By Marco Lopez
Flights at Germany’s Frankfurt Airport came to a screeching halt on Thursday, July 25, as protestors connected to the group Letzte Generation (The Last Generation) infiltrated and flooded the tarmac of the country’s busiest airport.
“Oil Kills!” – read banners from the protestors – some of whom glued themselves to the tarmac. This protest is but the start of demonstrations the group warns, similar demonstrations will soon cross over to North America, as the non-violent climate activist group mobilizes.
The group is calling on the German government, and world leaders to pursue the global agreement to end the extraction and burning of fossil fuel by 2030.
Studies from the UN Environmental Program indicate that governments, instead of cutting, plan to produce double the quantity of fossil fuel recommended to maintain the 1.5 limit.
This group, like climate activists across the world, is calling for an equitable transition to a clean economy.
A release by The Last Generation outlines that six members used pincers to cut the chain link fence at the airport before storming the runways on foot, bikes, and skateboards.
Germany’s Interior Minister, Mancy Faeser, called the demonstrations, “dumb, dangerous and criminal.”
Eight people were detained according to police.
Similar disruptions have been seen across Europe, including at London’s Heathrow on Wednesday of this week, where several protestors were arrested. At Austria’s Vienna Airport, four activists poured an orange substance into one of the airport halls.
According to the World in Data, global aviation is responsible for about 2.5 % of global carbon emissions and contributes to 4% of global warming.
While these numbers are relatively low compared to other more carbon-intensive industries, these protests seek, in many ways, to inspire further action among youth and force leaders and government to act on the urgent need to safeguard our planet and transition from the fossil fuel era.
Sean Callaghan, 29, is one is the persons arrested in London on Wednesday. He describes himself as an environmental educator in a video posted on social media.
“I’m taking action at airports this summer because it is impossible for me to see a way in which we can inspire and enthuse students about the future of our planet,″ Callaghan said.
We will continue to follow.
