Journalists, you need to start taking the climate crisis seriously!
The climate crisis is far more severe than many of us journalists seem to realize. One reason is that we don’t really grasp the ways in which the crisis will change our lives during the next 30 years. An open letter.
Germany has decided to stop using coal as an energy source no sooner than 2038 — and there’s no weeks-long media outcry. The EU agrees on a huge Corona stimulus package — and the vast majority of journalists report it as a historic accomplishment. Researchers spend days publicly discussing whether the Greenland ice sheet is going to melt for good — and it’s barely featured on the news.
This shows that many journalists have apparently still not grasped how serious the climate crisis is and that we are at a crossroads that will decide the fate of the planet. Too few of us actually understand the concrete and direct threat this crisis poses to our future.
If we keep up today’s emission levels, we will have used up the remaining carbon budget within approximately 10 years. So we have fewer than 10 years to limit global warming to less than 1.5° C above pre-industrial levels. That means 10 years during which our politicians, economists and the rest of society have to take decisive action and halve CO2 emissions worldwide.
Journalists have read and heard sentences like these hundreds of times. Many of us have written and said them ourselves. But too few of us actually seem to understand what they mean. Or we wouldn’t let politicians and industry leaders get away with ignoring them for years.
We know the data and facts, but we don’t understand what they mean
If we want to stay well below 2°C of global warming — a goal that was contractually agreed on by almost 190 nations in the Paris Agreement for good reason — then 2020 is the year in which the global community needs to start seriously reducing CO2 emissions. We do know all this. But what does it actually mean?
Acting now is not one option out of many. It’s the last chance scientists see for us to reach the 1.5°C goal.
“Scientists” doesn’t mean random groups or individuals. It means more than 700 independent subject matter experts from 90 countries who invest years of research in order to write the IPCC reports for the UN, so that decisions in climate politics can be science-based. Experts who, after publishing the 2018 special report on the 1.5°C figure, told the world that they themselves cried when they realized how immense a challenge we are facing.
That was two years ago. Two years in which politicians have done close to nothing.
We journalists seem unfazed by the steady stream of reports on new temperature records, stronger hurricanes, drought years, floods and species going extinct. Sure, we understand that these news aren’t completely meaningless; we dutifully report them and tick them off our lists.
But many of us seem unable to see the big picture that all these reports add up to. We don’t realize — and don’t explain to others — what the sum of these developments means for our world. Even though that is exactly what our job as journalists should be about.
Why don’t scientists communicate more clearly?
But if it’s all so terribly serious, why isn’t anyone saying that? Climate researchers have been saying it for years. Constantly. But to stay within the bounds of proper scientific work, they have to speak in probabilities and ranges. Because they don’t have a magic crystal ball that shows them the future, they can’t be 100 percent certain that we will be fighting wars over water in Europe in as little as 30 years.
For years, climate researchers were told that they were communicating too negatively and thus demotivating people. They are accused of alarmism, activism and even selfish motives. Now of all times, when it’s almost too late to act, many of them have switched to more optimistic communication — and their message is still not getting through. Scientists keep saying, “We can still prevent the worst case if we act now.” What the rest of us hear: “We still have time.”
In addition, many of us seem to think: Hey, we started taking action years ago. And yes, the rhetoric has changed. Climate packages are passed; politicians warn us not to take the crisis lightly; the EU recovery deal allocates 30 percent to climate protection. The remaining 70 percent are to be spent in accordance with the goals of the Paris Agreement, so at least they aren’t meant to go to things that harm the climate. But how is that supposed to work when the stimulus money is going to conventional economic development? The plan doesn’t elaborate. And too few journalists are asking this question.
What has been done and planned so far is not nearly enough and happening far too slowly; this much is clear to scientists. Even government-affiliated organizations and think tanks are pointing this out, along with some journalists.
We don’t realize how the climate crisis affects our lives
But very few of us seem to feel truly worried about any of this. After all, what kind of impact does the climate crisis have on our lives here in the Western world? It’s happening far away, it seems, both in space and time. It affects people in the Sahel zone, a few indigenous peoples and maybe our great-great-grandchildren, many of us apparently think and brush the thoughts aside. For us as journalists, it doesn’t seem to affect those we serve: our readers and listeners. And neither does it affect us.
That is not only cynical and unfair, it’s also blatantly false.
The climate crisis is here already, in the Western world, in Europe. In Germany, the water levels of the rivers Elbe and Rhine are low more often; there is massive forest decline not only in the Harz mountain range and the Saxon Switzerland region. There are fewer insects, more jellyfish, more droughts, heatwaves, crop failures and we’re seeing first shortages of potable water. Glaciers are melting and permafrost grounds are thawing all over the world.
The “next generation” who has to suffer the consequences of the climate crisis is already alive. That generation consists of children who have already been born. They’re our children, on every continent and in every nation.
