On the morning of November 6th, the weather is indeed Scottish, as you would expect it to be. It’s wet, windy, cold. Not so much actual performance weather.

Nonetheless, the park is where the Coalition’s “Global Day of Action for Climate Justice” takes place. COP26 Coalition Starting in Glasgow, all routes are crowded.

First it is unclear where the protests against the COP 26 climate summit begin. When the train starts running, one block after another line up. The blocs represent various groups that advocate for climate justice and are affected to varying degrees by the climate crisis.

At the forefront is the indigenous people’s block and “Frontline Community”, led by indigenous youth of the Amazon region in Brazil.

The climate justice segment, the agriculture segment and trade unions and workers follow. There is also a youth bloc, disarmament and peace bloc, and one from Black Lives Matter.

The Coalition demands compliance with climate goals and CO . goes far beyond the lack of₂emissions. All debts from countries of the global south should be abandoned, with due payments made to those already affected by rich countries.

“The climate crisis stems from our broken, unjust societies and economies. We need to transform our world economy into an economy that protects both people and our planet, rather than less profitable,” says Asad Rahman, spokesman for the COP26 coalition.

The biggest problem at this year’s climate conference is who doesn’t believe a particularly large number of delegates: inside the global South. The coronavirus, travel restrictions and the fact that the conference is taking place in Europe for the fourth time in a row, make it impossible for many people from the South to attend.

Friday for Future initiator Greta Thunberg called the climate conference “the greenwashing party of the global north” during the climate strike on Friday. Liked by other female speakers Vanessa Nakate pointed to the conference’s difficult access for people in the global South – and its consequences: “There is no such thing as climate justice.”

Briana Frauen NS Pacific Climate Warrior The performance clarifies the attitude of those affected: “We refuse to be victims of this crisis. We are not going down, we are fighting, and the world is listening to us today.”

As can be heard in the speeches and read on the posters, the protesters have no faith in the negotiating delegations at the convention centre. Real change comes from the streets, from the bottom – and it cannot be stopped.

Every year there are large demonstrations on the weekend at the halfway point of the COP – like two years ago in Madrid with 500,000 people. The special thing is that this time there are two big demos. The emphasis on broad coalitions is also noteworthy.

Further protests are planned for the second week, including in the convention area.

The big demos are over for now. It remains to be seen whether the negotiators’ response will be different from what they have been in the past.