On Sunday, we had local elections in the state of North-Rhine Westphalia.
In my home town, Cologne, the Greens reached a clear majority in both the city council and the boroughs.
Let’s make Cologne climate-neutral and keep it colorful, tolerant, and diverse in the years to come!
(Source: https://wahlen.stadt-koeln.de/prod/KW2020/05315000/html5/index.html, 9/14/20)
On Friday, September 25, we’ll have the next global climate strike!
Fighting the climate emergency is as important as ever, and we need to keep up the pressure on our politicians.
Last Friday, we had a relatively successful dress rehearsal in Cologne and were able to validate the distancing concepts for the next big protest.
See you in the streets!
(In the streets of Cologne, 9/4/20)
This weekend saw a big gathering of right-wing extremists and other Corona-deniers in our capital, Berlin.
During their protests, a group went to the stairs in front of our parliament building, brandishing the Reich’s hateful symbols – absolutely disgusting and shameful!
The Police should have prevented this, but they were sadly understaffed, with only three officers present in front of the parliament (according to media reports).
Maybe these officers protecting the commercial interests of RWE at the Garzweiler open-pit coal mine could have helped?
(Alle Dörfer Bleiben, 8/30/20)
Our government recently passed a law that guarantees several large corporations, such as RWE and LEAG, the right to mine lignite until 2038. It also awards them huge compensation for shutting down money-losing plants.
There’s no need for coal-firing plants to generate electricity – it’s even not commercially viable anymore.
Instead of protecting the environment and its people, our government subsidizes a couple of big companies and violates the Paris accord.
We’ll ask the EU for help.
(Getting ready, 7/10/20)
We’re at the end of the eleventh week of social distancing now, restrictions are easing, and the borders should reopen in two weeks. It could be a time to celebrate, but it’s not.
The institutionalized racism in the West has again led to one more death. Someone caught the murder on video, which is causing massive civil unrest all across the US. In Europe, we’re still failing to support the people at our borders, showing similar, completely inhuman behavior. Why is racism still a thing in 2020?
Black Lives Matter!
We’re also ignoring the climate emergency and fired up a new coal power plant.
Our government is looking to subsidize car ownership once again, as if we didn’t know that we need to rethink traffic radically.
Indigenous peoples all over the world are in danger because they’re protecting our environment.
I’m lost.
At least we can finally restart the weekly protests …
(Instagram, 5/31/20)
A couple of days ago, the unthinkable happened: A candidate got himself elected as governor with the help of the far right.
In Thuringia, of all places, where last century the Nazi party scored their first victory and started a spree of unspeakable atrocities and heinous crimes against humanity.
All just a couple of days after Holocaust Remembrance Day, just a couple of days after the 75-year anniversary of the liberation of the German death factory in Auschwitz through the Red Army.
What is wrong with people?
Never Again – Never Forget!
(#koelleforfuture, 2/7/20)
During the weekend we had a networking event with for-Future climate activists from all over Germany and many other European countries.
Networking becomes ever more important in the climate justice movement, to unite and coordinate activities, as our governments fail to address the emergency we’re facing and even harbor plans to make it worse, by adding more fossil fuel power plants, such as Datteln IV or Adani’s Carmichael coal mine.
The event was an Open Space, expertly facilitated by Jutta Weimar, Jens Wellendorf, and many supporters, who graciously donated their time and effort; results will now be forwarded to the local groups.
Vegan catering came from Fläming Kitchen, a so-called people-kitchen based in the Fläming region between Berlin and Leipzig – yum!
We were hosted at Max-Bill-Schule in Berlin Weissensee – many thanks to the director, Bernhard Klein, for having us!
(Program schedule)
With the (still) pretty abysmal Klimapaket of our government and the catastrophic failure of COP25 in Madrid, there’s only one course of action left – to organize ourselves and start protecting our climate!
One small step is the Visions For Climate summit in Berlin, January 24th to 26th, for people and organizations that are actively working to reach climate justice in time, for all.
Come and join us – see you there!
(Social Media post, from the organizer)
The latest reports from climate scientists are quite devastating, we’re getting close to what they call irreversible tipping points – do we really want to risk turning our earth into an inhabitable rock?
This Friday we were 630,000 people overall in Germany, according to the Fridays, protesting together against the inaction of our governments facing the climate crisis; in Cologne, we were in total 20,000 people on the streets.
Young Sheldon joined Jane Fonda for their weekly FireDrillFriday in front of the Capitol – at 11 years of age, Iain apparently has much more courage and intelligence than many adults!
On a positive note, the ailing Social Democrats have chosen a new group of leaders, and hopefully with it a more socially and environmentally friendly direction in their politics. Time will tell, though.
(NeustartKlima, Cologne, 11/29/19)
If we’re serious about protecting our climate, we need to show and apply the true cost of CO2 emissions to where they occur.
One business that will for sure suffer is the airline industry, especially the low-cost carriers – that most likely will not be a business model that can be sustained much longer.
Of course I do accept the necessary change and will adapt, but that’s where it hurts me the most personally, and I quietly mourn the ability to travel the world freely; it almost feels as if my wings were clipped.
But long distance trains are an option, too – if they weren’t so expensive … I really hope we will reintroduce sleeper carriages and over night trains in Europe!