We don’t report what the climate crisis will mean for us and our children
Most of the children born today will still be in primary school when we possibly exceed the 1.5°C limit as early as the worst case scenario predicts: 2030. Your three-year-old son? He will be 13 then. Your five-year-old grandchild? She’ll be around 15. You see yourself having a child about five years from now? You can do the math, and you get my point. When these children are old enough to be told how serious our situation is, it will be too late to stay under 1.5°C.
But the climate crisis not only affects our children; it also affects us. You’re 42 now? That means you’ll only be 52 when we may have permanently given away our chance to live in a world with a stable climate. According to the current average life expectancy, you’ll then have another 30 years or so in which to experience the increasingly dire consequences of global warming.
This means: You’ll see more droughts and floods devastating the world. You’ll witness even more climate refugees fleeing their homes. Not just on TV, not as mere images sent to you by correspondents abroad. All this will happen right in front of you, outside your door.
In the best case scenario — which is rather improbable — we’ll only pass 1.5°C in 2050. Your three-year-old child or five-year-old grandchild will be in their early thirties. An age at which they themselves might want to have children. And even this scenario wouldn’t mean we have time to act later instead of right now.
We don’t realize that we’re already in the middle of the climate crisis
This summer, one quarter of Bangladesh was covered in water; weeks-long rains flooded large portions of North and South Korea, including Seoul. Wars and conflicts are exacerbated by climate-related scarcity already today, killing people and displacing others. And they will continue to intensify in the next years.
Iran and Iraq have repeatedly seen lethal temperatures of more than 50°C in the past months. Even in Germany and other European countries, heat waves kill thousands of people every year. This will not stop; it will only get worse.
From the spread of tropical viruses in Europe to the return of diseases that had long been extinct, the consequences for our health are unpredictable — and not only in 30 years. We can’t possibly continue to ignore this after 2020.
Neither can we continue to shrug at the destruction of forests in the Amazon and Siberia, in California and Argentina, in Congo, Kenya and Angola. We’ve already reached the limits of what the Earth’s climate can take. Whether we can still stay within the 1.5°C limit is also determined by the number and sizes of ecosystems we preserve.
But why is it so horrible if we don’t stick to the Paris Agreement? This is another reality few seem to understand. The signatory states agreed to strive to keep global warming well below 2°C because this could prevent devastating, irreparable harm.
Today we’ve reached 1.2°C. All the carbon emissions that we’ve pumped into the atmosphere will continue to have an effect for millennia to come. So we can’t keep fanning the flames until we are almost at 2°C. We have to turn the tide long before that point, at no more than 1.6 or 1.7°C. And even that level of warming is incredibly dangerous.
Why?
2020 is a historic year, especially for climate politics
We may have already reached the first points of no return, scientists warn. The thawing permafrost ground of Siberia is releasing even more carbon and further increasing global warming. The waters of the ice-free Arctic Ocean are heating up even faster and no longer reflecting the rays of the sun the way the ice did. And when one turning point has been reached, we get to the next one even faster — we’re in the middle of a chain reaction that can no longer be stopped.
We’re at the turning point of a crisis that is such a huge threat that many of us can’t wrap our minds around it. 2020 is a historic year in many respects, but it also is for climate politics: Either we as a society understand that now and see to it that our politics and our economies are headed in the right direction in the years to come, or it will be too late.
We don’t have time. We have to act now. Not in 10 years. Today. It may sound hard to believe to some, but we’re talking nothing less than maintaining an inhabitable planet. And this goes for the entire Earth, even the little sliver of it that is right outside our own front door.
It’s not just climate change deniers that are the problem; we are
As long as we don’t have a critical mass of journalists who understand this and focus their work accordingly, politicians won’t follow suit and take action either.
Climate change deniers aren’t preventing us from changing our world. The problem is also everyone who understands that we have a problem, but who doesn’t want to know how big of an issue it is. Right now, we’re headed for 3 to 4°C global warming. This will make our planet largely uninhabitable.
The coming months are most likely our last chance to exert enough pressure on governments worldwide and move them to take measures that will keep us below 1.5°C global warming. We are now at a historic crossroads, where we decide how the Earth will look for the next 10,000 years. And it seems as though the vast majority of journalists don’t get it.
We can’t catch up on the climate protection we’ve neglected
If we want to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, we have to start reducing our carbon emissions by more than 7 percent every year, starting in 2020. We won’t be able to catch up on the percentages that we fail to achieve now.
The EU stimulus package as it currently stands would make it almost impossible to stay within the 1.5°C limit — unless other countries were to reduce their carbon emissions drastically. The EU leaders’ behavior in this regard is not only highly unfair in a global context, it also endangers our near future much more than it helps. Following the current plans, we will fuel the fire of the climate crisis until 2027 instead of cooling things down.
