A group of student activists led by Greta Thunberg has called upon Yucatán’s government to declare a climate emergency and start to take more serious and proactive moves to combat climate change.
Yucatán’s state government has already taken some measures to combat climate change. But critics argue that these efforts are half-hearted and lack the backing of strict legislation and are ultimately an example of greenwashing.
“We are calling upon the government to declare a climate emergency. What we have seen so far is grossly insufficient. It is time for bold and urgent action, not political rhetoric,” said Julia Bracamontes, representing Yucatán’s chapter of the Stockholm-based environmental organization Fridays for Future.
By declaring a climate emergency, activists argue that the state government would be forced by law to field its resources to combat climate change and address other related environmental issues such as deforestation.
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The group also made a point of bringing attention to the ongoing struggle of indigenous people in Yucatán against large industrial pig farms, as well as the ongoing loss of the Peninsula’s mangroves.
Founded by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, Fridays for Future is an international movement of school students who skip Friday classes to participate in demonstrations to demand action from political leaders to take action to prevent climate change and for the fossil fuel industry to transition to renewable energy.
The Mexican chapter of the group, as well as several others, has not been shy about openly condemning the climate platform of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
Since assuming the office of president in 2018, López Obrador has been steadfast in his support of highly pollutant state-owned power companies including the CFE and Pemex.
