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Youth street protesters turn sights on climate 'villains'

(Reuters, 1 Jul 2022) Frustrated by slow action on climate threats, youth activists are trying more targeted confrontations with bankers and politicians.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, more than 6 million people flooded into the streets in 2019 as part of mass Fridays for Future protests, aiming to force governments and companies to act more swiftly to slash emissions and curb climate change.

But while the protests boosted public awareness of climate threats, the response from institutions was largely reports, letters and "creative accounting", said German activist Luisa Neubauer, who with Sweden's Greta Thunberg helped organise the strikes.

"They're trying to blind us with the nice words and promises, and prevent us from looking into the details and (calling) them out," the 26-year-old told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Now, with mass climate protests dampened by years of COVID-19 restrictions, youth activists have been exploring new ways to hold institutions to account and accelerate action to avoid the worst impacts of a hotter planet.

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Reuters, 1 Jul 2022: Youth street protesters turn sights on climate 'villains'