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Thunberg, other activists tell Merkel during meeting to 'abandon fossil industry contracts'
(Clean Energy News, 20 Aug 2020) Greta Thunberg and fellow activists have met German Chancellor Angela Merkel to exchange views on the fight against climate change. The campaigners said the 90 minute meeting's atmosphere was friendly, but also added that "we look at the situation from different perspectives." Merkel's spokesman said the EU's goal of climate neutrality by 2050, as well as a more ambitious 2030 reduction target, were the key issues debated during the meeting.
Greta Thunberg and other youth climate activists have called on Chancellor Angela Merkel to review her government's treatment of the fossil fuel industry and "abandon valid contracts and deals" whenever necessary to ensure compliance with the Paris Climate Agreement. Asked during a press conference following the meeting what kind of "system change" she and her fellow activists refer to when making the case for a more climate-friendly economy, Thunberg said reconsidering existing plans for fossil fuel production was key, as these would already far exceed the volumes allowed until 2030 in a Paris-compliant scenario.
Together with fellow activists Luisa Neubauer, Anuna de Wever and Adelaide Charlier, the 17-year old Swedish campaigner met Merkel for a 90-minute talk at her Berlin office to hand the chancellor an open letter signed by about 125,000 people, in which they especially call upon the European Union to step up its emissions reduction efforts and "treat the climate- and ecological emergency like an emergency."
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