The streets of Belgium's capital city were awash with thousands of climate activists demanding more stringent action from world leaders. The protest action comes ahead of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow later this month.
Marching for change
The streets of Brussels were crammed with protestors carrying placards and chanting various slogans. Some of those who attended the march had come dressed as endangered animal species. Dozens of organizations mobilized ahead of the march in the hope it would be the largest protest since coronavirus restrictions curbed public gatherings.
Xavier De Wannemaeker, a protestor with Extinction Rebellion said the time for action was now and that the problem was in plain sight. "After you've seen all the disasters we have seen this summer, it's really crucial that we move now. Because everybody knows what the problem is."
Another climate activist, Lucien Dewanaga said there was no backup plan when it came to earth's destruction. "What do we do when we destroy the planet? We have nothing else. Human beings have to live in this world. And there is only one world," said Dewanaga.
Hope for more action from upcoming climate summit
Climate activists are concerned there will be nothing but more hot air from world leaders attending the upcoming UN climate Change Conference in Glasgow, which begins on October 31.
The summit is scheduled for 12 days and is looking for greater commitments to cut global emissions, thereby limiting global warming, keeping it to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The summit also wants greater cooperation from participants and to speed up plans to tackle the climate crisis. Various studies have found a correlation between high greenhouse gases emissions and the prevalence of extreme weather events, from wildfires to severe floods.
kb/rc (AP, AFP, dpa)
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