‘World can’t wait for Trump to grow up’ – Greenpeace calls for G20 climate action
Towing a sculpture of a crying Donald Trump, Greenpeace Germany activists have protested in Hamburg at the start of the G20 Summit, demanding a swift and strong implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement.
The activists towed a seven-metre high sculpture of US President Trump on a pontoon in front of the Hamburg concert hall Elbphilharmonie, where the G20 leaders will gather in the evening for a performance.
The paper mache sculpture depicts Trump as a crying baby with a full diaper while sitting on a globe. In his hands he holds a torn copy of the Paris climate deal and under the figure stands the message: ‘Time For A Change’.
“The other G20 leaders cannot wait for Donald Trump to grow up,” Greenpeace Germany climate expert Karsten Smid said. “The G19 must make a stand by signaling that there can be no turning back and reaffirming that they have decided to leave coal, oil and gas behind, as they agreed to in Paris.”
Since Trump announced the US withdrawal from the Paris agreement in early June, some G20 countries have responded by vocally reaffirming their support for the landmark accord. But words must now be transformed into action.
In Germany, despite a rapid expansion of renewable energies, CO2 emissions remain as high as they were in 2009 at 906 million tons. This is due to the persistently large share of coal in electricity generation.
“Chancellor Merkel goes to the G20 Summit as a coal chancellor. Only when Germany decides to phase out coal will the country’s energy production start to benefit rather than destroy the climate,” Smid said.
A study commissioned by Greenpeace Germany this week revealed how renewable energy is already the cheapest source of electricity in many G20 countries. The report also found that wind and solar energy will become the cheapest form of power generation in all G20 countries by the year 2030 at the latest.
Source: greenpeace.org
