The German climate activist Luisa Neubauer weibel at the WEF in Davos for the end of new fossil projects and investments. She came directly from Lützerath, where she protested against the further mining of coal – in vain. In an interview, she explains why the actions of the climate movement are important.
SRF News: The blockade in Lützerath failed. Was it all for nothing?
Luisa Neubauer: The lignite in Lützerath is still in the ground and will remain in the ground for a few more years, because you can’t get to it that quickly. And until then anything is possible.
The people there have achieved what governments have not dared to do. Namely a very clear message to the RWE group.
We have seen that a village that should have been dredged has become world famous. Images of the protests were on screens on Japanese subways. People have achieved what governments have not dared to do. Namely a very clear message to the RWE group, formulated to the fossil destruction. There people defended a boundary of life. That would have been governments’ job. They didn’t do that. A mighty story was written there that is still ongoing.
Germany relies on climate-damaging lignite because it is phasing out climate-friendly nuclear energy. Wasn’t that a wrong decision?
Germany does not rely on lignite because of the nuclear phase-out, but because it has not managed to keep its own promises about renewable energies in the last 30 years.
Fossil energies not only endanger livelihoods, they also destabilize democracies.
Now we are in a fossil crisis caused by a fossil war, where the message is actually very clear: fossil energies not only endanger livelihoods, they also destabilize democracies. They also make democracies like the German one and many others very susceptible to blackmail. In Germany, we can ensure the energy supply without any nuclear or coal, very soon completely with renewable and other technologies. That’s where it has to go now.
Can you actually do anything to combat climate change here at the WEF?
I didn’t come here because the climate crisis will be solved here. This is exactly where those come together who are mainly responsible for the climate catastrophe through their industrial activities and their investments. That’s why we’re here, talking side by side with science about stopping the fossil fuel industries and their expansion.
Are there also things about the WEF and in business that convince you?
You can see that the WEF itself and the participants have learned their vocabulary very well when it comes to sustainability. The rhetoric is correct and if you didn’t look at the numbers, you could assume that the world is actually fine because everyone is desperate for green change.
Climate activists smear works of art, hold up traffic. Do you fear that the movement will lose popular support?
We see that more and more people are realizing that in the climate crisis there is no such neutral place where you can stand on the sidelines and see what is happening. One opinion is not enough. It takes an attitude and it has to be visible. This is exactly what many protests make possible.
I think it’s right that there are very demonstrative protests that make the urgency of the situation clear. And on the other hand, mass protests such as “Fridays for Future” and climate strikes that bring majorities onto the streets.
The conversation was led by Sebastian Ramspeck.