If we understand how dramatically the effects of the climate crisis will impact our own children and how small a window we still have for taking action, then we can’t possibly celebrate the EU COVID-19 stimulus package as solely groundbreaking. We cannot stand by and watch the delayed coal phaseout and many other failures.
When are we going to start to report on the effects of the climate crisis in more detail and more prominently? When all the researchers are unanimously saying that we’ve reached all the points of no return?
We journalists play a decisive role that we have to understand and accept now
Don’t get me wrong: There are many excellent journalistic reports on the climate crisis and colleagues who have been warning us about the dangers for years. Anyone who cares to know could easily find out how serious the planet’s situation is. But we aren’t making clear how all this will impact our lives.
The climate crisis is so much more than a beat for journalists who are subject matter experts. It’s a topic that impacts all of our lives and all of journalism.
Every politics editor, every economics writer should know the drastic consequences forecast in the IPCC reports on global warming of 1.5 and 2°C. Nobody should be commenting on political or economic decisions in 2020 without talking about the ways in which they will impact the climate.
The climate crisis equally affects the travel and tech industries, culture and sports, fashion and food. Not as a sustainability trend, but because our carbon emissions are the one main factor that decides the fate of life on this planet.
Monitoring our approach to the 1.5°C limit isn’t activism
Many journalists are rightly upholding the difference between activism and journalism. But when we as the fourth estate monitor adherence to the 1.5°C limit, it isn’t activism. It is a scientific, human and journalistic imperative. As journalists, we cannot merely record the failures of our political representatives. Political and economic decisions that cause us to exceed the 1.5°C limit aren’t simply one side of the story that has an equal right to be heard and granted column inches.
The climate crisis is a dangerous reality. And it is our job as journalists to accurately depict that reality and to confront both politicians and the public at large with it. That is our key function within democratic opinion formation. We have a responsibility not only to society, but also to our children. Even if they haven’t been born yet.
The COVID-19 crisis has shown the difference that fast and decisive action can make. It has shown what can happen when people ignore scientifically proven facts and how quickly a crisis can escalate if ignored.
And while COVID-19 can affect anyone, the climate crisis will affect everyone. But this time staying at home and sitting tight on your couch won’t protect you.
Translated from German by Ruby Morrigan.
If you want to support the Open Letter you can sign here.
Sara Schurmann has worked as a journalist for 10 years, among others for the German publications Tagesspiegel, VICE, Gruner + Jahr, Zeit Online and funk. In 2018, Medium Magazin chose her as one of its Top 30 under 30. For the past three years she has closely followed reporting on the climate crisis — and yet, the magnitude of the situation only became clear to her a few weeks ago. With this open letter, she hopes to start a public discussion on climate reporting.
The original German version of this open letter was published on the platform Übermedien. If you would like to translate this text into further languages, please contact me and publish the text here on Medium.com. A link to your translation will be added below.
Translated to Portugese by Mateus Cuccia.
A Swedisch version was published by the newspaper Dagens ETC.
Here you can read a French translation.
Supporters:
Özden Terli, Meteorologist, Germany
Leonie Sontheimer, Freelance journalist, Germany
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klimareporter° editorial team
Ketan Joshi, Author, writer and data analyst, Norway
Karoline Kan, Environmental journalist and author of Under Red Skies, China
Patrick Barkham, Natural History Writer, UK
Annika Joeres, Climate reporter, Germany
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Rico Grimm, Journalist, Germany
Marlene Göring, Science journalist, Germany
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Hanna Herbst, Journalist, Austria/Germany
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Ruth Ciesinger, Journalist, Germany
Lisa McMinn, Freelance journalist, Germany
Florian Prokop, Journalist, Germany
Vinzenz Greiner, Journalist, Switzerland
Luisa Hommerich, Journalist, Germany
Christoph Winterbach, Journalist, Germany
Dena Kelishadi, Journalist, Deutschland
Max Hoppenstedt, Journalist, Germany
Leonie Feuerbach, Journalist, Germany
Regina Bischoff, Journalist, Germany
Julian Daum, Journalist, Germany
