By Catarina Demony and Miguel Pereira
LISBON (Reuters) – Hundreds of protesters angry over the climate crisis took to the streets of Lisbon on Saturday and dozens stormed a building where Portuguese Economy Minister Antonio Costa e Silva was speaking to call for the former oil executive’s resignation.
Holding banners and chanting slogans, protesters demanded climate action. When protesters stormed the building, those outside shouted: “Costa e Silva out!
Police dragged protesters out of the building. Portuguese broadcaster RTP reported that the minister left the construction through a back door.
The Economy Ministry declined to comment.
The protest in Portugal came as world leaders, lawmakers and delegates from nearly two hundred countries gathered at the UN’s COP27 weather summit in Egypt, where they hope to stay alive in the face of the worst effects of climate change.
But some activists are not going to solve the problem.
“POPs are designed to deal with climate substitution because it would require more civil society participation, less participation from fossil fuel industry lobbyists,” said Pedro Franco, a 27-year-old student.
Joao Duarte, 23, also pointed the finger at governments for favoring the “monetary interests” of big business to put time substitution at the top of the political agenda.
“There will be no replacement until governments stop being friends and allies of big business,” he said.
UN experts said in a report on Tuesday that it is committing through companies, banks and cities to achieve net-zero emissions to little more than greenwashing.
“The scenario is serious and urgent,” Marta Leandro, vice president of the Portuguese environmental organization Quercus, said at the protest in Lisbon. “What we do or don’t do in this decade will have a huge impact on climate security. “. “
(Information through Catarina Demony, Miguel Pereira and Pedro Nunes in Lisbon; Editing via Diane Craft)
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