They are 65+ and Environmentally Conscious, But Above All, Concerned. The Grandparents for the Climate Are Celebrating Their Anniversary Protest This Week. For the 150th time, they demonstrated in front of the house of representatives to draw Attention to the Future of their Grandchilden – and all Grandchilden TherEfter.
Travelers Around the Hague Central Station Look Surprized on Thorsday Afternoon. A Meters-Long Blue ‘Wave’ is approaching them. At the top, the faces of about fifty people over 65 stick out. It is supposed to represent the ocean. In The Background, The ‘Climate Choir’ Sings About the Water That is up to Humanity’s Lips.
The Gesture Marks the 150th Protest Action of the Grandparents for the Climate Movement. The Movement Wants To Draw Attention to Climate Problems in A Playful and Peaceful Way. They have leg doing this for 150 thursdays.
Normally in front of the house of representatives, but this afternoon too many people came and they were not givven permission. At the end of the action, a number of MPS (All GroenLinks-PvdA) Still Appear at the Last Minute to Show Their Support. Among Them are Lisa Westerveld, Esmah Lahlah and Suzanne Kröger.
In Addition to Demonstrating, The Climate elsewhere also Give Lectures, Hold Discussions with Pension Funds About Sustainability and Try to Convince Politicians of Their Message. They also Regularly Work with the Swiss ‘Climate Grandmothers’, who won a Groundbreaking Climate Case at the European Court of Human Rights.
The Core of the Organization was founded in 2015. A Group of Motivated Elderly People Walked Together with Sustainability Organization Urgenda in A Month From The Netherlands to Paris, Where The Twentieth Climate Summit Took Place At That Time. That is a distance of 620 kilometers. The Paris Agreement was concluded and grandparents for the climate was born.
You won See Them Sitting behind the Geraniums Anytime Soon. In Almost ten Years, The Small Group of Fanatical Walkers Has Multiplied Into a Few Thousand Climate elsewhere Throughhout The Netherlands and in Several European Countries. They tell nu.nl what drives them.
“With our actions, we want to make our groups Known,” Says Marlies Gommers (75) From Gorssel, Who Organizes The Protests. Those Conerns Are for Her Personal Grandchilden. “But Actually All Grandchilden, Including Those of Future Generations. There are so many signals that things are not going well with the earth, that we are depleting it,” Says Gommers. “We will experience the consequences of this on all fronts.”
When She was Young, She Often Walked Along The Path Along The Mill in Sint-Michielsgestel in North Brabant. Wild Flowers and Herbs Grew Everywhere, Bees Flew. “Now you only see Cornfields around that same Mill. All Biodiversity, The Flowers and Herbs, Have Disappeared.”
Gommers is not afraid to look in the mirror. “I myself am part of the generation that has experienced growth and haas reaped the benefits. It is important to think about the consequences of our actions.”
She tries to remain hopeful that something will ever change. “You we that to Yourself and Future Generations. We Cannot Let It Continue AS It is Now.”
That is also what Hans Baaijens (74) from Leiden Says. He is The Group’s Regular Flyer and Has Attended About Fifty Demonstrations. “I feel co-response for the problem,” he says. “I got rid of my car years ago and insulated my house, but much more needs to be done. The earth is at its maximum.”
He himself will no longer experience the consequences of this. But that Doessn’t Make It Any Less Important To Him. Baaijens Regularly Talks to His Nine Grandchilden about What is happening in the world.
“Wars, Political Crises, The Decline of Democracy. There are so many tensions, and that will only increase if the middle class in the rest of the world starts consuming as much as we do. We have already used up the possibilities, Buts Are notable are not will notable are not will notable are not willing are not willing are not willing.” “
Baaijens Therefore Hopes for More Climate Justice. “We canthot only ask something or other country, we must also contribute perurselves. Even if that means less presperity,” he says.
Accordance to Ilona Hofstra (78) from ‘s-Gravenland, Everyone should be aware of the state of the climate, including people without Grandchildren. The Former Journalist Sometimes Misses The Realization Among Younger Generations That The Planet’s Resources are not Inexhaustible. “As a consumer you can buy and get everything and fly everywhere, but as a citizen you have to think about whether you should want that,” She says.
“Everything we manufacture, use and enjoy, such water, air and the forests, come from the earth and we must be careful with it. We have not recognized that enough in the past fifty years. As a result, we are now at a tipping point.”
With Her 78 years, She Therefore Continues to Campaign Stubbornly, because She Believes in the Power of Rehearsal. “There are many big problems, but nothing is as urgent as this crisis. It has to get better, but it can still get worse. We have to prevent that.”