Climate Emergency: Citizens enter the parliaments

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In the race against the climate crisis, we are ready to take political responsibility. In a powerful alliance of activists and citizens committed to climate protection - including students, scientists and parents - we entered the local elections 2020 in Erlangen with our own Klimaliste and are now represented with 2 seats in the Erlangen city council. Our aim is to achieve a profound change in climate policy in the city of Erlangen and beyond.

We need a much more ambitious climate policy on all political levels. What we have seen in the past are pure declarations of urgency that almost never lead to any action. An efficient climate policy can not be seen. We have no more time to lose. According to the Special Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), we probably have about 10 years left to avert the most devastating consequences of the climate crisis. Consequently, this means that we must use all democratic options for action to implement urgently needed climate protection measures.

In response to the declaration of the (unfortunately rather symbolic) climate emergency in Erlangen, we want to ensure that climate protection measures are put in place to reach climate neutrality in Erlangen by 2025. Klimaliste will act independently of already existing parties and explicitly work on solutions for the climate crisis and against the extinction of species across generations and societies.

We call on citizens to join us and to form similar alliances in other cities for local and state elections across the country.

“Many politicians are overwhelmed by the issue of climate protection. We have the necessary knowledge for a consistent climate policy. In concrete terms, this means for us that we must go where the decisions are made - into the parliaments,” says Prof. Dr. Martin Hundhausen, Erlangen.

“The generation of parents and grandparents has a special duty. The mistakes of the past that lead to a threatening increase in CO2 emissions, require committed actions and courageous political decisions,” emphasizes Karin Bildl.

“From now on, we will take our protests against the inaction of politicians on the issue of the climate crisis in order to achieve climate justice into the local parliaments. Intergenerationally,” says Dr Karim Abu-Omar.

Our values

Our actions are based on the following principles, which we adopted on 4 July 2019

  1. We are united by the concern for life on our planet. We act independently of existing political parties and explicitly work on solutions to the climate crisis across generations and societies.

  2. We are against all forms of discrimination, social exclusion, racism and violence.

  3. We welcome people of all ages, sexes, religions, skin colours and sexual orientations into our organisation.

  4. We recognise the special responsibility to support the younger generations in helping them to shape our society and our political actions according to their ideas.

  5. Within our organisation we strive for flat hierarchies. Exercising power and authority must always be able to legitimise itself. People who exercise power must be able to justify this at all times.

  6. We interact respectful and appreciative with each other and with the people with whom we come into contact. The well-being of all of us is important. We do not harm ourselves or the aims of our organisation and in case of conflicts we try to find an internal solution.

  7. We also take part in political decisions outside of the scope of climate and species protection. In all of these decisions we are committed to our conscience.

  8. We reject any influence on us and our organisation exercised by economic or political interests.

  9. We are capable of learning and are guided by scientific knowledge. Scientists in our organisation bear a special responsibility to advise us objectively and to the best of their knowledge and belief on important decisions without patronising us.

  10. We rely on self-determination. All those who follow our values can be given the mandate to act independently on behalf of our organisation.