Sarah Lehnert, Journalist, Germany
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Martin Scheufens, Science journalist, Germany
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Steffi Hentschke, Freelance journalist, Israel
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Martin Theis, Freelance journalist, Germany
Thomas Vorreyer, Freelance journalist, Germany
Nina Breher, Journalist, Germany
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Further signatories:
Eckart von Hirschhausen, Medical Doctor, Scientist for Future and Founder of „Healthy Planet-Healthy People“, Germany
Michael E. Mann, Distinguished Professor Penn State University, member National Academy of Sciences
Vera Deleja-Hotko, Journalist, Germany
Eva-Maria McCormack, German Zero, Germany
Lena Puttfarcken, Freelance Journalist, Deutschland
Markus Kuem, Risk manager, Germany
Marco Gergele, Software developer, private, Germany
Ray Monk, Professor, UK
Dr. Kirsten Shukla, Child Psychiatrist, Oxford Health NHS Trust, UK
Julia Wadhawan, Freelance journalist, Germany
Juliane Streich, Journalist, Germany
Lukas Kuhnhenn, IT specialist, Germany
Gesa Müller-Schulz, Founder Deutschland Forstet Auf, Germany
Steven Meyer, Freelance journalist, Germany
Uwe Krüger, Journalist, journalism researcher, journalism trainer, Germany
Jan Hempel, Light designer, Germany
Katja Diehl, She Drives Mobility, Germany
Gero Rueter, Redakteur, Deutsche Welle, Germany
Stefanie Schurmann, PR Beraterin, Germany
Michael Gross, Retired Chemist & Biologist, Grandpa, Germany
Nina Giaramita, Freelance journalist, Germany
Katharina Mau, Freelance journalist, Deutschland
David Ehl, Freelance journalist, Germany
Ulrike Scheffer, Journalist Tagesspiegel/Publik Forum, Germany
Karsten Zapp, Insurance, Germany
Nicolas Böhmer, PR/Communications & Consulting, Germany
Jan M. Schäfer, Journalist, Germany
Wlada Kolosowa, Journalist, Germany
Marlene Halser, Freelance Reporter, Germany
Johannes Bersch, Researcher, ZEW Mannheim, Germany
Corinna Hägele, Climate activist, Parents for Future and radikal:klima, Germany
Florian Hohenauer, Communications consultant, Germany
Wolfgang Leiendecker, Computer scientist, Germany
Dr. Evelyn Runge, Freelance Journalist, Germany
René Schoenenberger, Researcher, Switzerland
Theresa Leisgang, Freelance Journalist, Germany
Lisa Ingenhaag, Creation advisor, Germany
Cathrin Senkbeil, Public servant, Germany
Sandra Prüfer, Freelance Journalist / Impact Communications Consultant, Germany
Nikola Richter, Publisher mikrotext, Germany
Elita Wiegand, Journalist — die ZukunftsMacher, Germany
Robin Hetzel Freier, Journalist, Germany
Susanne Gelf, Physicist, Germany
Chris Roth, Writer, Germany
Patrick Neubert, Software Developer Advitec, Germany
Kristina Sander, Mother, Germany
Sabine Ponath, Blogger and research associate, Germany
Manuel Grebenjak, Stay Grounded, Austria
Jan Vollmer, Journalist, Germany
Barbara Schmidt, Pharmacist, Germany
Thorsten Haas, Climate activist, Parents for Future, Germany
Pia Rauschenberger, Podcast-Redakteurin ZEIT ONLINE, Germany
Elisabeth Rank, Podcast Producer, Germany
Lea Kosch, Journalist, Germany
Jonas Waack, Student/Journalist, Leipzigs unabhängige Hochschulzeitung luhze, Germany
Christoph Ullmann, Reader, Germany
Gunther Reichenbach, UX Expert, Germany
Max Bürck-Gemassmer, General Practitioner, KLUG, Germany
Anna Bödeker, Author, healer, Earth Manifesto, Germany
Neue Narrative Redaktion, Germany
Maren Urner, Professor of Media Psychology (HMKW Köln) and Co-Founder (Perspective Daily), Germany
Sibylle Arians, Teacher, ethecon, Germany
Mechtild Opel, Author, Germany
Ingrid Reichel, Teacher, Germany
Katharina Blau, Software Developer at Deutsche Telekom, Germany
Stephan Lahl, Lawyer, Germany
Hanno Böck, Journalist, Golem.de and freelance, Germany
Martin Jendrischik, Cleanthinking.de, Deutschland
Berit Bogs, Meteorologist, Germany
Jürgen K. Frietsch, Biologist, Journalist, Germany
Maximilan Schmidt, Physicist, Japan
Sylke Gruhnwald, Reporter, Switzerland
Dr. Matthias Geck, Pensioner, Germany
Verena Ahne, Science journalist, science communicator (CSH Vienna), Austria
Doris Schurmann, Controller, Germany
Torsten Schäfer, Hochschule Darmstadt, Projekt Grüner-Journalismus, Germany
Thomas G. Kortenkamp, Weisse Rose — Erinnerungsstätte, Germany
Linda Gerner, Journalist, taz, Germany
Angela Farsiani, Teacher, Germany
Rüdiger Fries, Referent politische Medienbildung & Digitalisierung — LpB SL, Germany
Dennis Kogel, Journalist, Germany
Olaf Dietrich, Singer/Writer, Germany
Ibrahim Altiparmak, Journalist, Germany
Ines Maria Müller, Editor, Germany
Jozef Dudas, IT, Slovakia
Andreas Birkigt, Author and Consultant, Germany
Kai Voigtländer, Journalist and journalism trainer — Akademie für Publizistik, Germany
Brigitte Abt-Harrer, Graphic designer, Germany
Perspective Daily Editorial Team, Germany
Manfred Redelfs, Researcher Greenpeace e.V.
