Amsterdam marchers demand climate action as Dutch election nears - Reuters
Amsterdam marchers demand climate action as Dutch election nears | Reuters
Amsterdam marchers demand climate action as Dutch election nears
[1/3]The leading candidate of the Dutch Labour Party, Frans Timmermans attends The March for Climate and Justice to demand political change before the elections in Amsterdam, Netherlands, November 12 2023. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw Acquire Licensing Rights
AMSTERDAM, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of protesters marched through Amsterdam on Sunday demanding immediate action against climate change, 10 days before the country holds a general election.
Local police said around 70,000 people joined the march, including climate activist Greta Thunberg and former EU climate chief Frans Timmermans, who will lead the combined Labour and Green parties at the upcoming election.
Organisers said the turnout was the largest ever at a climate protest in the Netherlands.
"I'm here because I don't want the planet to become hotter than it already is, and I want the North Pole to remain as cool as it is, and we want to raise awareness for that," protester Anouk Mul told Reuters.
Protesters, some wearing scuba diving gear as a reference to rising sea levels and many carrying signs reading "Cut the crap, scale emissions back!" and "Don't like our Climate March? Try living on Mars", marched 3.5 kilometres (2.2 miles) through Amsterdam singing, chanting and blowing whistles.
Police reported no major incidents.
The Netherlands heads to the polls on Nov. 22, after an election campaign that has so far been dominated by discussions on migration and the rising cost of living. Climate issues in general rank lower on most people's priority lists, recent opinion polls have shown.
Timmermans' coalition has made tackling climate change one of its main issues and is currently polling in third place, behind two conservative parties who put more emphasis on the need to limit migration.
Reporting by Bart Meijer; Editing by Hugh Lawson
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Related Knowledge Center: Climate diplomacy
Talks are well underway in preparation for the next major international meeting on climate change, 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28), scheduled to begin Nov. 30 in the United Arab Emirates.
Much like last year’s COP27, finances — specifically, aid to developing nations — will be at the center of conference deliberations.
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