en beaucoup moins de temps. Dans tous les cas, l'objectif de réduction des émissions de 35% d'ici 2030 est encore loin. En fin de compte, il est nécessaire de réduire les émissions de ces secteurs si l'on veut atteindre un scénario sûr de 1,5 degré Celsius.”*
“[…] In addition to their climatic and ecological damage, it was recently found that CEPSA violates indigenous rights in Peru, especially indigenous women suffer the worst impacts because they put profit before people. We [XR] stand with indigenous communities to demand climate justice now. […]
CEPSA is targeted for this action as a key player in the fossil fuel industry, driver of the climate and ecological emergency that threatens the future of humanity and our home. It is the largest oil company in the state and holds the record of being one of the 10 most polluting and devastating companies in Spain, with operations expanding despite awareness of the devastating impact of industry on the planet.”**
*https://www.observatoriosostenibilidad.com/2019/04/22/big-polluters-2019/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://extinctionrebellion.uk/2019/12/12/breaking-cop25-extinction-rebellion-vomits-up-oil-at-cepsa-the-world-is-getting-sick-we-need-to-put-people-before-profit / (accessed November 8, 2020)
Passeo de la Castellane, one of the two main avenues of Madrid, in the business district, another Extinction Rebellion action: "Vomit petroleum" at CEPSA headquarters to denounce the "greenwashing" of the oil company and Spanish gas company. Madrid, Spain - December 12, 2019.
Here is what we read on the XR website about its action at Cepsa premises:
“BREAKING COP25: Extinction Rebellion spews oil at CEPSA -"The world is getting sick, we must put people before profit"
December 12, 2019 by Extinction Rebellion
• Extinction Rebellion borderless rebels today invaded CEPSA in Madrid, while other activists occupied the lobby in business suits as greedy oil leaders and vomited oil.
• “Our world is sick with our dependence on fossil fuels, and rather than things improve as part of the COP process - the credibility of which hangs by a thread - things are getting worse, devastation s 'accelerated"
• CEPSA has been targeted as another key multinational that is whitewashing COP25 in order to buy social permits to continue to "do the status quo"
• Extinction Rebellion demands that governments and COP Act Now participants hold fossil fuel companies accountable for more than 40 years of criminal climate and ecological destruction and deception.”*
*https://extinctionrebellion.uk/2019/12/12/breaking-cop25-extinction-rebellion-vomits-up-oil-at-cepsa-the-world-is-getting-sick-we-need-to-put-people-before-profit / (accessed November 8, 2020)
Here is what we read on the XR website about its action at Cepsa premises:
“We are literally fed up with the fossil fuel companies and rulers who continue to exploit the world’s reserves of oil, gas and coal, knowingly fueling and fostering an addiction that takes humanity over a cliff. We know we can all do better than this. We have to. "
CEPSA is targeted for this action as a key player in the fossil fuel industry, driver of the climate and ecological emergency that threatens the future of humanity and our home. It is the largest oil company in the state and holds the record of being one of the 10 most polluting and devastating companies in Spain, with operations expanding despite awareness of the devastating impact of industry on the planet.”*
*https://extinctionrebellion.uk/2019/12/12/breaking-cop25-extinction-rebellion-vomits-up-oil-at-cepsa-the-world-is-getting-sick-we-need-to-put-people-before-profit/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
An action by Extinction Rebellion (1): a boat is installed by surprise on the aisles in front of Ifema (convention center) where the COP25 is being held. The police keep watch from a distance but do not intervene and let the action unfold. Madrid, Spain - December 9, 2019.
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Movement that advocates "Non-violent civil disobedience against government inaction against climate change."
Here is what we read on the internet about the Extinction Rebellion boat:
“[…] One of the most emblematic images was this call to rebel for the Living - "Rebel for Life" -, painted on pink, yellow, or blue boats, moored in the middle of the city center. capitals in the world, and conveying this message "We are all on the same boat, in the same galley", which resonates as much in the minds of the rebels as in that of public opinion, echoed by the wave of the movement ecological and climatic conditions of last spring which swept through the whole world. […]”*
“On the side of the yellow boat are written the words REBELS BEYOND BORDER on one side and CLIMATE JUSTICE NOW on the other in the six official UN languages.”**
*https://rebellion.global/fr/press/2019/12/30/xr-2019/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://extinctionrebellion.uk/2019/12/09/breaking-cop25-extinction-rebellion-and-minga-act-for-amazonia-lets-disrupt-the-destruction/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
With Minga, the Indigenous Peoples' alternative to COP25, protesters are blocking the road leading to the entrance to COP25.
- Chilean flag and giant eye. "Social justice"
- This activist chained himself to the boat with a padlock around his neck to prevent the police from dislodging him. Madrid, Spain - December 9, 2019.
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Movement that advocates “Non-violent civil disobedience against government inaction against climate change. »
Here is what we read on the XR site about this action:
“December 9, 2019 (Madrid, Spain) - It's time to [Protect the Amazon] #ProtectTheAmazon. Today, Minga, the indigenous peoples' alternative to COP25, and the Rebels Beyond the Borders of Extinction Rebellion blocked the road leading to the entrance to COP25. They also set up a yellow boat, with people locked on it, in an act of solidarity to demand climate justice now for the indigenous peoples of the Amazon, with the guardians of the forest defending the most biodiverse region in the world.
On the side of the yellow boat, the words REBELS BEYOND BORDER are written on one side and CLIMATE JUSTICE NOW on the other in the six official UN languages. […]”*
*https://extinctionrebellion.uk/2019/12/09/breaking-cop25-extinction-rebellion-and-minga-act-for-amazonia-lets-disrupt-the-destruction/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
Here is what we read on the XR site about this action:
“[…] The action comes after two indigenous leaders of the Guajajara tribe were shot dead and two others injured on Sunday, December 8, 2019 in the Brazilian state of Maranhão, in an attack near where another prominent native forest defender was assassinated last month.
This attack on forest keepers who protect their land from illegal deforestation is part of a long-term strategy by the Bolsonaro government to undermine current legal protection and open up the land to agribusiness. […]”*
*https://extinctionrebellion.uk/2019/12/09/breaking-cop25-extinction-rebellion-and-minga-act-for-amazonia-lets-disrupt-the-destruction/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
Here is what we read on the XR site about this action:
“[…] Christian Poirier of Amazon Watch said: "An institutionalized genocide of indigenous peoples is taking place in Brazil. They are left alone, vulnerable to all kinds of threats and violence."
Sandro Kayapó, Executive Coordinator of APIB (Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil) speaking from Minga, the Indigenous Peoples' Alternative to COP 25, said: “It is no longer time to argue, we must effectively have a territorial protection strategy. We have our own mechanisms, we know how to defend our lands. We are only 5% of the population, but we are the greatest protectors of Brazilian biodiversity.