Kaye Felgate, Business owner, Australia
Uwe H. Martin, film I photography I research I slow journalism, Germany
Josef Auburger, Mechanical engineer, Germany
Thomas Feldhaus, Journalist and blogger, Germany
Jan Mohnhaupt, Freelance journalist and book author, Germany
Jörgen Linker, Journalist, Deutschland
Anita Vetter, Copy writer and author, Germany
Laszlo Maraz, NGO Koordination AG Wald, Germany
Sören Sander, Former teacher chemistry and physics, Germany
Sebastian Steinbeißer, Physiker (Technische Universität München), Germany
Anne Sander, Ma and grandma, Germany
Peter Gleick, Hydroclimatologist, Pacific Institute, USA
Marie-Luise Braun, Journalist and author, Germany
Harriet Köhler, Author, Germany
Michaela Bruch, Journalist, WDR Freelance, Germany
Gitti Müller, Freelance Journalist, Germany
Ludwig Federigan, Columnist, The Manila Times, Philippines
Ben Engelhard, Photographer, druckmagazin.org, Germany
Andrea Jacobson, Parents for future, Deutschland
Christiane Underberg, Psychotherapist, Austria
Nina Keil, Mother of three (18, 20 and 26 years), Germany
Stefan Loksa, Lawyer, Slovakia
Christiane Kliemann, Journalistin, Communications, EADI, Germany
Roman Ambühl, Theologe, Coach, SINNsorger, Switzerland
Peter Lackey, Peter Baker Books, USA
Andreas Lesch, Journalist, Germany
Ellen Köhrer, Freelance Journalist and author, Germany
Stine Hansen, Human, Germany
Riika Suominen, Freelance Journalist, Finland
Christian Frank, Cloud Architect, Germany
Philipp Dudek, Journalist, Germany
David Kuttnick, Database-Administrator, SWR, Germany
Yasmin Sanz, Geophysicist, Germany
Philip Rainbird, Hypnotherapist, UK
Zachary Burton, Professor Emeritus, Michigan State University, USA
Enno Park, Freelance author and speaker, Germany
Valentin Beck, Philosopher, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
Daniel Cottäus, Sports journalist, Germany
David Hoskins, Retail, USA
Stella Schalamon, Journalist, Germany
Dana Briggs, Cook, Health Care, USA
Doreen Brumme, Freelance Journalist, Germany
Florian Wamser, Biology and Chemistry teacher, Germany
Maximiliane Mangelsdorf, PR & Social Media Editor, Germany
Christina Phebe Kiruba, India
Florian Deckert, Redaktionsleitung, Phonk. der Reporter, Deutschland
Konrad Schröter, Freelance journalist, Deutschland
Gerlinde Lermer, Integration assistant, Deutschland
Christian Buth, Physicist, Deutschland
Sebastian Höhn, Freelance Journalist / Photographer, Germany
Dirk Groß-Langenhoff, Freelance Journalist, Germany
Klaus Nachbaur-Sturm, Austria
Heather Price, Atmospheric Chemist, USA
Elke Jandrasits, Administration employee, University of Giessen, Germany
Luzia Sschelling, Actress/dramaturg, Klimakontor Basel, Germany/Schwitzerland
Philipp Luther, News Editor / Managing Editor, watson.de, Germany
Michele Rattray-Huish, Retiree Convention on Biological Diversity, Canada
Christian Walter, Head of stack development, sunfire GmbH, Germany
Iris Rohmann, Freelance Journalist, Germany
Christian Wurm, Bus driver, Germany
Anne Kremer, Journalist, Germany
Jessica Schnäbelin, Werbetechnikerin, Germany
Alina Liertz, Journalist, Germany
Katja Kreutzer, Journalist, Germany
Geli Hensolt, Journalist, Germany
Nicole Graaf, Freelance Journalist, Germany
Eckart Warnecke, Psychotherapist, Germany
Thomas Jansen, IT expert, Germany
Andreas Klockmann, Architect, Germany
Rosalie Franz, Student, Germany
Ella Fahie, Software Developer, USA
Michael Hetz, Graphic design, advertising, writing, USA
Steven Hartmann, Social worker, Germany
Melanie Fischer, Dentist, Germany
René Schwartz, Biologist, Germany
Friederike Mayer, Freelance Journalist, Germany
Julia Förster, Science journalist, Germany
Robert Sammert, Arborist, Germany
Elisabeth Kindermann-Schramm, Teacher, Germany
Sebastian Susteck, Professor, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany
Alexander Laudahn, Controller, Germany
Michael Flohr, Theoretical physicist at Leibniz University Hannover, Germany
Julia Roßhart, Specialist editor, freelance, Germany
