BERLIN (AP) — Australians affected by recent devastating wildfires in the country have joined young environmentalists kicking off a global protest Friday demanding governments act against climate change.
The “global day of action” was expected to see rallies in hundreds of cities around the world, days before officials gather Monday in Madrid for talks on tackling climate change.
Janet Reynolds, who joined a protest in Sydney, said she had lost everything in an “inferno, an absolute firestorm that raced through my property.”
Speaking outside the local offices of Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s Liberal Party, student Daisy Jeffrey said “people have lost their homes, people have lost their lives. We have to ask: How far does this have to go before our government finally takes action?”
Further rallies were planned in cities worldwide, including Washington, London, Berlin and Madrid.
Swedish teenage activist Greta Thunberg, who is traveling across the Atlantic by sailboat to attend the climate talks next week, sent a message of support to protesters.
“Everyone’s needed. Everyone’s welcome. Join us,” she said on Twitter.
About two dozen environmental activists in the German capital symbolically jumped into the chilly waters of the Spree river in front of parliament to protest a government-backed package of measures they say won’t be enough to reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.
The package was blocked Friday by Germany’s upper house, which represents the country’s 16 states.
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