Indigenous peoples have been at the forefront of resistance for hundreds of years, facing murder, cultural assimilation and genocide in defense of mother earth. At least 164 land activists and environmentalists were murdered in 2018, many of them indigenous. […]”*
*https://extinctionrebellion.uk/2019/12/09/breaking-cop25-extinction-rebellion-and-minga-act-for-amazonia-lets-disrupt-the-destruction/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
Here is what we read on the XR site about this action:
“[…] Minga, the indigenous peoples' alternative to COP25, and Extinction Rebellion's Rebels Beyond Borders - a gathering of rebels from over 20 countries - call on COP25 delegates to listen to indigenous leaders and act now to ensure climate justice. They said: “We call on delegates to condemn the actions of the Brazilian state, the Brazilian agribusiness lobby (Bancada Ruralista) as well as other criminally inactive governments and extractive companies throughout the Amazon Basin for their complicity in the ecocide and destruction of the Amazon rainforest, for the killings of environmental defenders and for the cultural assimilation and genocide of the indigenous peoples of the Amazon. […]”*
*https://extinctionrebellion.uk/2019/12/09/breaking-cop25-extinction-rebellion-and-minga-act-for-amazonia-lets-disrupt-the-destruction/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
Joint action by Minga, the indigenous peoples' alternative to COP25 and XR in front of Ifema (convention center) where COP25 is being held to demand immediate climate justice.
Police have halted traffic on these alleys following the installation of the Extinction Rebellion (XR) boat and activists with banners demonstrating with indigenous peoples, temporarily blocking the roadway. Madrid, Spain - December 9, 2019.
Here is what we read on the XR site about this action:
“[…] "As a movement of movements, we call on every human being with a conscience to denounce those who would destroy the Amazon and to join us in economically disrupting responsible governments and companies, and to demand an end to their ecocidal and genocidal activities." […]”*
*https://extinctionrebellion.uk/2019/12/09/breaking-cop25-extinction-rebellion-and-minga-act-for-amazonia-lets-disrupt-the-destruction/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
Police have halted traffic on these alleys following the installation of the Extinction Rebellion (XR) boat and activists with banners demonstrating with indigenous peoples, temporarily blocking the roadway.
As usual during Cop25, the police secure the scene, carry out some identity checks, monitor remotely but allow the action to proceed without making any arrests. Madrid, Spain - December 9, 2019.
Here is what we read on the XR site about this action:
“[…] Indigenous leaders from Ecuador, Peru and Brazil, as well as partners fighting for climate justice, participated in Minga, the Indigenous Peoples' Alternative to COP 25, which put the emphasis on climate protection and protection. The summit involved learning, discussion and reflection, and builds on a series of proposals presented to the Conferences of the Parties (COP), the supreme decision-making body of the UNFCC, the international response to change climate. […]”*
*https://extinctionrebellion.uk/2019/12/09/breaking-cop25-extinction-rebellion-and-minga-act-for-amazonia-lets-disrupt-the-destruction/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
Police halted traffic on these alleys following the installation of the Extinction Rebellion (XR) boat and activists with banners demonstrating with Indigenous Peoples, temporarily blocking the roadway. As usual during Cop25, the police secure the scene, carry out some identity checks, monitor remotely but allow the action to proceed without making any arrests. Madrid, Spain - December 9, 2019.
Here is what we read on the XR site about this action:
“[…] Today's action comes just days after the Association of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) published an announcement in the Financial Times special COP supplement. The announcement, made possible by an anonymous donor and the participation of Amazon Watch and Rainforest Action Network, against the worst offenders funding the destruction of the Amazon - specifically naming BlackRock, Vanguard, JPMorgan Chase, Santander, BNP Paribas and HSBC - and makes it clear that, "The fate of the Amazon is the fate of the world." ”*
*https://extinctionrebellion.uk/2019/12/09/breaking-cop25-extinction-rebellion-and-minga-act-for-amazonia-lets-disrupt-the-destruction/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
A policeman asks for his papers from an activist who has just made a speech. Madrid, Spain - December 9, 2019.
About the struggle of indigenous peoples we read this on the internet:
“[…] Indigenous peoples are often at the forefront of nature conservation. Three environmentalists are killed every week: most in countries with worrying levels of rule of law and corruption. And many more are harassed, according to the UN special rapporteur on human rights. One of them, Miguel Guimaraes, defender of the Peruvian Amazon, received death threats when he denounced a network of corruption between politicians and companies, some registered in Bermuda. […]”*
*https://www.liberation.fr/debats/2019/12/24/cop25-un-echec-du-a-la-corruption_1770859 (accessed November 8, 2020)
- At the same time as the official conference on the climate in the premises of Ifema, is also being held at the Complutense University of Madrid, north of the capital "La" cumbre social por el climat"*, the social summit for the climate , [… Who] carry the voices of NGOs, climate movements and indigenous people. […]”** Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
On the internet we read this about Complutense University:
“The Complutense University of Madrid […] is one of the main and prestigious universities in Spain (and the Spanish-speaking world). Founded in 1822 […] it is considered one of the oldest universities in the world.
It has two campuses: the Moncloa campus and the Somosaguas campus, in addition to the historic building located in the center of Madrid, in San Bernardo Street, Malasaña.
[…] Internationally, Complutense has concluded cooperation agreements with some of the most prestigious universities in the world, such as the University of Oxford, the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, the University of Rome La Sapienza and Harvard University. […] Today, the university has several centers abroad, such as the Miguel-Servet College of European Studies in Paris or Harvard's Real Colegio Complutense in Boston (Massachusetts). […]”***
*https://cumbresocialclima.net/programa/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.rfi.fr/fr/europe/20191208-climat-madrid-sommet-societe-civile-cop25 (accessed November 8, 2020)
***https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Université_complutense_de_Madrid (accessed November 8, 2020)
Thousands of chairs and not many people the day we went there to attend a meeting on the theme ''Global Alliance of Territorial Communities - Indigenous Youth Panel for the Climate, From Forests to the City.'' ** Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
On the internet, we read this about the Social Climate Summit:
“The Social Climate Summit (SSC) was a fundamental space for social response to COP25. […] These meetings were maintained in Chile, but the presence of their messages and their delegations in the SSC was fundamental. Elements such as the denunciation of extractivism, the violation of human rights, claims related to social justice and indigenous peoples have been at the center of our demands from the beginning. […]
More than 15,000 people and 300 organizations, networks, collectives and social movements from all continents gathered at SCC to discuss, exchange ideas and make proposals on ecofeminism, migration, neocolonialism, indigenism, l employment, agroecology, energy, transitions, democracy, regenerative culture and many others. Faced with disappointing debates in official negotiations, which revolved around carbon markets or offsets, the SSC took on the task of opening up much richer and more diverse spaces for debate on real solutions. But above all, the SSC has made it possible to continue to weave the social and community network that will make us stronger in the face of the ecological, social and climatic crisis scenarios we are facing. […]
As they wrote in the letter addressed to the presidency of the COP25, indigenous peoples are the “guardians of life in the most biodiverse territories on the planet” and work for “good living, , nature and humanity, whether indigenous or not ”. […] We join these peoples and these nations in denouncing the role of multinationals, mainly the Spanish, to demand an end to the criminalization and persecution of which they are victims for having protected ecosystems, to declare that the Earth Mother is a living being subject to rights and to demand that fossil fuels be kept in the ground and protected from colonial extractivism.