Alexandra Urisman Otto, Journalist, Dagens Nyheter, Sweden
László Maráz, Environmental journalist, Germany
Roland Illhardt-Schmidt, Pensioner, Germany
Jürgen Voskuhl, CEO, itcv GmbH, Germany
Albrecht Staab, Teacher, Germany
Mathias Flammang, Retired, Luxembourg
Elena Butz, Freelance Journalist, Germany
Teresa Junek, Literary translator, freelance, Germany
Leontine Franz, Student, Germany
Elica Petrova-Wallek, Digital creator, Germany
Martin Gren, Lecturer Linnaeus University, Sweden
Daniel Obst, IT Admin, Germany
Christina Pannhausen, Journalist, Germany
Rüdiger Wehling, Germany
Birgitta Marquet, Online Marketing, Germany
Thomas Balmert, Klima_Mahner, Germany
Johannes Lange, Student, Students for Future, Germany
Amie Scruton, CFO, Australia
Ulrike Möckel, Theater actress and director, Germany
Konrad Metzger, PHD Student, NUI Galway, Ireland
Adam Biggs, Builder, UK
Ariane Hoffmann, Freelance Journalist, Germany
Tomas Westermark, Photographer, Sweden
Angeli Perez, Medical Laboratory Scientist, Philippines
Dennys Virhuez, Ingeniero civil — Generación 21 (G21), Perú
Eileen Kühl, Engineer, Germany
Mario Hüttenhofer, Chemist, Germany
Hagen Stüter, Editor, Vegans for Future, Germany
Martin Meßing, Lawyer, Germany
Jakob Fürbacher, Student, Germany
Helmut Lorscheid, Freelance Journalist, Germany
Monika Zaun, Germany
Ines Sämann,Customer Service Representative, Germany
Christiane Angelus, Self-employed, Germany
Wilfried Rausch, Expert for damaged houses, Germany
Günter Schweer, People-organisation Stadtwald, Germany
Dunja Smaoui, Journalist, Italia
Johanna Friesdorf, Nurse, Germany
Janine Schlichte, Lawyer and Mother, Parents for Future München, Deutschland
Franka Pastovic, Student, Germany
Siegbert Grießer, Germany
Jürgen Jonas, Freelance Journalist, Baden-Württemberg
Eric Bahr, WirBauenZukunft e.G., Germany
Manfred Gillig-Degrave, Freelance Journalist, France
Alfred Sussmann, Retiree, Switzerland
Günther Wessel, Journalist, Germany
Jörg Stöckel, Dipl.-Ing., R&D, Germany
Rebecca Rütten, Photojournalist / Freelance, Germany
Katharina Frohne, Freelance Journalist, Germany
Andreas Völlinger, Author, Deutschland
Debora Teichmann, Editor, Germany
Daniela Schelling, Schreibabyambulanz, Germany
Joas Scholz, Climate crisis communicator / climate alliance agency, Germany
Rainer Knäpper, IT Professional, Germany
Robin Schäfer, Freelance Journalist and Podcaster, Germany
Nick Reimer, Journalist, Germany
Hannah Schnee, Geography Student, Germany
Petra Mattis, Retiree, Germany
Nikolaus Tarouquella-Levitan, Filmmaker, Germany
Gerd Heger, Journalist, Deutschland
Claudia Gajetzky, Textile designer, Germany
Markus Brixius, Editor-in-Chief, Germany
Tommy Millhome, Journalist, Germany
Susanne Brenner, Journalist, Germany
Saskia Brier, Socialwork Student, Austria
Claire Boylan, Student, Germany
Jeannette Hagen, Author, Germany
Rainer Doemen, Specialized author for law and photovoltaics, Germany
Harald Juengst, Freelance Radio Broadcaster, Germany
Josefine Upel, Freelance Journalist / WDR, Deutschland
Marion Otillinger, Teacher, Vocational School, Germany
Frederic Servatius, Content strategist and freelance journalist, Germany
Sieglinde Geisel, Freelance Journalist, Germany
Dr. Marianne Bäumler, Journalist, Germany
Cornelius Sturm, Referent and Editor, KEB Deutschland, Germany
Thomas Knorra, Educational assistant, Germany
Katharina Simons, Psychotherapist, Psychotherapists for Future, Germany
Peter Cohrs, Journalist, Germany
Johannes Stimpel, Engineer, Germany
Birgit Weihs-Dopfer, Cluster Manager Renewable Energies, Austria
Edgar Rodtmann, Photographer, Germany
Katie Mähler, Documentary photographer, Germany/Brasil
David Schmidt, Freelance journalist, Germany
Suse Bauer, Journalist, Germany
Feline Lang, Musician (Feline&Strange), cultural manager (Musik erlaubt) Deutschland
Isabelle Rogge, Journalist Audible Original Podcast: Planet A — Nur mal kurz die Welt retten, Germany
Ingrid Kaech, Head of Das Schriftstellerhaus, Germany
