On September 25, the World Climate Action Day, young people in Romania protested in front of the Ministry of Environment and reminded decision makers there that they have no right to ignore the drama of the generation that will experience the strongest effects of climate change.

At 7 o’clock in the morning, the activists of Fridays for Future Romania blocked the entrance to the Ministry building with dozens of pairs of shoes, sent by young people from all over the country for this purpose, and displayed a message for dignitaries: “Corona today, climate crisis tomorrow, put yourselves in the shoes of this generation!” The pairs are to be later donated to the people who need them, with the help of the Bucharest League of Dental Students.

“The pandemic has proved the vulnerability of our current systems in the face of crisis situations,” said Mihnea Teodor Popescu, coordinator of the PR department of Fridays for Future Romania.
“Even if, at this moment, all attention is focused on the ongoing epidemiological crisis, we cannot afford to forget that we are still in a wider crisis, namely the climate and ecological crisis. The decisions our leaders are making at this time will determine whether or not we will be able to avoid other human catastrophes in the near future, possibly even more serious than those caused by COVID-19, and whether or not the following crisis situations will get us ready or not.”

The action comes in the broader context of a series of global protests by climate activists on September 25, within the limits that guarantee security in the context of the pandemic.

Since April, the Fridays for Future Romania movement has designed an open letter for the Senate, the Chamber of Deputies and the Romanian Government, through which the signatories ask the decision-makers for a fair post-pandemic recovery that must respect 5 essential principles.