‘We’re already in a living hell’: Greta Thunberg joins young climate activists outside Cop26 to demand faster action

Young activists from Uganda, Colombia and Argentina among those calling for climate justice from outside the conference

(Reuters)

Young climate activists from across the world took to the streets of Glasgow on Monday to demand faster action from world leaders arriving at the Cop26 climate summit.

Greta Thunberg and Vanessa Nakate were among those taking part in a wave of demos across Glasgow. They were joined by young environmentalists from countries including Argentina, the Philippines, Mexico and Colombia.

The Fridays for Future activists denounced the actions of Boris Johnson and other leaders taking part in the first day of the UN climate conference involving 25,000 people.

“Inside Cop there are politicians and people in power pretending to take our future seriously,” Ms Thunberg told crowds in Glasgow.

“The solution to the climate crisis is not there – because the hope is not there,” added Nicki Becker, a young activist from Argentina. “The hope is with the movement.”

Their calls for action came as officials confirmed that Mr Johnson will return to London on a private plane on Tuesday, just a day after he urged others to take drastic steps to save the planet.

Among those taking part in the protests was Francisco Vera, a 12-year-old who has previously faced death threats for speaking out about the need to protect the planet.

“The voices of children need to be heard,” he said. “We also need to be part of the decision-making process because it is our present and our future.”

The group, which also included Filipino activist Mitzi Jonelle Tan, Mexican-Chilean indigenous activist Xiye Bastida and Ugandan activist Evelyn Acham, called on leaders to end all new fossil fuel investments and “creative carbon accounting”.

They also called on leaders to commit to the emissions cuts needed to limit global warming to 1.5C, the aspiration of the Paris Agreement made by countries in 2015.

A landmark climate report published in August warned that chances of keeping temperatures at 1.5C are fast slipping away as global emissions continue to rise year on year.

And a UN review published ahead of Cop26 found that countries’ most recent pledges would reduce CO2 emissions by just 7.5 per cent by 2030, when compared to previous commitments. For the world to limit the temperature rise to 1.5C, a cut of 55 per cent would be needed.

Many of the speakers from global south countries spoke of their personal experience of suffering from the impacts of the climate crisis.

“The climate crisis is happening today right now and the global south is being sacrificed,” said Jon Bonifacio, an activist for Fridays for Future Philippines.

“The Philippines is one of the most affected countries on the planet. Last year we experienced four typhoons in the span of a month ... We’re already in a living hell.”