Community dialogue - Scholz advises climate hunger strikers to end their protest.
The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, made a plea for the participants of the climate hunger strike in Berlin to bring their protest to an end. During a citizen's dialogue organized by Thuringian General Newspaper last Thursday, he shared his thoughts. Scholz didn't bother to address the demands of the activists.
A group of activists from the "Hunger until you're honest" campaign have been on a hunger strike in Berlin for a while now. Some of them are in a critical condition. They want the Chancellor to release a statement stating that the carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are already too high and that there's no more carbon budget left.
A concerned citizen asked Scholz directly at the public conversation in Erfurt if he considered that statement a fact or an opinion. With this declaration, he might be able to end the hunger strike. Scholz, however, didn't give a direct response. He only affirmed that it's scientifically established that humans contribute to climate change. His government aims to stop the climate change and restrict global warming as much as possible to 1.5 degrees.
Despite scientific evidence, there's no automaticity in it. Scholz stated that what we want politically should be talked over in a democracy. We can't make decisions based on not eating anymore or leaving it to the courts. "We must gather support from the people and citizens for what we believe is right," he added. It's not something that can be imposed externally.
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The SPD, Olaf Scholz's political party, has a role to play in addressing the climate crisis, as the Federal Government aims to mitigate climate change and limit global warming. The climate hunger strikers in Berlin, demanding a statement from Scholz about carbon dioxide levels, have been joined by demonstrations of concerned citizens. During a citizen's discussion in Thuringia, Scholz stressed the importance of democratic dialogue and public support in fighting climate change. Germany, as a whole, is engaging in a widespread conversation about the climate crisis and the actions needed to address it.