If there is one thing we have learned from Indigenous peoples, it is that colonialism continues, not only in big business, but also in the way we think and act. During those two weeks, we made mistakes as a result of a thought that, despite our good will, does not sufficiently question the power of white people. Mistakes that caused pain. We apologize for that. And we want to learn from these mistakes. The road to decolonization is long, but we want to walk it because, at the end of the letter presented by the indigenous Minga to COP25, "it is time to unite all the efforts of the world and put aside our differences. […]”***
*https://www.rfi.fr/fr/europe/20191208-climat-madrid-sommet-societe-civile-cop25 (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://cumbresocialclima.net/programa/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
***https://cumbresocialclima.net/communique-final-sommet-social-climat/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
Sustaina Claus at the "Social Summit for the Climate" (counter-summit of the COP25) organized at the Complutense University of Madrid, north of the capital. This sustainable Santa Claus, Philip Mc Master, advocates with his “[…] Three Finger Wednesday, a weekly reminder to think sustainably and change our habits in favor of the planet for at least 24 hours. Participants are asked not to eat meat, and thus to stop contributing to the 20% of greenhouse gases that it produces, and to unplug appliances not used for the day. […]”*
- Lunch break at the "Social Summit for the Climate" (counter-summit of the COP25) organized at the Complutense University of Madrid ", north of the capital. Madrid, Spain - December 2019.
*https://lassochina.wordpress.com/2011/05/04/philipmcmaster/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.rfi.fr/fr/europe/20191208-climat-madrid-sommet-societe-civile-cop25 (accessed November 8, 2020)
Here's what we read about this new XR action on their site:
“Extinction Rebellion (XR) with Amazonian Indigenous Groups today at 3:00 p.m. unveils a powerful new mural painted the full length of the Somosaguas campus, at the Complutense University of Madrid which hosted the Social Climate Summit during Cop25.
The action coincides with World Human Rights Day and we will leave a mark as a call for academics and students to join us in solidarity to speak the truth about the climate and ecological crisis and its impacts on human rights.
We call on students and academics to come together to create this powerful mural that will evoke vivid images of the crisis we collectively face. […]”*
*https://www.extinctionrebellion.es/portal/action-painting-at-somosaguas-complutense-university-with-indigenous-rebels-beyond-borders-and-university-community/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
Here's what we read about this new XR action on their site:
“[…] Representatives of indigenous groups in the Amazon, as conservationists face constant threats to their rights, will join Extinction Rebellion in solidarity to mark the growing global movement of movements for s 'unite for climate justice and system change. The mural's creation ceremony will feature speeches from academics, Indigenous representatives and the Extinction Rebellion.
Extinction Rebellion calls on the academic community, including its members, professors, lecturers and students, to fulfill one of its 3 fundamental objectives: Telling the truth about the climate and ecological emergency by using science and their influence to raise awareness about government inaction and advocate more strongly for governments to act now. […]”* Madrid, Spain - December 11, 2019.
*https://www.extinctionrebellion.es/portal/action-painting-at-somosaguas-complutense-university-with-indigenous-rebels-beyond-borders-and-university-community/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
Here is what we read about this new XR share on its website:
“Academics, as future policy makers and key knowledge holders, we call on them to use their influence to sound the alarm on the climate and ecological emergency and to reorient their actions towards an urgent solution to this problem.
We call for urgent interdisciplinary collective action to gather knowledge and information and communicate the urgent need to radically reduce emissions, transform economies and conserve endangered species.
We ask the entire university community, and all citizens, to act now on an issue whose seriousness demands their immediate engagement.”*
*https://www.extinctionrebellion.es/portal/action-painting-at-somosaguas-complutense-university-with-indigenous-rebels-beyond-borders-and-university-community/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
New surprise action of Extinction Rebellion (1): the street is blocked to allow the installation of the boat. It is re-installed in front of the main entrance to Ifema (convention center) on the expected last day of COP25. Protesters hope to put pressure on the latest negotiations. Madrid, Spain - December 13, 2019.
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Movement that advocates "Non-violent civil disobedience against government inaction against climate change."
Here's what we read about the conclusion of the UN Climate Change Summit:
“[…] On the eve of the closure of the climate summit, the 200 participating countries did not impose the slightest major advance. Carbon credits and the solidarity effort towards the most vulnerable countries sow division.
For a COP destined to be only a transitional conference, the negotiations are definitely taking a long time to lead to progress. There was still none to report on Thursday, on the eleventh and penultimate day of this international high mass on the climate organized this year in Madrid under the aegis of the United Nations.
A COP25 rather marked with the seal of "disconnection", a phrase heard many times in the halls of the Feria, to summarize the almost general paralysis that has gripped the 197 countries represented in the Spanish capital. Faced with climate change whose impacts are increasing, the time for action has still not come. […]”*
*https://www.lesechos.fr/monde/enjeux-internationaux/a-madrid-la-cop25-en-panne-davancees-1156144 (accessed November 8, 2020)
Behind them the building of the Publicis Group whose facade is in the colors of Iberdrola (Take action - Join our energy), one of the sponsors of the COP25. Presenting itself as a leader in renewable energies, the company is singled out by NGOs and activists fighting against global warming.*
As usual during Cop25, the police secure the scene, carry out some identity checks, monitor remotely but allow the action to proceed without making any arrests. Madrid, Spain - December 13, 2019.
We can read this on the internet about the course of the COP:
“[…] "Today the citizens of the world ask us to go faster and better, whether in terms of finance, adaptation, reduction of emissions ", declared the Chilean Minister of the Environment Carolina Schmidt.
"These discussions reflect the disconnect between the rulers on one side and the urgency shown by science and the demands of citizens on the streets," summarizes Helen Mountford, of the World Resources Institute think tank, believing that the spirit of the Paris Agreement was no more than a "distant memory".
At the current rate of CO2 emissions, mercury could increase to 4 or 5 ° C by the end of the century. And even if the 200 or so signatories to the Paris Agreement honor their commitments, global warming could exceed 3 ° C.
So to try to reduce this gap, all states must submit by COP26 in Glasgow next year a revised version of their emission reduction plans. But the two weeks of discussions brought to light a blatant division within the international community in terms of ambition. […]”**
*Iberdrola greenwashing (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.latribune.fr/entreprises-finance/transitions-ecologiques/la-cop25-adopte-un-accord-a-minima-loin-de-l-urgence-climatique-835456.html (consulted on November 8, 2020)
Extinction Rebellion action in front of Ifema (convention center) where the COP25 is held, which is normally the last day but which will be extended until Sunday 15. The demonstrators hope to put pressure on the last negotiations. Madrid, Spain - December 13, 2019.
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Movement that advocates "Non-violent civil disobedience against government inaction against climate change."
We can read this on the internet about the course of the COP:
“[…] After a year marked by all-out climatic catastrophes, the vibrant appeals of millions of young people who took to the streets behind the young Swedish Greta Thunberg, and ever more chilling scientific reports, the 200 or so signatories of the Paris were under unprecedented pressure for this COP25 chaired by Chile but relocated to Madrid due to the crisis affecting the South American country. […]
"The main players whose progress we hoped for did not meet expectations," said Laurence Tubiana, architect of the Paris Agreement, noting however that the alliance of island states, European, African and Latin American, had allowed to "extract the least bad result possible, against the will of the big polluters."
