Lisbon Climate Protests Intensify in the Midst of the COP27 Conference
On Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022 climate protesters organized in the streets of Lisbon, Portugal and stormed the building where Antonio Costa Silva, Portugal’s Economy Minister, was speaking. The protestors, the majority of whom were students, demanded that he resign. As some protesters entered the building, police responded by dragging people out and the minister was forced to leave through a back entrance.
Protesters hold up signs regarding fossil fuels in Lisbon, Portugal on Nov. 12, 2022 REUTERS/Pedro Nunes
As climate protests continue in Portugal, Marta Leandro, the vice president of the environmental group at the forefront of these protests stated, “The situation is serious and urgent. What we do or do not do in this decade will have a great impact on climate security.” Calls for the Portugal’s Economy Minister to step down are driven by the fact that he previously worked for the oil industry, which is a well-known contributor to climate change.
The call for the resignation of the Economy Minister was led by a movement called the “Lisbon Student Climate Strike.” The students involved in the protest have demanded the end of fossil fuel use by 2030. In response to their demands for resignation, Pedro Nuno Santos, the minister of infrastructure and housing, stated that although the calls for resignation were unfair, “the young people’s fight is absolutely fair.” He also added that he is willing to have a meeting with the activists, and is looking forward to the completion of Ferrovia 2020 in 2023, which is a high speed train line that will expand public transport options and reduce the reliance on cars.
Students gather to protest fossil fuel emissions in Lisbon on Nov. 12, 2022 REUTERS/Pedro Nunes
These protests come just as leaders around the world are meeting at the COP27 UN climate summit in Egypt, where they are discussing goals to reduce the impacts of climate change in the future. Many activists do not believe that conversations during the COP27 will solve the climate problem. Protesters have pointed out a few reasons for concern, including that governments focus too much on “monetary interests” from corporations and businesses instead of placing climate change at the top of political agendas.
On Tuesday, UN experts said that statements made by companies and cities regarding their dedication to achieve net-zero emissions are simply greenwashing. In other words, these entities make deceiving statements or claims about action that supposedly has a positive impact on the environment.
A sign notes the COP27 meeting in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt REUTERS/Sayed Sheasha
World leaders have continuously stated that progress regarding climate change efforts have been slow, and that it is necessary to “revisit and strengthen” targets. This year’s COP27 conference is taking place in Sharm el-Sheikh from Nov. 6 to Nov. 18. The primary focus is to put more emphasis on African countries that are the most vulnerable to climate change despite being responsible for a very little amount of emissions. This trend is popular because heavily industrialized countries are responsible for the majority of emissions, while underdeveloped countries emit less and face the most climate-related consequences. President Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley, and Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak are some of of the world leaders in attendance.
Europe has dealt with many forest fires the past summer due to temperature increases REUTERS/Stephane Mahe
Actions to mitigate climate change are becoming increasingly important as the years pass. On the first day of the COP27 summit a UN report created by the World Meteorological Organization stated that the past 8 years were the hottest in history, putting the world in a very dangerous climate crisis. At the same time, UN Secretary General António Guterres stated that growing emissions and temperatures are putting the planet “on course for reaching tipping points that will make climate chaos irreversible.” Climate protests are becoming increasingly popular as people are demanding more change during a critical period in time.