Carlos Lorenz Benlloch, High School Teacher, España
Sandy Ahmed, Retired teacher and grieving granny, Australia
Alessandro Bocchi, Erp Software Manager, Ciessegi, Italia
Elisabeth Neuhaus, Journalist, Germany
Abbie Williams, Student Lancaster Uni, UK
Taylor Prendes, Spain
Rania Ejeilat, Musician, teacher, Jordan
DeeAnn Bradley, Photojournalist, USA
Dan Landgré, Psychologist at Dan Landgré AB, Sweden
Aleks Janowska, Bioinformatics Software Engineer, University of Cambridge, UK
Sanjeev Kumar, Student, India
Mark Newell, Student, UK
Katharina Nickoleit, Science journalist at WDR und DLF, Germany
Tim Werner, Climate Save Movement Germany, Germany
Marco Treven, Medical Doctor, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
Susan Como, Small Business Owner, Canada
Birgit Schneider, Academic, University of Navarra, Spain
Jürgen Streich, Journalist / Author, Inh.: Journalistenbüro AUSSICHTEN, Germany
Anke Oxenfarth, Editor in Chief “politische ökologie”, oekom verlag, Germany
Mark Pezzati, Designer, USA
Wolfgang Pabst, Publisher “Umweltpsychologie”, Germany
Christian Schauderna, Photojournalist, Germany
Tony Warne, Scientist, Medical Research Council, UK
Tracie Vance, XR activist, Ireland
Tomas Lohammar, Retired research engineer SLU, Sweden
Andrew Zik ai, Scientist, Extinction Rebellion, UK
Clark Morse, Engineering Manager, USA
Matthew Todd, Author, former Editor Attitude magazine, UK
Eric Wheeler, Mold design, Hi Tech Mold and Tool, USA
Alex Morss, Science journalist, ecologist and author, UK
Göran Englund, Professor, Umeå University, Sweden
Moritz Baumann, Freelance Journalist, Deutschland
Richard Hayes, Scientist and Engineer, Freelance Consultant and writer, UK
Mike Jempson, Journalist, & Director, The MediaWise Trust, UK
Andreas Ickes, Teacher, Germany
Aidan White, Editor, Newham Voices, UK
Jan Hendrik Scheufen, GPO, Atomyze LLC, USA
Lucy Siegle, Journalist freelance, UK
Sue Cresswell, Communications Consultant, UK
David Baines, Lecturer in Journalism, Newcastle University, UK
Sarah Barfield Marks, Press and PR officer at climate charity Possible, UK
Stefan Urbat, Physicist, Germany
Jane Dalton, Journalist, UK
Caroline Harrap, Freelance journalist, France
Angus Oswald, General Practitioner/ Doctor, Scotland
Chris Hale, Writer, producer, Germany
Phil Seymour, Musician, Blogger, semi-retired performer, USA
Danny fitz, Photographer, UK
Gina S. Publicity volunteer, FridaysforFuture, ExtinctionRebellion, USA
Jo Turner, Horticultiralist/writer, Canada
Colin McKinney, Reetired, New Zealand
Jose I. Icaza, Professor, Tecnológico de Monterrey, México
Agustina Kon , Cabin Crew, Argentina
Martin Ebert, Engineer, Energietechnik — WertE, Germany
Jens Looser, Biologist, Germany
Maria Kovalski, Researcher, Brasil
Hans Daams, Fruit producer, The Netherlands
Johannes Süßmann, Journalist, Germany
Jennifer Wagner, Freelance Journalist for Phoenix, Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger and Deutsche Welle, Germany
Jürgen Raithel, Lutheran Church Germany, Germany
Mateus Cuccia, Freelance Journalist, Brazil
Rebecca Baden, Journalist , Germany
Jocelyn Daloz, Journalist bei CH Media, Switzerland
Elke Zielonka, Dipl. Ing. Landeskultur und Umweltschutz, Germany
Alan Story, Retired journalist. Green Party England & Wales, UK
Tim Gieselmann, Freelance Journalist, Germany
Petra Noordhuis, Journalist, Nederlands Dagblad, Netherlands
Bernd Burkert, Physical Oceanographer, Germany
Kathrin Berger, Germany
Gina Nicolini, Germany
Eva-Maria Werner, Vice Editor-in-Chief, Magazin kontinente, Germany
Tony Whelan, filmmaker — canola pictures, Ireland
Kai Huneke, Politiker, Die PARTEI, Germany
Reiner Jung, Computer Science, Research Software Engineering, Germany
Kurt Sommer, Engineer, Germany
Anne Sokoliuk, Teacher, Germany
Anita K., Teacher, UK
Finley Hutchinson, UK
Fabrizio Ferrari, Virtual Sheet Music Inc., USA
Heinrich Glumpler, Software Engineer and Boardgame Author, Germany
Nic Wilson, Garden and nature writer, United Kingdom
