“Less talk and more action,” asked the more or less blue dot that toured the Parque das Nações area on Wednesday in the march in defense of the oceans, so that the political leaders gathered there could listen.
The objective was to paint the Alameda dos Oceanos blue, next to the Altice Arena, which this week is the scene of the UN Oceans Conference, but not everyone wore that colored shirt, as the organization of the Blue March for the Weather, and the passage through the main street was brief.
Even so, the several hundred activists did not fail to make themselves heard and during the approximately hour-long march, from Gare do Oriente to Avenida do Índico, they chanted in good tones that, in Portuguese and English, contained a common call: protect the oceans.
“Change the system, not the climate” or “Ocean, climate, the fight is the same” were some of the messages that were repeatedly heard, accompanied by the rhythmic sound of drums.
The group began to meet at 5:30 p.m. next to the Gare do Oriente and at 6:00 p.m., the scheduled time for the start of the march, the number of people did not seem encouraging, but when it finally started shortly after 6:30 p.m. there were about 500 activists.
Between flags, posters and even some artistic installations, focused on various topics from deep sea mining, plastic in the oceans or the protection of certain specieslike sharks.
“They are the guardians of the oceans, they are responsible for the balance of marine ecosystems and they must be protected. If we endanger their species, it is also the marine biodiversity that will be in danger”, stressed Manuela Martins.
Manuela, one of a dozen people dressed in a shark suit, was also at the march in defense of these animals, but above all for the preservation of the oceans and, like many others, called for more action from politicians.
“It is very important to discuss, but more important than discussing is to start, make decisions that are difficult, but that are very important and you have to have the courage to take them,” he said, reinforcing that “without healthy oceans, there is nothing healthy in the planet”.
The Blue March for Climate took place on the sidelines of the United Nations Conference on the Oceansthat brings together until Friday in Lisbon representatives of 140 countries and it was mainly these that were asked for “less talk and more action”.
“You talk a lot, you say a lot and then you don’t get anywhere. I think it is important that we make ourselves heard and that those who are there (at the Conference) force them to act in a certain way”, said Dörte Schneider García, a German resident in Portugal and involved in various citizen movements for the environment. .
Pedro Flores, a Quercus volunteer, was also skeptical about the intent of policymakers in what he said were “just ‘blah blah blah’ conferences” and lamented that the ocean is often forgotten.
“The sea has been our garbage dump and we have to change our mentality,” he defended.
As well as the chants during the march, the participants also included different nationalities and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer traveled to Lisbon from the other side of the world.
Debbie is one of the leaders of the Maori Party in New Zealand and is participating in the Ocean Conference, but during the afternoon she put on her activist cape again and joined the march to be one more voice in defense of the preservation of the oceans. a topic so close to the people she represents.
“Our people depend on the sea and have been hit hard by poverty in New Zealand, the last thing we need is for our food source to be removed,” he explained.
Addressing policymakers, he considered that their support for the fight against climate change translates mostly into actions “too small” and He asked them to undertake the effort to ensure all precautions to protect the ocean.
“Not just today, but above all for future generations,” he added.
Source: Observadora
