Global Climate Strike  [30.09.19]

Today, hundreds of thousands of people in almost 600 German cities followed the call of the Fridays for Future movement to increase pressure regarding climate policy. Worldwide, 5,000 protest actions are expected. Numerous people from Hohenheim have also taken part in the campaign in Stuttgart.

"Please move up a bit, not everyone is here yet," the organizers called from the podium. It was hard to believe because the last time the Schlossplatz in Stuttgart was that crowded was at the climax of the Stuttgart 21 demonstrations against the new underground train station.

As in many other German cities, the number of participants in Stuttgart exceeded expectations. For some time now, not only schoolchildren have been taking part, but also people from all age groups and the most diverse social groups.

Under the motto "Scientists for Future," more than 27,000 scientists in Germany have already declared their solidarity with the movement. The Hohenheim climate researcher Prof. Dr. Volker Wulfmeyer was one of the first signatories.

The trade unions, among other organizations, called for today's action in Stuttgart. At the University of Hohenheim, it was mainly the green university groups that mobilized. However, some professors, doctoral candidates, and employees also took time off to take part in the demonstration.

The specific plans of the federal government for the climate package had not yet reached the demonstrators during the rally on the Schlossplatz. But the speeches already indicated great skepticism.

In order to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the movements are demanding, among other things, a phase-out of coal power plants by 2030 and 100% renewable energies from 2035. The price of greenhouse gas emissions must also quickly become as high as the costs that this entails. According to the Federal Environment Agency, this is €180 per ton of CO2.

Photos/Text: Leonhardmair; Translation: Neudorfer