Not despite, but because of Corona, the association «3 fürs Klima» launched the nationwide campaign «Die Klimawette» last autumn. «Climate protection must not be postponed,» emphasises initiator and association spokesman Dr Michael Bilharz. «As a digital initiative, we show that commitment and protest for a better climate also works from home.» With the collected donations, the Climate Bet not only wants to directly support climate protection projects. The collected votes will also be used to make a political appeal for more effective climate protection measures to the climate conference in Glasgow by November 2021.
The plan: instead of just demanding better climate protection from politicians, 1 million people will visibly set a good example by measurably and effectively saving tons of CO2. Once the target has been reached, the 1 million tonnes of CO2 saved will be symbolically handed over to the UN and the negotiating countries in Glasgow. In this way, the Climate Bet is the first initiative to link both the practical benefits and the political potential of climate protection projects that are already supported by millions of people worldwide.
Last Friday, the initiative reached its first six-figure donation mark with 100,000 euros. The money flows directly into carbon offset projects run by non-profit organisations such as myclimate. It is used to finance reforestation, solar and energy efficiency projects or to withdraw CO2 certificates from the European Emissions Trading Scheme. Donors can decide for themselves which projects their money goes to. More than 2,100 people have raised the sum so far and thus already avoided more than 4,000 tonnes of CO2. That corresponds to the emissions of 19 million kilometres driven by car. The road to the million is still long, but the climate bet is growing steadily.
Find more information on www.dieklimawette.de/en/