climatestrike – Page 2 – Christian Frank

Shutdown two, week fifty-two

One year later and the incidence figures are rising again, as predicted; Cologne is at 151 right now.

The people with the highest risk are our most important and, at the same time, most vulnerable group: Our children – our future.

Why do we not do more to protect them?

We are not only failing them with Covid-19, but we’re also failing them in dealing with global heating. COP26 does not seem to be the breakthrough our planet needs. Our leaders are talking about reaching a compromise – as if they could discuss with Physics. It’s so simple: To stop the global warming of our planet, we need to stop burning fossil fuels. Now.

One place where we try to defend our planet is Lützerath – come and join activists from all over the world!

(1.5 degree limit, Lützerath, 10/31/21)

Shutdown two, week fifty-one

Not surprisingly, the incidence in Cologne has gone up again; it’s at 93 right now and rising. Are we officially in the fourth wave yet?

Last Friday, we had another global climate strike in Berlin. We wanted to increase the pressure on the coalition talks underway between the Social Democrats, the Greens, and the Liberals, to make sure they keep the climate emergency at the forefront of their negotiations. Also, COP26 is around the corner, and we need to focus on actions this time, not on another round of pledges.

The protest in Berlin was quite a success, with 20,000 people attending from all over the country.

The police, however, did not behave that well and used force against some protesters.

Also, the Social Democrats were quite upset at a social media post referencing one of their grave historical mistakes during the formation of the First Republic. Oh well.

(Global Climate Strike, Berlin, 10/22/21)

Shutdown two, week forty-eight

The incidence in Cologne has slightly gone up; it’s at 61 right now.

Last week we had our general election; the Social Democrats won but won’t be able to form a government without the Greens and the Liberals. Negotiations are underway, and we are watching. At the same time, the former governing party, the Christian Democrats, is slowly disintegrating.

COP26 is around the corner, and the world governments are not doing enough to address the climate emergency, so we need to go back to the streets for another global climate strike on October 22.

To quote Greta, it’s time to stop the Bla Bla Bla and get down to serious action!

Local action is happening at ZAD Rheinland, where activists are defending the village of Lützerath against the commercial interests of RWE.

(Election Night, Climate Justice Camp Cologne, 9/26/21)

Shutdown two, week forty-seven

The incidence in Cologne has declined again; it’s at 59 right now.

Friday was the day of the global climate strike – a huge success!

We had 25,000 people attending in Cologne alone and 620,000 in Germany overall, and many millions worldwide.

More and more people are beginning to realize that you cannot argue with physics – if we do not change our way of living, we’ll make our planet uninhabitable for future generations; alas, there is yet no Planet B.

Today we have our general election – the government we’ll elect this time will be the last one to prevent the worst outcomes and secure somewhat of a future for our kids.

Wish us luck! I will cover the result in a separate post later this week.

(Climate Justice Camp, Cologne, 9/25/21)

Shutdown two, week forty-six

The incidence in Cologne has declined further; it’s at 78 right now.

On a further positive note, our government expects a vaccine for the under-12-year-olds by early next year. Yay!

This Friday, September 24, is the next global climate strike. We’re proud to host the scientist Jason von Juterczenka in Cologne with an exciting talk on the 6th IPCC Assessment Report – we hope to see you there!

I am also eternally grateful to all the artists who moved their craft to a streaming platform and enabled us to attend events without physically attending. I have visited so many different venues over the last two years, and I hope that I will be able to continue to do so after the pandemic ends.

(Techno Lieben und Leben, Oberzissen, 9/18/21)

Shutdown two, week forty-five

The incidence in Cologne is further down, at 110 right now.

As the weather turns cold outside, people are (hopefully) settling back into their stay-at-home routine. The pandemic is still very present, and the virus is still quite deadly; the fourth wave has started.

This weekend marks 20 years of 9/11, with President Biden leading a day of nationwide grief and remembrance.

In Munich, a big car show, IAA, took place. We still haven’t realized that the necessary change in mobility does not mean simply replacing the power train.

The climate emergency is real, and we need to re-think mobility from the ground up. Alas, our governing party and their leading candidate do not get that at all.

But: Elections are coming up soon!

#CarIsOver #IAAhatFertig

(Open Space Königsplatz, München, 9/11/21)

Shutdown two, week forty-two

The incidence in Cologne is at 138. Need I say more?

Our climate camp is joining OKNB for the trip to Berlin and will take a break until mid-September, returning for the final week of climate election campaigning and the next global climate strike on September 24.

We desperately need a more competent government, one that values compassion and science. And doesn’t invent forms to prevent our Afghan friends from leaving the country and joining us.

On a private note, I’ve submitted my thesis on time. Wish me luck!

(Directions, Klimacamp Cologne, 8/23/21)

Shutdown two, week forty-one

The local incidence rate in Cologne is at 75 and rising.

We have failed the people of Afghanistan.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released their sixth Assessment Report, containing pretty dire predictions. If you’re interested in an excellent explanatory write-up, I recommend this post by our scientist Jason von Juterczenka.

Looking at the bleak outlook, Christian Stöcker also has an op-ed in Der Spiegel headlined “The parents are still far from angry enough” – so true!

Six weeks to the upcoming general election and the climate justice camp in Cologne is still going strong

(Climate Justice Camp, Cologne, 8/13/21)

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-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)