National climate march will take place in Rotterdam this year

This year's Climate March will take place on June 19 in Rotterdam. The protest demonstration, held in Amsterdam last year after it was canceled in 2020 due to the coronavirus, starts and ends on the Binnenrotte square. With the march, demonstrators want to draw attention to the climate crisis. The organization is in the hands of the Climate Crisis Coalition, which includes Oxfam Novib, Fossielvrij NL, Greenpeace, and Milieudefensie. Some 40,000 people joined the previous Climate March in November.

According to the activists, Rotterdam is the right setting for the demonstration because of the city's large oil and coal port. "Every day, the port of Rotterdam receives cargoes with a major impact on nature and our future. Tankers full of coal and oil from Russia, for example, but also soy and palm oil," said Vatan Huzeir of Fossielvrij NL. "That's why we're taking to the streets. We want a just future, with clean air, well-insulated houses, and secure jobs."

The climate crisis is "the order of the day, with floods, forest fires, and famines," the Climate Crisis Coalition said in a statement. "Coal-fired power stations remain open, and deadlines for Urgenda's climate case are not met." Faiza Oulahsen of Greenpeace said that the government's goals are inadequate. "Action is needed."

According to the Climate Crisis Coalition, the war in Ukraine is shaking the world. "This is the opportunity to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and to insulate houses and save energy so that we become more sustainable and in this way support people in paying their energy bills," the coalition said. Oulahsen of Greenpeace pointed out that the Netherlands is helping to fund Russian president Putin's war by buying fossil fuels. "Fossil fuels are driving the climate crisis, but also the war, conflict, and pollution," she said. "In Rotterdam, we ask the government to push ahead for a safe world."