Berlin, May 01.11.2023, XNUMX – Today, at 13:30 p.m., committed Christians and Buddhists of the last generation will gather at the Apostle Church 1 (10783 Berlin) to “No and Amen protest march” to participate.
Today, believing and interested people, including priests, dressed in gowns, are slowing down traffic in Berlin non-violently. Participants from different faiths and backgrounds will stop together again and again to say texts and prayers together for those who are suffering from the devastating consequences of the climate catastrophe.
The message is clear: a “Keep it up” is not an option. Instead, the protest march calls on the government to phase out burning fossil fuels by 2030. This is the contribution that Germany must make to stop the downward spiral of the climate crisis and to mitigate further suffering from heat, drought and floods [1]. It is time to take responsibility, repent and build a more just and sustainable world.
Dr. Ruben Zimmermann, Professor of Biblical Studies and Ethics at the University of Mainz, explains:
"Today I'm on the street with the last generation because I don't want to give up hope for change. As a Protestant theologian, I stand in a tradition of protest, reformation and conversion. If politicians do not make the necessary decisions against all scientific knowledge and reason, then we have to protest."
He continues: "Are there constraints that are more important than responsibility for life, which is massively at risk? We must raise our voices for the many people and animals in the global south who are already suffering and dying. We must raise our voices for future generations. We must raise our voices for the promise of the future in the biblical tradition. That's why we're protesting today, accompanied by religious texts, prayers and singing."
The Last Generation invites everyone interested to join the protest march, to deal with the causes and consequences of the climate catastrophe as well as possible options for action and to exchange ideas about them.
[1] Expert Council for Environmental Issues – What is the maximum amount of CO2 that Germany can emit?