The first text on ambitions presented on Saturday by the Chilean presidency had provoked an outcry from these states, forcing a new round of consultations. […]”*
*https://www.latribune.fr/entreprises-finance/transitions-ecologiques/la-cop25-adopte-un-accord-a-minima-loin-de-l-urgence-climatique-835456.html (consulted on 8 November 2020)
Demonstration of Extinction Rebellion in front of Ifema (convention center) where the COP25 is being held. Protesters hope to put pressure on the latest negotiations. They will eventually be extended by 42 hours. Madrid, Spain - December 13, 2019.
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Movement that advocates "Non-violent civil disobedience against government inaction against climate change."
We can read this on the internet about the course of the COP:
“[…] Decisions on rules (including accounting) for carbon markets have been postponed to the next COP in Glasgow, in 2020. On these important topics, research, which informs summits such as the COP, is also submitted. conflicts of interest. Numerous cases of corruption and human rights violations have affected the Clean Development Mechanism, the model of carbon markets defined in the Kyoto Protocol.
At COP25, Harvard researchers vehemently stated that no corruption had been observed in carbon markets. They stressed that too much regulation would be a barrier because markets are self-regulating.
Yet Harvard is one of the few universities to be increasingly funded by oil and gas companies, including for research on these topics. These conflicts of interest not only mar international negotiations, they also plague our states due to weak regulatory frameworks for campaign finance and lobbying. […]”*
*https://www.liberation.fr/debats/2019/12/24/cop25-un-echec-du-a-la-corruption_1770859 (accessed November 8, 2020)
Demonstration of Extinction Rebellion in front of Ifema (convention center) where the COP25 is being held. Madrid, Spain - December 13, 2019.
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Movement that advocates "Non-violent civil disobedience against government inaction against climate change."
Here is what we can read this on the internet about the course of the COP:
“[…] Unsurprisingly, almost none of the major emitting countries has made any significant announcement to raise its ambitions, nor given a clear sign of such an intention for 2020. Obviously not the United States, which will leave the agreement. from Paris next November, but not China or India either.
These two major economies insist, before discussing their own revised commitments, on the responsibility of developed countries to do more and to honor their pledge of financial aid to developing countries. […]”*
*https://www.latribune.fr/entreprises-finance/transitions-ecologiques/la-cop25-adopte-un-accord-a-minima-loin-de-l-urgence-climatique-835456.html (consulted on 8 November 2020)
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Movement that advocates "Non-violent civil disobedience against government inaction against climate change."
On the internet we can read this about the course of the COP:
“[…] In the opinion of certain experts and NGOs, this COP25 will go down in history as one of failures: failure to meet the ambitions of States in the fight against global warming, failure to increase the funding of the loss and damage, to help countries most affected by climate change, especially African countries, failure in the establishment of carbon markets.
No concrete commitment on the part of the big polluters because the main polluting countries whose progress was hoped for did not meet expectations due to lack of realism. China and India, signatories to the Paris Agreement, do not commit further. For its part, the United States, one of the big polluters, is considering leaving the agreement this year (2020), at the will of President Donald Trump. However, what industrialized countries need to know is that at the current rate of CO2 emissions, mercury could gain as much as 4 or 5 ° C by the end of the century. […]”*
*https://afriquenvironnementplus.info/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/afriquenvplus-3-02-2020-2.pdf (accessed November 8, 2020)
Demonstration of Extinction Rebellion on the alleys facing the Ifema (convention center) where the COP25 is being held. At the rear was installed the yellow XR boat "Rebelles beyond borders".
- "FridaysForFuture Madrid - #YouthForClimate - For unprecedented changes, we need unprecedented measures" (1) Young people, climate activists, are demonstrating alongside XR activists. Here the movement "(School strike of) Friday For the Future" - "Youth For the Climate".
Young people who had been expelled yesterday from the blue zone (official zone) after joining Greta Thunberg on the podium where she had just made a speech and who have just done another action in the green zone of the COP ( area reserved for the general public). Madrid, Spain - December 13, 2019.
(1) Youth for Climate: Global movement of young people, middle school, high school and college students who “responded at the start of 2019 to calls for a school strike for the climate by Greta Thunberg. The group has since established itself as the French group of "Fridays for Future".”
On the internet we read this about the course of the COP and the actions of young activists:
“[…] "The language on ambition is still weak, but it's better. It will probably pass," bet Yamide Dagnet, of the World Resources Institute. The plenary, which has already been postponed many times, is now announced in the morning.
As for the discussions on carbon markets, the last remainder of the rules for applying the Paris Agreement which could not be adopted at COP24, they also seem to be at an impasse, according to observers. […]
The COP25, which will be one of those having played the longest overtime, was theoretically due to end on Friday evening, but the immense divisions on major subjects such as ambition and funding have so far not made it possible to achieve a compromise. […]”*
“[…] "Where are the leaders?", was carried away the day before Greta Thunberg, figurehead of the climate cause whose performance was followed by a demonstration "off" of a few dozen young defenders of the planet, quickly expelled from the site of the COP. One more sign, if necessary, of the international community's out of step with the climate emergency. […]”**
*https://www.challenges.fr/monde/climat-la-cop25-a-bout-de-souffle_689637 (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.lesechos.fr/monde/enjeux-internationaux/a-madrid-la-cop25-en-panne-davancees-1156144 (accessed November 8, 2020)
Activists of Extinction Rebellion (1) in front of Ifema (convention center) where the COP25 is held, which is normally the last day but which will be extended until Sunday 15. The demonstrators protest against the lack of progress of negotiations. Madrid, Spain - December 13, 2019.
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Movement that advocates "Non-violent civil disobedience against government inaction against climate change."
Young climate activists who have just demonstrated inside the COP's green zone join those from XR who are blocking the roundabout in front of Ifema. Demonstrators protest against the lack of progress in negotiations.
- "The climate cannot wait" "Bad politicians are ruining the planet"
On the left, Vanessa Nakate (Fridays for Future Uganda).
- "Strike for the climate"
In front of the metro entrance of the Feria de Madrid station which serves Ifema, Vanessa Nakate speaks. (1) She was alongside Greta Thunberg for the press conference at the cultural center (Casa Encendida) preceding the great Climate March on Friday, December 6 in central Madrid.
Madrid, Spain - December 13, 2019.
(1) Vanessa Nakate created Youth for Future Africa as well as the Rise Up Movement, also based in Africa.*
*https://www.lepoint.fr/afrique/vanessa-nakate-cette-activiste-climatique-africaine-qu-on-a-voulu-ignorer-29-01-2020-2360341_3826.php (accessed November 8, 2020 )
After leading an action in the premises (the green zone reserved for the public and companies) of the World Climate Conference, they speak outside in front of the buildings of Ifema (convention center) where the COP25 is held. Demonstrators protest against the lack of progress in negotiations.
