- [Narrator] 20-year-old Helena Marshall is one of Germany's most prominent youth climate activists.

- I see it as my responsibility to keep hope alive for as long as possible and to keep action alive as long as possible.

- [Narrator] She leads the fight for climate justice with her youth-led movement.

- Our job as movements to not give up before it's utterly too late.

- [Narrator] With guidance from filmmaker Anya Baron, Helena documents how she and fellow activists demand a livable future, while encouraging us to recognize our own power.

- [Helena] We are in this fight, heart and soul, because we need to keep on fighting if we want a livable future on this planet, because another world is possible.

[low rhythmic synthesizer music] [soft synthesizer music] [soft synthesizer music continues] - [Announcer] Major funding for this program is provided by [soft synthesizer music continues] Additional funding by [soft synthesizer music continues] [stalking low synthesizer notes] - [Speaker] When everyone talks about climate change or global warming.

That means we are pumping too much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and it warms up.

And it warms up at a pace that is unprecedented and that leads to a very rapidly changing world.

The true scale of the disaster is that we put the actual existence of our civilization on the brink.

So maybe a hundred years from now there will be no stock market, there will be no companies, there will be no schools to get good grades from.

There will be some survivors, of course, but they will be catapulted back into the Stone Age.

[soft synthesizer music continues] - [Helena] Hi, my name is Helena Marshall, I'm 20 years old and I'm a climate activist from Germany.

I think the climate crisis often seems very big and scary and as young people, we often feel powerless.

I've seen how much power we do have, how we can rise up, how we can truly change the status quo.

This film tells that story.

It tells the story of the climate crisis, what movements are doing to fight it, and what it means to be a climate activist.

Today, I'm meeting my dad.

He's a scientist.

We're gonna talk all about how I grew up, how I became a climate activist and a filmmaker, as you can see.

- You might wonder why the film stopped in between.

It is because the batteries run out from my camera and film media.

- Helena was born as a very outgoing, active social person who was very interested in the world around her.

Then she started to realize that there's some really big problem with the world, a problem of climate change, and started thinking about what she could do.

And then when Greta Thunberg started her activism, Helena was among the first protesters.

And it's the same thing now today.

She talks to leading politicians.

She's not afraid of speaking out to these people.

[Helena speaking German] - [Helena] I was born in Germany, but I actually grew up in both Europe and in the United States, because my parents are both scientists and they worked at different universities.

And living on different continents has really shaped my view of the world.

My parents always gave me this sense that I could become anything I wanted to, and they've been really supportive of my activism, thankfully.

Even though I'm now officially a student of economics at university, I spend most of my time on the fight for climate justice.

- [Helena] [indistinct] - [Helena's Father] That's what most people never see.

It's Cape Cod in winter [Helena laughs] and you have snow right up to the waterline.

- While we were living there, there was stronger hurricanes, extreme storms, power outages and these really, really cold winters that broke a bunch of records and that made it very, very concrete what the climate crisis looks like.

- [Helena's Father] So what Helena's activism taught me is you can actually make a change in the world.

If you put some action into place, you take the protest to the streets, it actually matters.

To see that starting from 2018-2019, the topic of climate crisis has slammed to the top of all newspaper and and television reports and it's in people's minds.

That's very clearly because of not just Helena but the Fridays for Future movement and had brought this change about.

[door opens] - I like to think I almost have two families, the one I grew up in and then my family of Fridays for Future Activists, who inspire me so much.

In 2018, when our movement started, it was just Greta Thunberg striking school in Stockholm, Sweden.

But soon people all over the world began to follow her example and strike school to take to the streets and fight for climate justice.

I became connected with young people all over Germany and we decided to do the same thing.

Today, our movement has grown.

I do a lot of national organizing and actually we meet quite regularly, but today we're discussing our next big climate strike day, which is the first climate strike to happen post-COVID lockdown.

We've been sending out flyers.

We've been hanging up posters.

We've been using a lot of social media in order to mobilize hundreds of thousands of people and it's worked.

In the last year, Fighter for the Future has become one of the largest climate movements in the world.

So emissions are rising, right?

The climate crisis is escalating all around us.

Every continent of the world is feeling the effects of a climate that is changing at a rate that has never been seen before and we need to stop that.

And the way to stop that is by the changing the very systems that we are moving in, by large systemic level change.

So what we do as a movement, we create political and a social environment that forces our leaders to act.

It's so clear what needs to happen, right?

We need to reduce emissions.

By 2035, they need to be at zero.

