The situation is very serious. The climate crisis is getting worse and the world is not responding in the way it needs to. That's why I get involved, because now it's my responsibility as a mother", testifies Rachel, a member of Mothers' Rebellion, a movement of grandmothers, mothers and caregivers that mobilizes against global warming because he fears for the future of childhood; specifically, for the threat it poses to their human rights.
Mothers' Rebellion is present in 26 countries (on all continents) and its form of protest is the same in all of them. Activists make peaceful circles and sit with vindictive posters: "To want is to act" or simply "For X" (the name of their children). They do it for them.
“We want to be able to look our children in the eye and tell them that we really do everything we can; we will not abandon the fight for a sustainable present and future for current and future generations", says the organization, which was born in parallel in the United States and Sweden during the year 2022.
Its members are mainly women, although there are also some men (carers and allies). The common factor of all is the strong emotional component in their claims. "We turn into action our pain and frustration at the lack of a transformative political response", proclaims the organization. All of them also feel a strong sense of duty, which came to them especially after motherhood and fatherhood.
"Being a mother gives you a very strong sense of responsibility. I used to worry about climate change; but now I have to act because I owe it to my children", says Federica, mother of a three-year-old boy.
Federica has a doctorate in Astrophysics and jokes that, from the point of view of this scientific area, the planet will continue to be in the same place long after humanity is gone. What worries her is the impact that climate change will have on the Earth and on us. "Emotionally, it gives me anxiety to think about what will happen to our children and the planet," he adds. This woman says protest circles help her. "I feel supported. There you know you are not alone; that there are other people with the same doubts as you; that he has initiative and that he is interested in fighting like you do”.
A similar thing happened to Rachel; she was the one who organized the first Mothers' Rebellion protest circle in Barcelona. Becoming a mother changed the way she measured the future and gave her a new sense of urgency. "I have a two-year-old girl. Now, when I read data on the evolution of the climate crisis, I think that by the time she finishes primary school, we will have passed the point of no return, unless we make important changes", he explains.
Rachel is a psychologist and describes that at many times she has come to feel alone, even desperate, in view of the gravity of the situation. "Acting is my responsibility as a mother."
For her, in addition to the circles, what helped her was also focusing her career on climate change. It is dedicated to researching this problem from a psychological point of view and offers support for anxieties like Federica's.
Both emphasize that, although for them the main emotional motivation is their children, they act for the future of boys and girls around the world. The synthesis of this global vision is offered by Beibei, another member of the group. "I do it for my four-year-old son, but also for all the sons and daughters of the world."
For her, the trigger that led her to speak out was a visit to a planetarium, a few weeks ago. "They showed us all the planets, and my son, after seeing them all, told me that ours is the most beautiful. My heart ached at the time, because for all I know, the planet as we know it may not last long."
She worked as a journalist for a while in China, after finishing her university studies. "I traveled a lot around the country during the 2000s, and what I saw was a lot of environmental destruction. I have seen the cost of the development of the economy without limits, and it is something I cannot forget", he summarizes.
The ultimate goal of all these actions is to respect the rights of the new generations. In August, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child ratified in a report the threat that climate change poses to the fundamental human rights of children. In this document, it is explained that the right of the little ones to a "clean, healthy and sustainable environment" is at stake. And not only that. Also at stake is the right to health and the rights to non-discrimination, life and survival.
