Photo: (c) Last generation
Hamburg & Düsseldorf, July 13.07.2023th, XNUMX, TIME – Citizens of the last generation are currently blocking the runways at the airports in Düsseldorf and Hamburg. They are protesting against the government's lack of planning and breaking the law in the climate crisis.
The government is breaking the climate protection law for two reasons: Firstly, it has no strategy on how to meet the 2030 climate targets (§9 KSG) and secondly, the Ministry of Transport is not creating an immediate climate protection program on how emissions in the transport sector - which also includes the aviation sector - can be reduced (§8 KSG).
Citizens gained access to the airport areas in Düsseldorf and Hamburg via the security fence. In Hamburg, several people wearing high-visibility vests and bicycles got onto the runway, disrupting air traffic. At Düsseldorf Airport, a fence was also cut through to allow people to access the apron of the airport on foot, which is currently blocking aircraft from traveling to the runway.
Several people had their hands stuck to the tarmac.
✈️ Runways at Düsseldorf and Hamburg airports blocked since 6 a.m.!
— Last Generation (@uprisingLastGen) July 13, 2023
👩⚖️ We are protesting against the government's lack of planning and breaking the law in the climate crisis. pic.twitter.com/9VUqyVitjI
Before Miriam Meyer When she climbs over the fence and rides her bike onto the tarmac at Hamburg Airport, she asks: “Where, if not at an airport, is the right place to protest against the destruction of our livelihoods?”
She further explains: “The world is burning and we are the last generation that has the chance to pick up the fire extinguisher. Instead, we allow our government to subsidize air travel, a major accelerant of the catastrophe, with billions every year. This is like collective suicide and we can no longer accept that."
Micha Frey, who went onto the runway in Düsseldorf today on foot and in a high-visibility vest, summarizes: “The government has no plan on how emissions can be sufficiently reduced, thereby openly breaking the climate protection law and letting us all fall into the open knife of climate collapse. Worse, she pushes us into it. As democrats, we have the right and the duty to peacefully resist this injustice.”
In recent decades, passenger numbers and emissions in the aviation sector have risen rapidly. Experts assume that the number of flights will continue to grow significantly in the next few years. [1] [2]
Instead of presenting a concrete plan on how this can be prevented and the legally required emissions reduction target can be achieved, the Ministry of Transport is relying on “technology openness”. This is like refusing to work, because it is already clear today that this approach is futile - Wissing's daydreams are not coming true, reduction targets are being missed and the earth continues to heat up unchecked.
In addition, there are enormous government subsidies for the airline industry, which in Germany amounts to more than twelve billion euros every year due to the waiver of kerosene and VAT alone.
One heat record after another is currently being broken around the world. According to current figures, more than 60.000 people died in Europe last summer alone due to the extreme heat. A further aggravation of the climatic situation will lead to Large parts of the earth will become uninhabitable – as early as this century.
In order to prevent an impending escalation spiral of droughts, resource scarcity and distribution struggles, a socially just plan is needed, drawn up by those who are affected. The Last Generation is therefore calling for a social council that will bring the federal government back to the ground of the constitution by helping it comply with the law and clarifying how the use of fossil raw materials will be ended by 2030.
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