Supporters of the last generation have been occupying Potzdamer Platz in Berlin since 8 a.m. today. More pictures here.
Berlin, May 06.10.2023, XNUMX – Around 8:00 a.m., several dozen Last Generation supporters streamed into Potsdamer Platz in Berlin. A large police presence was unable to prevent nine demonstrators from sticking their hands to the road. They show banners with the inscription “Away from fossil fuels – towards fairness. Today it is clear once again: There is no getting around the climate catastrophe and the associated political failure.
Silvia Klesz explains further: “Scholz knows full well that he is telling an untruth when he claims that he has everything under control. The truth is: Either we now actively shape the transition away from fossil fuels and towards fairness, or our livelihoods will blow up in our faces in the next few decades. Scholz shirks this truth and lets us all fall into the open knife of climate catastrophe. To make this visible, we are now occupying Potsdamer Platz centrally in Berlin in large numbers. "
It was already clear two years ago that we would probably exceed 2030 degrees by 1,5. [1] Already this year, temperatures have been 1,4 degrees above pre-industrial levels, and in September, according to current measurements, they were even 1,75 degrees above pre-industrial levels. [2]
At the extreme weather congress that took place in Hamburg last week, numerous experts made it clear that we have to say goodbye to the wishful thinking that we can still meet the Paris climate goals. Jochem Marotzke, director at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology in Hamburg, summarizes: “We have to accept that the 1,5 degree limit will be exceeded. The Paris Framework Agreement has effectively failed on this point."[3]
Meanwhile, the Scholz government continues to state that it wants to become climate neutral by 2045 in order to maintain the 1,5 degrees.
With every tenth of a degree it becomes more likely that climate tipping points will be exceeded [4], resulting in abrupt, irreversible changes. This means that the climate catastrophe will no longer increase linearly, but exponentially. [5]
Carla Rochel (21), speaker of the Last Generation, who is occupying Potsdamer Platz today together with dozens of other people, comments: “What the government tells us simply has nothing to do with reality. Today we are already seeing the deadly consequences of past failures; it is no longer five to twelve, it is long past twelve. With every ton of CO2 we emit, the risk of the climate system collapsing increases. We can no longer wait for the transition away from oil, gas and coal, so we will protest until it starts. "
Explained about the police's actions today Silvia Klesz (57), Speaker of the Last Generation: “We are shocked that some Berlin police officers are willing to risk injuries to prevent a demonstration and a short-term traffic jam. Today, some officers threw themselves at demonstrators and dragged our spokesman Theodor Schnarr off the street by his backpack so that the backpack strap closed his neck. In one case, a police officer tried to carry a protester alone and caused him to fall on his head. "
You can find all the situations described as videos in our press folder for today: Link.
[1] www.tagesschau.de/wissen/klima/weltklimarat-bericht-klimawandel-101.html
[2]
www.rnd.de/wissen/wird-2023-das-waermste-jemals-gemessene-jahr-rekordtemperaturen-im-september-2I7H5UAMK5PTRPS4DMCQEIPMT4.html
[3] Weather researchers: 1,5 degree limit will soon be exceeded | NDR.de – News – Hamburg
[4] www.pik-potsdam.de/~stefan/Publications/Kipppunkte%20im%20Klimasystem%20-%20Update%202019.pdf , helmholtz-klima.de/aktuelles/kippelemente-im-klimasystem
[5] www.ardalpha.de/wissen/umwelt/klima/klimawandel/kipp-points-klima-permafrost-arktis-eis-100.html