- "I want to have a future" "Climate justice"
- "Climate strike (in Russian)" "The king is naked" "Very fragile"
Madrid, Spain - December 13, 2019.
For information, we read on the internet that in Russia it is difficult or even forbidden to demonstrate for the climate:
“[…] Young people demonstrating on the expected last day of the COP (which ultimately lasted 42 hours longer), faced with the slowness of negotiations and mediocre results. Here an action led by “Fridays for Future”, a movement launched following Greta Thunberg's weekly strikes.
Being able to protest in the streets for the climate is not a universal right. In Russia, you need a permit to organize a demonstration. In his absence, only one person is tolerated. Arshak Makichyan, a 25-year-old Russian who was present at this demonstration at the COP, and who demonstrated for 42 Friday in Pushkin Square in Moscow, was jailed for 6 days in December for generating a group of three people, after being refused a permit more than 10 times. […] ”*
*http://www.ceres.ens.fr/etudiants/ue-cop-ens/article/2019-cop-25-a-madrid-exposition-photo (accessed November 8, 2020)
Young climate activists organized in movements such as FridaysForFuture - #YouthForClimate: "(School strike of) Friday For the Future" - "Youth For the Climate". (2)
After demonstrating in the premises (the green zone reserved for the public and companies) of the World Climate Conference, they speak outside, in front of the Ifema buildings (convention center) where the COP25 is being held.
There they join the XR militants at the foot of the yellow boat "Rebels beyond the borders" of Extinction Rebellion. Demonstrators protest against the lack of progress in negotiations. Madrid, Spain - December 13, 2019.
(1) The COP25 was initially to be hosted in Chile but, the latter being shaken by a serious social crisis since October 18, the event was moved to Madrid.
(2) Youth for Climate: Global movement of young people, middle school, high school and college students who “responded from the start of 2019 to calls for a school strike for the climate by Greta Thunberg. The group has since established itself as the French group of "Fridays for Future".”
About human rights ridiculed in Chile we read this on the American site of Democracy Now, whose journalist Amy Goldman was there (see photo 131 of the Toxic Tour):
“Spain cannot welcome a murderous government, because the government of Sebastián Piñera is deliberately murdering, injuring and mutilating our people along with the armed forces and the police. It is a deliberate attack. They know exactly what they are doing. They violate protocols. It has been confirmed by Human Rights Watch that there are human rights violations and that the state denies them. It is a state that denies what is happening. Protocols are not followed and human rights are violated in Chile.”*
For information, we read on the internet that in Russia it is difficult or even forbidden to demonstrate for the climate:
“[…] Being able to protest in the streets for the climate is not a universal right. In Russia, you need a permit to organize a demonstration. In his absence, only one person is tolerated. Arshak Makichyan, a 25-year-old Russian who was present during this demonstration at the COP, and who demonstrated for 42 Friday in Pushkin Square in Moscow, was jailed for 6 days in December for generating a group of three people, after has been refused a permit more than 10 times. […]”*
*http://www.ceres.ens.fr/etudiants/ue-cop-ens/article/2019-cop-25-a-madrid-exposition-photo (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.democracynow.org/2019/12/10/headlines/protests_continue_in_madrid_spain_amid_cop25 (accessed November 8, 2020)
Young climate activists organized in movements such as FridaysForFuture - #YouthForClimate: "(School strike of) Friday For the Future" - "Youth For the Climate". (1)
After demonstrating in the premises (the green zone reserved for the public and companies) of the World Climate Conference, they speak outside in front of the buildings of Ifema (convention center) where the COP25 is being held.
There they join the XR militants at the foot of the yellow boat "Rebels beyond the borders" of Extinction Rebellion. Activists protest against the lack of progress in negotiations. Madrid, Spain - December 13, 2019.
(1) Youth for Climate: Global movement of young people, middle school, high school and college students who “responded from the start of 2019 to calls for a school strike for the climate by Greta Thunberg. The group has since established itself as the French group of "Fridays for Future". "
It is normally the last day of the World Summit on Climate Change, but it will be extended until Sunday 15. Indeed, the leaders of the 200 countries meeting under the Chilean presidency are trying to find an agreement and no common position emerges. Activists protest against the lack of progress in negotiations. Madrid, Spain - December 13, 2019.
Demonstration of climate activists, Chileans, Indigenous Peoples, young people from FridaysForFuture, Extinction Rebellion activists with their yellow boat "Rebels beyond borders" in front of Ifema (convention center) where the COP25 is being held. It is normally the last day of the World Summit on Climate Change but it will be extended until Sunday 15. Indeed, the leaders of the 200 countries meeting under the presidency of Chile are trying to find an agreement and no common position emerges. Activists protest against the lack of progress in negotiations.
- Speech by an Indian from Latin America.
- Eye in reference to the repression taking place in Chile, a country which should have hosted the COP this year and which is experiencing a serious social crisis. Just like in France at the time of the Gilets Jaunes demonstrations, the police responded violently and in particular caused numerous injuries among the demonstrators (more than 200 eye injuries).*
Madrid, Spain - December 13, 2019.
*https://www.france24.com/fr/20191114-chili-manifestation-eborgnes-symbole-repression (accessed November 8, 2020)
Young climate activists organized in movements such as FridaysForFuture - #YouthForClimate: "(School strike of) Friday For the Future" - "Youth For the Climate". (2)
After demonstrating in the premises (the green zone reserved for the public and companies) of the World Climate Conference, they speak outside in front of the buildings of Ifema (convention center) where the COP25 is being held.
There they join with XR activists at the foot of the yellow boat "Rebels beyond the borders" of Extinction Rebellion. Activists protest against the lack of progress in negotiations. Madrid, Spain - December 13, 2019.
(1) The famous phrase of Greta Thunberg during her intervention at the United Nations Summit on the climate emergency which took place in New York.
(2) Youth for Climate: Global movement of young people, middle school, high school and college students who “responded from the start of 2019 to calls for a school strike for the climate by Greta Thunberg. The group has since established itself as the French group of "Fridays for Future".”
On the internet we found Greta Thunberg's speech in New York where she gave her famous "How dare you?" :
“[…] "This is not normal. I shouldn't be here. I should be in class across the ocean.
And yet you all come to ask us young people to have hope. How dare you ? You stole my dreams and my youth with your empty words. And again, I am one of the lucky ones!
People are suffering, people are dying, and ecosystems are collapsing. We're at the start of mass extinction, and all you're talking about is money, and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you ? For over 30 years, the science has been crystal clear. How dare you still look elsewhere? […]”*
*https://www.franceinter.fr/environnement/voici-la-charge-de-greta-thunberg-a-l-onu-en-francais (accessed November 8, 2020)
Actions by climate activists, Chileans, Indigenous Peoples, Extinction Rebellion activists with their yellow boat "Rebels beyond borders" in front of Ifema (convention center) where the COP25 is being held. It is normally the last day of the World Summit on Climate Change but it will be extended until Sunday 15. In fact, the leaders of the 200 countries meeting under the presidency of Chile are trying to find an agreement and no common position. 'emerges. Activists protest against the lack of progress in negotiations. Madrid, Spain - December 13, 2019.
