For Daniel Holanda, the effects of climate change are clearly visible. A resident of Anápolis (GO), in the cerrado region, the 19-year-old is impressed by the way the sky is quite dark during the dry season, the heat is extreme and there is a lack of water, despite the biome being considered the ” cradle of waters”.
“Until last month, no drop of water has fallen from the sky since the beginning of the year, and all the time I receive notifications from the Civil Defense on my cell phone warning about weather phenomena in my region,” he says.
The law and international relations student is one of 16 young people from the Brazilian delegation of Fridays for Future Brasil, a group of young people led by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who are going to Glasgow, Scotland, to participate in COP26, the 26th United Nations Conference on Climate Change, which takes place from October 31st to November 12th.
The main UN summit for debate on climate issues, the event is seen by many as the last opportunity for humanity to avoid global warming with catastrophic consequences.
Aged between 18 and 25, the group includes representatives from the five regions and six Brazilian biomes, including two indigenous representatives of the Sateré-Mawé and Guarani ethnic groups.
The fact of not having warm clothes for the icy Scottish climate, where he will face a temperature variation of more than 30 degrees in relation to the city where he lives, is the least of the problems for the young man who gained interest in the socio-environmental agenda after participating , in 2019, in New York, of the General Youth Assembly, a global conference promoted by the UN.
“We have to pursue and sacrifice ourselves to reach spaces that no other young person has occupied, without help from the government, newspapers and adults”, says Holanda.
“We need to unite the youth to ensure our existence ten years from now, as it may be that most people who are in leadership positions, who are usually older, don’t worry about the future, as they won’t see the consequences that their decisions generated”, he adds.
With 180 active participants in Brazil, Fridays for Future held a “kitty” to raise funds for the trip, but much of the funding came from partner NGOs.
The Brazilian branch will participate in a series of events during COP26, mainly webinars in the so-called Green Zone —official conference area dedicated to discussions and parallel events—, where it will have its own panel, in addition to leading a demonstration scheduled for the 5th. from November.
“Our demand is that governments treat the climate crisis as really a crisis and fulfill what they promised and signed,” says Daniel.
Headquartered at the Glasgow Science Center, the Green Zone is expected to bring together young people, indigenous leaders, businesses and communities and host cultural presentations, exhibitions, lectures, film screenings and technical demonstrations for the general public.
The Fridays for Future global delegation will be 123 people in Glasgow. After announcing that she would not attend the event because of lack of vaccination for all participants, Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg, now 18, changed her mind, but said she hopes to be disappointed once again by the empty speech and the lack of action from world leaders.
“My expectation is that we’ll hear many, many nice speeches, we’ll hear many promises that, if you really look at the details, are more or less meaningless, but they just tell them to have something to say, for the media to have something to report. COPs as they are now will not lead to anything unless there is great and massive pressure,” said Greta.
She also stated that she would be surprised at the idea that the President of the United States, Joe Biden, or any world leader, might want to meet with her during the conference.
“I think it will depend on the situation. I see no reason why these people would want to meet with me, but I am open to that possibility, if invited,” said the activist.
In just three years — since, at 15, she started missing school on Fridays to protest, alone, holding a sign that read “School Strike for Climate” in front of the Swedish parliament — Thunberg has become a global celebrity. After a year out of school promoting her cause full-time, she has returned to school and is enrolled in her sophomore year of high school.
Called a “brat” by President Jair Bolsonaro (no party), the activist called the Brazilian government’s action in relation to the Amazon and indigenous peoples “shameful”. She also assessed that the country’s current president “failed” in combating the pandemic and climate change.
In July, Greta donated 100,000 euros to Fridays for Future Brasil, to the SOS Amazônia campaign, created with the objective of helping indigenous and riverside communities in the Amazon territory fight Covid-19. The resource is part of the €1 million award she received for the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity, given by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, based in Portugal.
On Friday, Sept. 24, Fridays For Future held the first global youth climate strike since the start of the pandemic. The protests took place in more than 1,400 locations around the world and brought 1.5 million people to the streets, according to the group, which on Oct. 16 also promoted a music festival, Climate Live, which brought together young people from 20 countries.
In addition to the musical performances, which in Brazil involved artists such as Elza Soares, Maria Gadú and Marcelo Jeneci, the public was invited to sign a petition that will be delivered to the authorities that will participate in the meeting in Scotland.
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