Geneva [Switzerland], October 1: In the Swiss city of Bern, tens of thousands of people took to the streets on Saturday to demand immediate action to address climate change.
The National Climate Demonstration focused on climate justice.
Climate Alliance Switzerland, which organized the event, said they wanted to highlight how wealthier countries in the northern hemisphere, such as Switzerland, have contributed most to climate emissions - but the poorer southern hemisphere will likely suffer the worst consequences.
Organizers said that more than 60,000 participants attended the event. Protester marched to Switzerland's Federal Palace building in the city centre, which houses the country's national parliament and government.
The crowd carried signs and banners with slogans such as "The forest is burning, the Arctic is melting, politics is sleeping" and "If the climate were a bank, we would have saved it long ago," a reference to the Swiss government's recent rescue of banking giant Credit Suisse.
Climate Alliance Switzerland is made up of more than 140 organizations, including environment groups, churches, youth clubs, trade unions and consumer advocacy groups.
"Many have been losing hope because the government is approving new roads and delaying the climate law. But today we were powerful," said Georg Klingler from environmental campaigners Greenpeace who took part in the march.
The Green Party, which boosted its presence at the last parliamentary election but does not have a seat in the ruling cabinet, estimated that more than 60,000 people took part. A Bern police spokesperson declined to give an estimate.
"Parliament, with its bourgeois majority, is preventing rapid, consistent and effective climate protection," the Green Party said. "We need a change at the next elections," it said, referring to the Oct. 22 legislative poll.
Switzerland's policies are deemed "insufficient" by research consortium Climate Action Tracker.
Source: Qatar Tribune