On the internet, we can read a column about the COP and corruption:
“The COP25 summit which concluded in Madrid, with only unfinished agreements on how to deal with the greatest crisis of our lives, coincided with the International Anti-Corruption Day. An opportunity to change perspective and shed light on the neglected intersection between corruption and the climate crisis. […]”*
*https://www.liberation.fr/debats/2019/12/24/cop25-un-echec-du-a-la-corruption_1770859 (accessed November 8, 2020)
Action by climate activists, Chileans, indigenous peoples, Extinction Rebellion activists with their yellow boat "Rebels beyond borders" in front of Ifema (convention center) where the COP25 is being held. It is normally the last day of the World Summit on Climate Change but it will be extended until Sunday 15. Indeed, the leaders of the 200 countries meeting under the presidency of Chile are trying to find an agreement and no common position is not. emerges. Activists protest against the lack of progress in negotiations. Madrid, Spain - December 13, 2019.
Here is what we read on the internet about the COP and the 1.5 ° C (recommended by the IPCC - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) not to be exceeded:
“Pursuing efforts to limit temperature rise to 1.5 ° C above pre-industrial temperatures was the initial commitment of countries during the Paris Agreement at COP21. “The COP25 is seen as an intermediate step before the COP26 to be held in Glasgow (United Kingdom) in December 2020, during which the States must submit new plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions more ambitious - while the current promises of the States put the planet on a trajectory of more than 3 ° C of warming.”*
“Why is it so important to stay below 1.5 ° C? Because even with a degree, people are dying from the climate crisis. This is what united science gives as a warning: avoid destabilizing the climate, so that we have the best possible chance of avoiding chain reactions, such as melting glaciers, or melting of the arctic permafrost. Each fraction of a degree is crucially important.”** “ "It looks like COP25 is falling apart. The science is clear, but the science is being ignored," tweeted overnight young climate fighter Greta Thunberg, who has inspired millions of young people to descend on the street for a year to demand radical and immediate measures to limit global warming.”***
*https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2019/10/30/secoue-par-une-violente-crise-sociale-le-chili-renonce-a-organiser-la-cop25_6017460_3244.html (consulted November 8, 2020)
**https://blogs.mediapart.fr/desobeissance-ecolo-paris/blog/121219/greta-la-cop25-lespoir-vient-des-gens-du-peuple (accessed November 8, 2020)
***https://www.challenges.fr/monde/climat-la-cop25-a-bout-de-souffle_689637 (accessed November 8, 2020)
- "The COP25 in Spain is the seat of Chile, a country that violates human rights" (1)
Speeches during an action by climate activists, Chileans, indigenous peoples, Extinction Rebellion activists with their yellow boat "Rebels beyond borders" in front of Ifema (convention center) where the COP25 is being held. Activists protest against the lack of progress in negotiations. Madrid, Spain - December 13, 2019.
(1) The COP25 was initially to be hosted in Chile but, the latter being shaken by a serious social crisis since October 18, the event was moved to Madrid.
About human rights violated in Chile we read this on the American site of Democracy Now, whose journalist Amy Goldman was there in Madrid (see photo 131 of the Toxic Tour):
“Spain cannot welcome a murderous government, because the government of Sebastián Piñera is deliberately murdering, injuring and mutilating our people along with the armed forces and the police. It is a deliberate attack. They know exactly what they are doing. They violate protocols. It has been confirmed by Human Rights Watch that there are human rights violations and that the state denies them. It is a state that denies what is happening. Protocols are not followed and human rights are violated in Chile.”*
*https://www.democracynow.org/2019/12/10/headlines/protests_continue_in_madrid_spain_amid_cop25 (accessed November 8, 2020)
Speeches during an action by climate activists, Chileans, indigenous peoples, Extinction Rebellion activists with their yellow boat "Rebels beyond borders" in front of Ifema (convention center) where the COP25 is being held. Madrid, Spain - December 13, 2019.
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Movement that advocates “Non-violent civil disobedience against government inaction against climate change. "
Here is what we can read on their website about their presence at COP25:
“[…] During COP25, the 25th UN climate summit, the movement established its reputation as a serious interlocutor at the political negotiating table. […] Outside, rebels without borders, from more than 20 countries, protested and chanted their indignation every day […]. Inside, Skeena Rathor, co-founder of the movement, and Tim Crosland, coordinator of XR UK, were able to meet the president, and discuss the need for real cooperation in the face of adversity, as well as anticipate on the COP26 which will take place in Glasgow. […]”*
*https://rebellion.global/fr/press/2019/12/30/xr-2019/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
A new action by Extinction Rebellion (1) which denounces the continued funding of fossil fuels and global warming in front of Ifema (convention center) where the COP25 is being held.
“[…] We must stop subsidizing fossil fuels, otherwise we will not be able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. […] As long as fossil fuels are widely subsidized, the scope of COPs remains limited. […]”** Madrid, Spain - December 13, 2019.
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Movement that advocates "Non-violent civil disobedience against government inaction against climate change."*
*https://extinctionrebellion.fr/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.rfi.fr/fr/europe/20191208-climat-madrid-sommet-societe-civile-cop25 (accessed November 8, 2020)
“In the media we don't talk about 4 °, there is no discussion about 4 °. "This spell is about to break." We are not going to do something about this planetary crisis, we are going to do everything!”
It is normally the last day of the World Summit on Climate Change but it will be extended until Sunday 15. Indeed, the leaders of the 200 countries meeting under the presidency of Chile are trying to find an agreement and no common position emerges. Madrid, Spain - December 13, 2019.
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Movement that advocates "Non-violent civil disobedience against government inaction against climate change."*
Here is what we read on the internet about the COP and fossil fuels:
“[…] We must stop subsidizing fossil fuels, otherwise we will not be able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. […] As long as fossil fuels are widely subsidized, the scope of COPs remains limited. […]”**
*https://extinctionrebellion.fr/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.rfi.fr/fr/europe/20191208-climat-madrid-sommet-societe-civile-cop25 (accessed November 8, 2020)
“In the media we don't talk about 4 °, there is no discussion about 4 °. "This spell is about to break." We are not going to do something about this planetary crisis, we are going to do everything!”
It is normally the last day of the World Summit on Climate Change but it will be extended until Sunday 15. Indeed, the leaders of the 200 countries meeting under the presidency of Chile are trying to find an agreement and no common position emerges. Madrid, Spain - December 13, 2019.
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Movement that advocates "Non-violent civil disobedience against government inaction against climate change."*
Here is what we read on the internet about the COP and fossil fuels:
“[…] We must stop subsidizing fossil fuels, otherwise we will not be able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. […] As long as fossil fuels are widely subsidized, the scope of COPs remains limited. […]”**
*https://extinctionrebellion.fr/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.rfi.fr/fr/europe/20191208-climat-madrid-sommet-societe-civile-cop25 (accessed November 8, 2020)
It is normally the last day of the World Summit on Climate Change but it will be extended until Sunday the 15th, as the leaders of the 200 countries gathered under Chile's presidency try to find an agreement and no common position emerges. Demonstrators protest against the lack of progress in negotiations. Madrid, Spain - December 13, 2019.
