Mauerbrunnen

Saw Felix off at the train station. It was a really relaxed few days that we all enjoyed. Walk the little distance to work an came across the climate protest camp at the Invalidenpark. You can see some of their tents on the left of the picture. A number of people are on hunger strike with the aim to get the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, to acknowledge the seriousness of the climate crisis. You might argue about the effectiveness of this form of protest, On the other hand many other forms have been tried with little success from mass demonstrations, glueing yourself to the road and chucking tomato soup at paintings. The recent floods in South Germany have claimed at least 6 deaths so far. Floods aren't unusual but their intensity and frequency are of a new quality. This is what climate scientists have been warning us about for the last few decades. Any politician saying that nobody could have known about the risk of these floods is either totally ignorant or not interested. 

I am not convinced by the risk the hunger strikers are taking. Some of them have now been on hunger strike for more than 90 days. Their health will be seriously affected by now. They are clearly feeling strongly about these issues. I can accept that.

It is clear that politicians are in a tricky position. Either they have to convince people that they have to seriously change and, more importantly, seriously redistribute wealth and power or they ignore these issues and plod along and wait for physics to do its thing. Either way they will be unpopular. It's just a question on when one or another thing will get them. So we are dancing with open eyes on the edge of the precipice hoping it won't be us that fall.