During the morning, participants in this initiative “inaugurated” the new bus lane on Avenida de Roma to emphasize the need to “end fossil fuels by 2030” and called for “a free, accessible, effective, and electrified public transport system for everyone.”
In a statement, the group notes that according to data from the Associação ZERO, “the transport sector is responsible for the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions in Portugal, accounting for more than one-third of national emissions.”
“The only way to achieve full decarbonization of the transport sector by 2030 is to heavily invest in the expansion of electrified free public transport and make individual car use unnecessary, as well as accept the end of the automotive industry,” they argue.
In the document, Daniela Cabral, spokesperson for the action and researcher, aged 33, states that it is necessary “to end all these emissions by 2030,” considering that “it is not too late” and that “we all have the responsibility to act.”
The protest took place a week after the re-election of Carlos Moedas, the mayor who, according to the group, “removes trees and bike lanes to create more parking spaces in the city.”
“This act serves to remind that our leaders do not represent the interests of ordinary people and are leading us more rapidly towards a world of constant crises, prioritizing elite profits over the well-being of the population,” states Daniela Cabral.
Climáximo highlights that “students in Portugal and around the world are at the forefront of civil resistance movements for social and climate justice” and calls for the support of civil society in this goal to end fossil fuels by 2030.
“Earlier this semester, thousands of students from Portuguese schools and universities who signed the Students’ Charter for the End of Fossil Fuels by 2030 called on society to take to the streets on November 22 in the protest ‘Our Future is Not for Sale,'” recalls the spokesperson for the group.
“Ending fossil fuels by 2030 is a demand for the survival of humanity, and not fighting for it is consenting to the condemnation of current generations to an uninhabitable earth and violence beyond our understanding,” says Daniela Cabral.
She calls for all sectors of society – students, teachers, health professionals, mothers, fathers, grandparents, artists, among others – to join this struggle and participate in the protest on November 22.
