November 18, 2021
Bremerhaven, November 11, 2021 – Final conference of the KlimaGesichter project:
In order to sensitize society to the consequences of climate change, the issue of climate justice and climate-induced migration, UfU, together with the German Climate Foundation and the Felsberg Youth Workshop, trained people with experience of flight and migration as well as interested climate activists to become climate ambassadors in the KlimaGesichter project. The aim was for the climate ambassadors to conduct their own climate workshops and share the knowledge they have gained in combination with their personal stories in order to literally give climate change a face.
At the end of the KlimaGesichter project, the symposiumWhypeople flee from the climate?! took place on November 11, 2021 at the Klimahaus Bremerhaven 8° Ost on the topic of climate-induced migration and flight. It was an event of encounters and exchange, brainstorming and networking. The conference was kicked off the evening before with a deep-sea dinner, impressively and emotionally accompanied by the musical, intercultural association Trimum e.V., which framed and helped shape the entire event. The symposium itself was opened on 11.11.2021 with a powerful and impressive keynote speech by Peter Emorinken Donatus, who shook us awake, got us out of our feel-good bubble and showed us our own responsibility. There were also musical interludes by Trimum e.V., including in collaboration with the KlimaGesichtern, who shared their own stories and perspectives with the participants in a musical version. As the UN Climate Change Conference was taking place in Glasgow at the same time, Sven Harmeling from CARE was called in from COP26 to gain an initial insight into the talks on the ground and discuss climate justice issues together. The afternoon consisted of a workshop phase in Talanoa format, divided into three workshops: Where are we, where do we want to go and how do we get there? Mechthild Becker from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) offered a workshop on the topic: What are “climate refugees”? In his workshop, Merlin Pratsch from the Environmental Justice Foundation dealt with the political and legal framework for climate refugees. In the third workshop, Volker von Witzleben from Ben&Jerry’s and ClimateFace Dr. Tsiry Rakotoarisoa jointly addressed possible visions of a climate-friendly world. The various results, approaches and perspectives were then compiled, discussed and recommendations for action derived from them. Finally, Dr. Dino Laufer, one of the developers of the project, gave an impressive summary of the last three years and reaffirmed the current and ongoing relevance and topicality of the issue of climate change and climate flight. Together with the 70 participants, a great deal was learned, reflected upon and discussed at the event. It was a day of exchange, emotions and a joint departure. From this day and the entire project, we take away the realization that we are only at the beginning and that a lot still needs to happen so that people no longer have to flee because of climate change, that we in Germany have a responsibility towards our fellow human beings around the world and that politicians and our government must fight the cause of climate change instead of the flight itself. The 45 ClimateFaces and the UfU would like to continue to raise awareness of climate change and advocate for the fates of people who are already affected by the effects of climate change.
