UN report on climate crisis sparks protests
- Ivy Mae T. Idos
- Apr 30, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 13, 2022
Written by Ivy Mae T. Idos
Published April 30, 2022
Over 1,000 activists in more than 25 countries held non-violent protests from April 4 to 9 after a United Nations (UN) climate report revealed the urgency of the climate situation.
UN’s Sixth Assessment Summary for Policymakers’ report released on February 28, stated that climate change was “a threat to human well-being and planetary health.” According to the report, a delayed action will fail to secure a livable and sustainable future for the world.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the Earth is on a "fast track" to climate disaster. "We are on a pathway to global warming of more than double the 1.5-degree limit agreed in Paris," said Guterres.
He also said heat-trapping gasses need to decrease, but current climate pledges still increase the release of these gasses. "High-emitting governments and corporations are not just turning a blind eye; they are adding fuel to the flames," Guterres added.
Scientists around the globe denounced the climate crisis and demanded better environmental responses.
Four activists chained themselves to the glass doors of a Los Angeles office building owned by the world's top fossil fuel investor, JPMorgan Chase & Co.
"I'm willing to take a risk for this gorgeous planet, for my sons," NASA scientist Peter Kalmus, one of the four activists, said in a speech.
All four activists were arrested after almost four hours of their protest.
Furthermore, protesters in Washington, DC chained themselves to the fence around the White House.
Meanwhile, 25 scientists glued their hands and posted quotes from recent scientific papers to the windows of the United Kingdom (UK) Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) office in London. This protest happened after the government published a new energy strategy that promised to continue North Sea oil and gas exploitation.
Ten of them were arrested after spray-painting the symbols of the global environmental movement Extinction Rebellion (XR) on the glass of the BEIS building.
Other supporters in London protested at the UK Headquarters of oil and gas company Shell.
Several protesters in Madrid threw red paint on the doors and steps of the Spanish Parliament building to represent "the blood of those who died because of the climate crises," according to environmentalist and supporter Victor de Santos.
In Berlin, activists blocked a bridge by gluing their hands on the road, while five activists in Sydney were arrested for lying on the street to block the traffic.
"We've been trying to warn you guys for so many decades ... and we've been being ignored," Kalmus said. "The scientists of the world are being ignored, and it's got to stop. We're not joking. We're not lying. We're not exaggerating."
It‘s hard to imagine that any of these protesters will be able to spark any change in such a manner. Unfortunately, there is such a large divide between the opposing sides in this issue. Surely there is a way to present and discuss evidence and to work together to find solutions.
What bothers me is constantly the people are being told to reduce their carbon footprint by these well known and huge corporations. While at the same time these massive corporations are emitting more dangerous gasses and doing more damage than the people are! Keep the profits, shift the blame to the common folk.