Ulrike Osman-Christen, Retired teacher, Grandparents for Future, Germany
Nicky Rigg, Artist, Germany
Ulrike Heiß, Trainerin @e3_trainings, Germany
Joachim Van der Auwera, Independent programmer, Belgium
Reinhard Steurer, Political scientist, Austria
Tomas Vanhoof, Climate Crisis Warrior, Belgium
Heike Janßen, Journalist, Germany
Kevin Heapes, Information Developer, Ireland
Michelle Storace, Retired, USA
Arjumand Wajid, Journalist, UK
Matheus Ferreira, Student at Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais, Brazil
Pia Hedberg, Salesperson, Sweden
Ralf Knöfel, Software developer, Gesellschaft zur Förderung angewandter Informatik, Germany
Ernst Nill, B2B Content-Marketing, unlimited communications, Germany
Matheus Ferreira, Freelance journalist, Brasil
Dieter Bayer, Meteorologist, Germany
Sue Wheat, Freelance journalist, writer + PR with climate charity Ashden, UK
Douglas Cruz, Process Analyst — Vogel Telecom, Brazil
Katherine Rydlink, Journalist, Germany
Matheus Froehlich, Student and climate activist, Fridays for Future, Brazil
Martin O’Dea , Landscape Architect. Chair Australian Institute of Landscape Architects Climate Positive Design Taskforce, Australia
Leticia Oliveira, Environmental Manager, Brazil
Leticia Rojas, Scientist, Brazil
Allan Cândido, Freelance communicator, Brazil
Laura Neish, Executive Director, 350 Bay Area, USA
Marcel Salgado, Student, Brazil
Pedro Ramos, Waiter, Lisbon Café, Portugal
Julia Wilson, Retired editor, artist, photographer, designer, teacher, Wales
Fabio Lopes, Teacher, Brazil
Julia Reich, Student, Germany
Lucas Pereira, Professor, Brazil
Alison Layland, Writer and translator, UK
Erica Riley, Photographer, United States
Letícia Marinho, Biologist, Brazil
Philip Bedall, Referent for energy policy, Umweltinstitut München, Germany
Liz Rosser, Retired tutor, UK
Heather Broster, Blogger, UK
Claudia Thomas, Extinction Rebellion, Germany
Monika Klug, Mother and Grandmother, Germany
Jonathan C. Bauer, Science historian, TU Berlin, Germany
Barbara Mallmann, Researcher, UFRGS, Brazil
Axel Strutz, Master craftsman, Germany
Jutta Hieronymus, Gemeinwohl-Ökonomie Deutschland e.V. (GWÖ) / economy for the common good (ecg) Deutschland, Germany
Élan Young, Freelance Journalist, United States
Jannes Kormann, Scientist, Germany
Kayleigh Nicolaou, Director, UK
Anja Dilk, Journalist, Magazin ENORM, Germany
Christian Erletz, Application developer, Germany
Sebastian Latzko, Logistics and Transportation, Germany
Michael Senke, Georgia
Kübra Gümüşay, Author and Journalist, Germany
Ruggero Taddei, Engineer, EPO, Netherlands
Amanda Acland, Retired nurse, UK
Florian Guckelsberger, Reporter, zenith-Magazin, Germany
Roland Stern, XR, Germany
Christian Wurm, Driver, Germany
Julia Stürzl, Journalist, Germany
Magdalena Ludvigsson, Psychologist, Sweden
Pontus Nordell, Lic. Psychologist, Sweden
Liam Grunsky, Student, Germany
Robert Levin, News presenter, Germany
Dr. Friederike Zimmermann, Freelance Journalist — Badische Zeitung, Kultur Joker Freiburg, Germany
Jörg Witzel, Software architect, Germany
Paul Maidowski, Independent researcher, Germany
Albrecht Ude, Freelance journalist, researcher, trainer, Germany
Selma Weber, Student, UDK Berlin, Germany
Neha Tiwari, Student, Ambedkar University Delhi, India
Kathy Ziegler, Freelance Journalist, Germany
Michael, Berufsförderungswerk Leipzig gemeinnützige GmbH, Germany
Alexa Höber, Journalist, Germany
Nina Poelchau, Reporter, stern, Germany
Stefan Klotz, Sustainable finance consultant — vif-klotz consulting, Germany
Rama Kataria, Scientist at Thermo Fisher Scientific, USA
Andre Putzmann, Teacher, Germany
Oliver Schumann, Movie critic, freelance, Germany
Andre Nor Filho, Public servant, TRT, Brazil
Michael Giese, Teacher, Germany
Eva Pradel, Editor, Germany
Corinna Billert, Writer, Germany
Maria Grahmann, Mother, Germany
Ulf J. Froitzheim, Freelance economic journalist, brandeins author, Germany
Dr. Silke Diestelkamp, Scientist, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany
