climateemergency – Page 4 – Christian Frank

Shutdown two, week forty

The local incidence rate in Cologne is at 44 and rising.

Vaccination is readily available, and the town council is offering walk-in vaccinations at many places, including mobile stations at party hotspots.

Go and get it!

On the other emergency, we learned this week that the Gulf Stream as part of the AMOC (Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation) is weakening and showing signs of a possible collapse.

Massive fires are ravaging the northern hemisphere and massive flooding the southern hemisphere.

And we still believe that burning coal is a good idea?

(Cologne for climate flag, Klimacamp, 7/23/21)

Shutdown two, week thirty-nine

The local 7-day incidence in Cologne is at 35 and rising.

Luckily we now have two approved vaccines for kids 12 years and older, and we might soon get vaccines for kids from 5 years onward.

Long-Covid is not fun and nothing we want kids to suffer from.

At the same time, we do not want kids to starve, burn or drown – so we need to address the climate crisis as the emergency that it is too.

(Climate Justice Camp, Cologne, 7/30/21)

Shutdown two, week thirty-eight

Are we still in lockdown?

Technically speaking, yes – the CoSchVO still affects Cologne, with an average incidence rate of 31.8 and R at 1.28, and restrictions are in place.

I’m keeping my distance and wearing a mask indoors; however, there are many parties in our parks, and many people travel for fun and vacation. I hope fall won’t be a big disaster! With R above 1, chances are slim, though.

The climate justice camp in Cologne is in its 8th week now – come and visit!

(Directions, Cologne Climate Camp, 7/25/21)

Shutdown two, week thirty-seven

What a week! So many things have happened, and I don’t know where to start.

We had massive torrential rain here in the West, which caused substantial flooding and wreaked havoc on several communities. A three-digit number of people died, and the flooding destroyed countless homes and lives. Since then, this dire situation has spread further West (Belgium, The Netherlands) and East (Austria, Bavaria).

Severe flooding with many deaths has also occurred in Asia (China, Indonesia); intense fires are burning in the US, Canada, and Russia.

Still, our governing politicians do not treat the climate emergency as the existential crisis that it is. Old white men. Sigh.

On a lighter note, the Pokémon Go Fest 2021 was great fun!

(Pokémon Go Fest, Raid Day, 7/18/21)

Shutdown two, week thirty-six

Not surprisingly, the numbers are on the rise again. Looking at the figures in the UK, Spain, Portugal, and The Netherlands, we’re in for a pretty bleak fall.

Alas, our governing politicians are ignoring the deadly nature of the Sars-CoV-2 virus and are willing to sacrifice our kids for their political gains. Despicable.

Same for the other emergency – no willingness from our politicians to address the climate crisis and work on meaningful steps to curb CO₂ emissions. Their only goal is to stay in power for the next four years.

That’s an apparent side effect of Europe’s aging population.

(Klima-Info-Tag, Chlodwigplatz, Cologne, 7/10/21)

Shutdown two, week thirty-five

Not surprisingly, the numbers are going back up again.

Still, it feels almost as if the lockdown was over, at least outside. In shops and public transport, everybody wears a mask, though.

We’re getting closer to the next general election. Unfortunately, the current ruling party and their primary candidate are trying to tackle the climate emergency not by addressing the issues, such as burning fossil fuels, but by trying to outlaw protests.

Difficult weeks lie ahead of us.

However, the climate justice camp in Cologne is going strong, with daily activities and many people visiting.

(#NoVersGNRW Cologne, Ebertplatz, 6/28/21)

Shutdown two, week thirty-four

Infections rates are down; the weather is fine, and people are out and about. Almost nobody observes social distancing rules anymore. Summer!

We’re probably four to six weeks behind the UK on Delta-Infections. The numbers we get from the UK on infection rates and hospitalization are not encouraging – fall does not look promising right now.

The preliminary IPCC report is equally disturbing and does not bode well for our future either.

We need to unite behind science and continue to fight both crises!

Unfortunately, the answer of our state government is to outlaw climate protest rather than focus on fighting the climate emergency.

(Nightshift in the Climate Justice Camp, Cologne, 6/24/21)

Shutdown two, week thirty-three

The number of new infections is still going down; we’ll most likely ease the mask mandate soon now.

However, the information we receive from the UK on the Delta-Mutation is not encouraging. We need to prepare in summer for a possible fourth wave in fall. Doesn’t that sound somewhat familiar?

The other emergency is not going away, either. Our governing party just released an abysmal election program with no ambition to reach the 1.5-degree goal of the Paris accord.

We need to go back to weekly strikes.

(Warming stripes for NRW 1881-2020, CC-BY Ed Hawkins ShowYourStripes, 6/21/21)

Shutdown two, week thirty-one

The infection rates are still going down, and we can look forward to NRW (and Cologne) move to a lower level of restrictions. People are out and about; outdoor dining is in full swing. It seems that the curfews and the federal emergency brake did work.

Does anyone remember last spring? And the third wave that followed?

I, for one, have decided to remain cautious and not venture out until after the second dose.

On a very positive note: Cologne now finally has a climate justice camp! It’s here to stay, at least until the next federal elections.

(Cologne, Klimacamp, 6/5/21)

Shutdown two, week twenty-eight

We’re still in lockdown, and the curfew is still in effect, but the infection rates are finally going down. There is cautious optimism for the summer, and some people are already thinking about traveling for vacation – I’ll wait until 2022, I think.

After months of rallies, we had our first bicycle demonstration on Friday – six feet apart and wearing masks, of course.

It’s time to look at who’s financing the fossil fuel industry, and in Germany, the Commerzbank is heavily involved.

I think we shall make sure that their customers and shareholders know this during the next couple of months.

(Commerzbank Cologne, Unter Sachsenhausen, 5/14/21)