Today, in Paris, was to have been large march to underscore global concern for climate action and set the stage for resolute action on the part of world leaders in the coming 2 weeks of climate negotiations. The Bataclan killings derailed those plans.
In lieu of the Paris march, organizers presented a collection of shoes at Place de la Republique and then a human chain down Rue Voltaire.
[Notably, the human chain ran across the street from the Bataclan theater.]
Some of the sights
Virtual Marchers: An Array of Shoes - We can't march - but we are here. These shoes may be empty. But our hopes - our expectations - our concerns - overflow.
The Climate Guardians - These women - young through elderly - are from Australia. "We don't want our country to become a big extraction project which will worsen the climate." They presented drawings and statements from their children.
Young Woman in Costume - This young woman lives in the French Alps. She loves to hike the region's glaciers - which are receding. "The changes this year are frightening." Her patch reads "Citizen of the World" - which, indeed, all animals, all life are, along with us humans. She smiled for my camera; I suspect, however, that her heart is sad, concerned.
Climate Justice Shoes - Fortunately, these require no input from me :)
Young Men for Climate Action - One of their signs reads "State of Climatic Emergency - for a climate of peace." The other reads "Leave It In the Ground."
"Ils Ne Sont Grands" - "They are big, only if we are kneeling." This suggests to me that we continue to empower ourselves to "take on" the powers that oppose transition from fossil fuels and towards social injustice.
The Roof of the Earth is Melting - A Tibetan group.
Ben & Jerry's - In the Metro at Voltaire we found this billboard: "When It's Melted, We're Scr*wed" (my translation). This shows the base of the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame - Paris icons - under water. A literal possibility?
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God Blesses. jerome