(1) Mapuche: native people of the South American continent
On the internet, we can read this about the Mapuche:
“[…] The Mapuche, "the people of the earth", have always been rebels.
The Mapuches, of Mapudungun language, are one of the "aboriginal" peoples of central Chile (Chile where they are today [2017] 600,000, or 4% of the population, […] and Argentina ( between 80,000 and 200,000 approximately). […] on bad land which they share; the good ones, which belonged to them, they have been plundered, monopolized by the oligarchy, by the big forestry, electricity companies, etc. which ravage the environment. Hence their stubborn resistance, with ancestral roots, in order to recover their lands, as well as their nation's autonomy. […]”*
*https://www.humanite.fr/blogs/les-mapuches-le-peuple-de-la-terre-rebelles-depuis-toujours-640643 (accessed November 8, 2020)
Instructions for the general meeting in order to decide what follow-up to give to the action:
“To join the COP25, some participants came by bike, slept in abandoned houses, but later it will be harder than what they experienced there.
It's late. We suggest that you sit down and vote for the rest of our action.
Let’s think about why we’re here. […] Everyone can participate.”
Madrid, Spain - December 13, 2019.
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Movement that advocates "Non-violent civil disobedience against government inaction against climate change."
On one of the famous XR boats "Rebels Across Borders - Climate Justice Now", the flag of the Mapuche indigenous people (2). Madrid, Spain - December 13, 2019.
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Movement that advocates “Non-violent civil disobedience against government inaction against climate change."
(2) Mapuche: native people of the South American continent
On the internet, we can read this about the Mapuche:
“[...] the Chilean and Argentinian states and governments have always criminalized, massacred (more than 50% of them) these fierce resistance fighters, this "people of the earth", also known as the "Araucanos". […] The government brandishes the specter of violence against "legitimate" actions according to Mapuche activists […]. The Argentinian press delivers an exemplary media fight: the very official and famous Clarín does not stop stigmatizing these "dangerous", "revolutionary", "separatist" Mapuches ...
The Mapuche are "used" to torture, to the consequences of the Chilean "anti-terrorist law", to prison, to hunger strikes ... Their enemy, always the same (with some variations), since Colonization, there and elsewhere: the "colonial" state, the vampire multinationals, the sated and never satiated oligarchy. […]”*
*https://www.humanite.fr/blogs/les-mapuches-le-peuple-de-la-terre-rebelles-depuis-toujours-640643 (accessed November 8, 2020)
The hundred or so activists still present are invited by the organizers to reflect in small groups of ten on what follow-up to the action in progress.
Live democracy lesson: after 25 minutes of discussion in groups, the one from each group that took notes meets with the other note-takers from the other groups and they have 15 minutes to make a decision. Madrid, Spain - December 13, 2019.
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Movement that advocates "Non-violent civil disobedience against government inaction against climate change."
The hundred or so activists still present reflect in small groups on what follow-up to the action in progress.
You have to choose between spending the night there or returning to Hortaleza street, headquarters of the Social Summit for the Climate (counter-summit of the COP). There are discussions to know whether or not they thank the police who have been fair, compared to what happened in Paris between XR and the police. Those who consider that not assaulting the demonstrators is the normal attitude of the police and that there is therefore no reason to thank them prevail.
The majority also choose not to spend the night there and to negotiate with the police to recover the Extinction Rebellion boat, which is granted to them. Madrid, Spain - December 13, 2019.
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Movement that advocates "Non-violent civil disobedience against government inaction against climate change."
- "We ask for life" "How many more deaths?"
- "Extinction Rebellion on COP25: 'What a bunch of crap this is' "
Having planned our trip to Madrid in advance on the dates of the 25th International Climate Change Conference, we cannot document this XR action as it takes place during the two days of COP extensions, beyond December 13 (final date scheduled for departure). Madrid, Spain - December 15, 2019.
(1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Movement that advocates "Non-violent civil disobedience against government inaction against climate change."
Here is what we can read on the internet about this action and the last days of COP25:
“The signatory countries of the Paris Agreement tried in the night from Saturday to Sunday to come to an agreement to avoid a failure of the COP25 and to try to answer the urgent calls of science in favor of more radical actions in favor of the climate.
[…] around ten activists from the environmental movement Extinction Rebellion wanted to remind negotiators of the urgency to act by dumping manure not far from the conference center where the COP is taking place. […]”*
“[…] Also in the crosshairs of environmental defenders, Saudi Arabia, as well as Brazil and Australia, both accused of wanting to introduce decried provisions into the rules on carbon markets, the adoption of which has been postponed again. […]
The British who have been officially appointed to organize the COP26 have promised to do everything to make Glasgow a success.
"We heard of course that you wanted us to build on the efforts of our Chilean friends to echo the urgency of science and the voices of those who ask us to go further, faster," said their representing Archie Young.
Greta Thunberg has already warned that this year of preparation will be done under pressure from the streets. "The science is clear, but the science is being ignored. Whatever happens, we won't give up. We are just getting started," she said on Twitter. […]”**
*https://www.geo.fr/environnement/climat-vers-un-echec-criant-pour-la-planete-a-la-cop25-199064 (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.latribune.fr/entreprises-finance/transitions-ecologiques/la-cop25-adopte-un-accord-a-minima-loin-de-l-urgence-climatique-835456.html (consulted on November 8, 2020)
The latest actions of the Extinction Rebellion movement, not far from the entrance to Ifema (convention center) where the COP25 ends.
Having planned in advance our trip to Madrid on the dates of the Cop we cannot document this action of XR because it takes place during the two days of extensions of the COP, beyond December 13 (final date initially scheduled). Madrid, Spain - December 15, 2019.
On the internet we can read this about the last days of COP25:
“[…] 12 people stood on 12 blocks of ice with a rope around their necks - 12 blocks as the number of months we have left to change course and face the reality of the ongoing ecosystem collapse. Until the next COP to be held in Glasgow. […] Greenhouse gas emissions keep increasing […]”*
“[…] At the current rate, the temperature could rise to 4 or 5 ° C by the end of the century, with its share of catastrophes. Even if the 200 or so signatories to the Paris Agreement honored their commitments, global warming would exceed 3 ° C.
On Saturday evening, more than 24 hours after the scheduled end of negotiations, positions remained distant on several key issues, and negotiations continued into the night once again.
Many states had expressed their frustration on Saturday morning, pointing out the lack of ambition of the latest draft texts put on the table by the Chilean presidency. […]”**
*https://m.facebook.com/xrfrance/posts/2360527180888945/ (accessed November 8, 2020)
**https://www.geo.fr/environnement/climat-vers-un-echec-criant-pour-la-planete-a-la-cop25-199064 (accessed November 8, 2020)
"Extinction" "Lyrics"
"Spain: Extinction Rebellion undresses against "greenwashing" at COP25"
“[…] "We want to highlight the fact that there is greenwashing going on with COP25. And a lot of the companies that you see here that say they are doing things for the environment are actually continuing to pollute and destroy the environment", said one of the protesters.”*
On the hands, the emblem of XR (1): an hourglass in a circle representing the planet, the color black for gravity, the hourglass for the urgency of the climate situation. Madrid, Spain - December 7, 2019. (1) Extinction Rebellion (XR): Movement that advocates "Non-violent civil disobedience against government inaction against climate change."
