On a route that began at Praça Martim Moniz and went up Avenida Almirante Reis to Alameda, hundreds of demonstrators sang protest chants and held up dozens of posters and banners. Among these, some warned that "There is no planet B!" and for the "Planetary precariousness", demanding governments for "Renewable energies for all".
Among the protesters was Ana Pereira, a 30-year-old financial analyst who had a poster slung over her shoulders and a dinosaur puppet in her left hand to remember the planet's own extinction scenario if nothing is done to contain climate change.
“Climate change does not have enough airtime in the media and it is important to draw attention to it”.
Equipped with an electric bicycle that brought her from Olivais to Lisbon's 'Baixa', 53-year-old Elsa Mota stressed that she had come to participate in the initiative not only out of concern for her generation, but especially for the younger ones, who they surprised her by not being outnumbered on this afternoon's march.
“You don't see many kids at the demonstration. I was waiting for more kids”, admitted the teacher, acknowledging that there is still “a deficit of collective conscience in terms of environmental protection, but noting that action is needed: “I couldn't just sit there, I have three children”.
Convened by the Save the Climate platform, the demonstration brought together several Portuguese organizations calling for drastic cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, a fair transition and global climate justice, on a global-scale initiative to create pressure on COP26.
More than 120 political leaders and thousands of experts, activists and public decision-makers are gathered until 12 November in Glasgow, Scotland, to update countries' contributions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
For the amount of energy our societies need, nuclear energy is far ahead of any other alternative, be it fossil, hydraulic, and even the so-called "green energies" such as solar, eolic, bio and geothermal now the stars elected by some of our powerful, intoxicating and ignorant media. Despite the serious drawbacks raised by these energy forms, many people, unfortunately, just don't give in and don't recognize the many and clear advantages of nuclear power. It is reliable, the most cost effective (if we avoid demagogic rhetoric), and environmentally sustainable. Stop dreaming and wasting precious resources by postponing evident solutions that will radically impact the wellbeing of our societies and drastically reduce anthropomorphic greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere.
Interesting to note that the ongoing media brainwashing of our youngest ones is not having the success obtained on the impressionable Greta Thunberg, the new little sense environmental Messiah, and on many opportunistic politicians and scribes. It's amazing how far the nonsense can go!
By Tony Fernandes from Other on 09 Nov 2021, 18:57
I agree with Tony. Nuclear energy is the way to go. Stop all this whingeing about fossil fuels and the false prophecies of electric vehicles saving the planet.
By Ian from Lisbon on 10 Nov 2021, 13:28