Following young people who have organised protests for the future of the climate, a group of “worried parents” have decided to join the fight. They have organised a Climate March of Parents, which will be held on May 12 on SNP Square in Bratislava, starting at 15:00.
“We’re trying to feed our children healthy food,” the organisers wrote on Facebook. “Buy them a bicycle helmet. Find good kindergartens. To be caring and loving parents. But at the same time, we will probably leave them a planet with the highest concentration of CO2 in the past three million years.”
The protest is inspired by the #MothersClimateMarch initiative. Since the organisers received a positive feedback not only from mothers, but from parents in general, they decided to name the Bratislava event “Climate March of Parents”, explained Sandra Štasselová.
As the organisers stressed, they are supporting student strikes for the climate.
“Students shouldn’t remain alone in this fight,” they wrote on Facebook. “We mothers and fathers, grandparents, aunts and uncles, also care about the future of children.”
In case of bad weather, the protest will be moved to another date, Štasselová said.
Organisers call on state to act
Bratislava protested for the future of the climate Read more Children are currently being raised for an uncertain future, the organisers stressed. They pointed to the fact that it is necessary to keep global warming below 1.5 Celsius degree, which may occur in 12 years. To reverse this trend, it is necessary to reduce CO2 emissions by 45 percent until 2030, and stop them completely by 2050.
However, emissions are increasing and politicians are not acting
“As responsible parents we can’t remain silent,” the organisers said.
Therefore they have addressed the government with several requirements:
- to introduce a climate state of emergency. Climate protection should become a priority. When adopting any solutions, Slovakia should take their impact on climate change into consideration;
- to immediately prepare an ambitious action plan for transitioning to a carbon-free economy, with the aim of preventing an increase in temperature by 1.5 Celsius degrees;
- to stop supporting polluters, write off coal reserves immediately, and stop indirect coal subsidies and the support of industries supporting a high increase in emissions;
- to retreat from the fossil fuels within the performance of Slovakia’s shareholder rights in international institutions and in Slovakia. The country should not contribute to the development of projects focused on mining and the use of fossil fuels via its bank investments, guarantees, and companies in which it owns shares;
- to stop the deforestation of Slovakia, introduce measures to reduce emissions in agriculture, protect water and biodiversity.