*https://www.ruptly.tv/en/videos/20191207-034-Spain--Extinction-Rebellion-undress-against--greenwashing--at-COP25 (accessed November 8, 2020)
- "We are unstoppable, Another world is possible!: young climate activists storm the scene of COP25."
"Demonstrators along with "Fridays for the Future" demand at the global conference on climate that world leader urgently address the planetary crisis."
"COP25, Chile, Madrid 2019" "Security forces try to break up the scene but young people from a dozen countries stage a sit it!"
Madrid, Spain - December 11 2019.
Here is what we found on the internet in regards to this action by young activists:
"Another world is possible" Arms raised and with open eyes painted on the palms of their hands and chanting in demand for "climate justice", they have invaded the scene of the barely terminated "high-level conference on the climate crisis" organized in the pleniary room of the UN summit on climate (COP25) which is going on in Madrid until the 13th of December. Europeans, Indians, Africans, Oceaneans, Latin-Americans..: more than fifty young people from all over the world joined the young Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, elected the same day as Time Magazine's person of the year, and the Ugandan Hilda Flavia Nakabuye, who participated in the round table, to proclaim that the urgency is obvious. And regret that the political will to face it is much less.
*https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2019/12/11/greta-thunberg-a-la-cop-25-les-jeunes-veulent-un-signal-d-espoir_6022520_3244.html (accessed on November 8, 2020)
- “ "We are unstoppable, another world is possible!" : young climate activists take the stage at COP25 by storm” “Protesters with Fridays for Future (school strike on Fridays for the Future) demand that at the world climate summit world leaders urgently deal with the planetary emergency.”
- "COP25, Chile, Madrid 2019". "Security is trying to clear the scene but the youth of a dozen countries are starting a sit in!" Madrid, Spain - December 11, 2019.
Here is what we read on the internet about this action by young activists:
“[…] "Another world is possible." Arms raised, eyes painted in the palms of their hands, and singing songs in favor of "climate justice", they invaded the stage, barely finished the "high level conference on the climate emergency" organized in the plenary room of the UN climate summit (COP25) which is being held until December 13 in Madrid. Europeans, Indians, Africans, Oceanians, Latin Americans ...: more than fifty young people from all over the world have joined the young Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, elected the same day personality of the year by Time magazine, and the Ugandan Hilda Flavia Nakabuye, who participated in the roundtable, to claim that the urgency is obvious. And regret that the political will to face it is much less. […] ”*
*https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2019/12/11/greta-thunberg-a-la-cop-25-les-jeunes-vissent-un-signal-d-espoir_6022520_3244.html (consulted November 8, 2020)
On the internet, we find the words of Greta Thunberg and a comment from Jennifer Morgan, the director of Greenpeace:
“[…] Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg is speaking at COP25 in Madrid on December 11, 2019. […] "A handful of rich countries have pledged to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by so many percent, by such and such a year, or to achieve climate neutrality in so many years," said Greta Thunberg, named "personality of the year" by Time magazine.
"It seems impressive at first glance, but even if the intentions are good, it is not leadership, it is not showing the way, it is a deception", accused the teenager, noting that whole sections of activity are excluded from the commitments of the States. The 2015 Paris Agreement, whose objective is to keep global warming below 2 ° C, does not cover emissions from the international aviation and maritime sectors. And the carbon markets, for which rules are being negotiated, allow States to offset their emissions.
"I have participated in these COPs for 25 years and I have never seen such a divide between what goes on between these walls and what goes on outside", said Jennifer Morgan (1). "The solutions are right in front of our eyes. But where are the champions? Where are the leaders?" she said under the applause. […]”*
(1) Jennifer Morgan: Executive Director of the NGO Greenpeace International
*https://www.challenges.fr/monde/cop25-appels-pressants-a-agir-face-au-manque-d-ambition-et-au-risque-d-echec_689057 (accessed November 8, 2020)
Here is what we can read about her return to Europe, after her speech at the United Nations Climate Emergency Summit in New York:
“[...] In the port of Lisbon, this December 3, after twenty-one days of crossing, one would think the arrival of a transatlantic with so many people. Photo shoot for "Time", hair blowing in the wind… but with worked lighting. In Madrid too, Greta is uneasy about her role as an icon. She tries to give voice to young people from Uganda or Spain. Wasted effort. Everyone wants to hear her. She confesses her concern: "The impact of our mobilization is weak, CO2 emissions continue to increase," she says in front of a carpet of journalists who are listening to her ... more or less. She has been saying for over a year: "The planet is on fire!" She wants to save the world. Her father is worried. Greta does not yet have the right to vote, says she does not support any party, but plays politics in spite of herself. […]”*
*https://www.parismatch.com/Actu/Environnement/Greta-Thunberg-les-coulisses-d-un-phenomene-1666261 (accessed November 8, 2020)
Greta Thunberg on the front page of Time magazine which elected her Personality of the year. Madrid, Spain - December 11, 2019.
We can read this on the internet about Greta and the choice of Times magazine:
“ "The power of youth is what Time magazine recognizes in the face of the fight against climate change, Greta Thunberg, whom he has just crowned "personality of the year." She becomes the youngest laureate to obtain this distinction, awarded annually by the American magazine, for 72 years now.
Today, Greta Thunberg is 16 years old. She started protesting for the climate in the summer of 2018, outside the Swedish Parliament. Then other teenagers followed suit, first in his country and then around the world. A real societal phenomenon. The reflection of a global awareness of the youngest in the face of climate change. Last September, millions marched through the streets of New York City to denounce both climate change and political inaction.
This inaction, Greta Thunberg herself shouted it, during her speech to the UN Climate Summit, where she was the guest star. A phrase remained in the annals "how dare you" thrown at an audience of heads of government. […]
Her anger is still strong since she accused, this Wednesday, December 11, at the COP25 held in Madrid, even the most ambitious countries of "deception" on their commitments in the fight against climate change." [... ] ”*
“[…] This is the last such summit before nations embark on new plans to meet a major deadline set by the Paris Agreement. Unless they agree on transformative action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the global temperature rise since the industrial revolution will hit the 1.5 ° C mark - an eventuality that according to scientists, will expose some 350 million more people to drought and push an estimated 120 million people into extreme poverty by 2030. For every fraction of a degree that temperatures rise, these problems will get worse. It is not fear; it is science. For decades, researchers and activists have struggled to get world leaders to take the climate threat seriously. But this year, an unlikely teenager caught the world's attention. […]”**
*https://lepetitjournal.com/new-york/greta-thunberg-sacree-person-year-par-le-magazine-time-270357 (consulté le 8 novembre 2020)
**https://time.com/person-of-the-year-2019-greta-thunberg/ (consulté le 8 novembre 2020)