- [Speaker] We can't emit anymore.

- We need to create 100% renewable energy system by 2030.

So like what you're describing, all our energy can no longer be connected to emitting CO2 and other fossil fuels, right?

We need to stop all subsidies on these fossil fuels.

We need to exit coal by 2030 at the very, very latest.

That's the limit.

But at the same time, we as Germany have such a unique responsibility and we are the largest brown coal producer in the world per person.

And then we are the fourth highest historical emitter in the world.

- No one really took care of the climate crisis.

And I think that is the moment when strikes for the Future was born.

- Our climate strikes are some of the biggest demonstrations single day demonstrations since the fall of the Berlin Wall.

- How does this happen?

- Yeah, and I think that's part of the story.

Germans, they tumbled an undemocratic system because a lot of people went to the streets and there's a self-consciousness that if enough people go to the streets, you can change the political system fundamentally.

I think that also fuels us in a way.

- And I think we all can do this, because it is from our deepest heart to realize how many people we can mobilize if we want to.

- But I think social media is so crucial right now because especially within the last days right now, getting people actually to commit to doing something, to going on street on Friday via social media, via our channels and just getting the content out there I think it's really important because without that, nobody's going to come.

- Join the global climate strike in Germany on the 24th of September.

This is a global climate emergency and we are just in the beginning of it.

We have seen its effect during this summer with more intense and frequent extreme weather events.

And in order to stop this from getting worse, we need to mobilize and we need to go out on the streets because we know that the changes will not come from the politicians.

It will not come from negotiations.

It will come from people on the streets demanding climate action.

So please join the movement.

- [Helena] We really try and keep pressure up on our government any way that we can.

When my friend Linus was only 17, he actually took the German government to court over its climate policies, together with other activists, and they won.

- Essentially the reason why we sued the government was that they had passed a climate law that was completely insufficient.

As young people, we've got the right to protect ourselves.

We've got the right not to die and not to be harmed.

What the court actually said is that the German government had to move their numbers up and that was really successful.

And I think the reason why this decision was possible is that we as young people started protesting and making clear that this is really fundamental to us.

This is setting a precedent for what is happening with climate lawsuits around the world.

And what we can see now hopefully is that other courts around the world can do the same.

[upbeat music] [upbeat music continues] [dramatic music] [dramatic music continues] - [Helena] We've been saying unite behind the science since our very first demonstration.

So talking to scientists is a really important part of our work.

- [Mojib] So if we look at the temperatures since 1850 then we see already this warming, but why worry?

Because the warming has consequences.

Heat waves become more frequent, flooding becomes more frequent, sea level rises, and this is a threat for many coastal communities.

This is why global warming is so dangerous and why it already affects millions and millions of people.

- [Helena] Where are we now in this process?

- [Mojib] Now we have reached a level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that is unprecedented in man's history.

The carbon dioxide concentration today is higher than at any time during the last three million years.

And as a consequence, the planet warms so the earth temperature has risen already by just above one degree C within a relatively short period of time.

Normally, it takes many, many thousands of years to realize seven degrees of warmth.

And if we continue to emit greenhouse gases in the future, then we may have a warming of four degrees by the end of the century and we have about one decade before we reach the 1.5 degree warming if we emit the same amount of greenhouse gases that we are currently emitting.

So the living conditions on our planet will become worse and worse.

Deserts will expand.

Other regions become so hot, 50 degrees and even higher, that you can't really live there anymore.

Many, many species will be extinct.

- [Helena] You can explain the concept of tipping points.

- [Mojib] What a tipping point means is that you cross the certain threshold, for instance, the Greenland ice sheet.

If all the Greenland ice will melt, normally every sea level will rise by seven meters.

Then we couldn't anymore stop the meltdown of the Greenland ice sheet.

Even if we then stop emitting greenhouse gases, this process will continue till all the melt water is in the ocean, giving rise to sea levels.

- [Helena] What are the things that need to happen right now in order to give my generation a livable future on this planet?

- [Mojib] Well, the solution of the problem is very simple.

If you have a problem with CO2, don't emit it.

So what does this mean?

Where does the CO2 come from?

It comes basically by the way we produce energy.

We burn coal, oil, natural gas, cars.

We have so much solar radiation.

We have wind power.

We have geothermal heat.

And so why don't we do it?

Because there are small interest groups and they have so much power that they can basically inhibit governments to make this transition from the fossil fuels to the renewable energy.

We live in the wrong system.

Our economic system basically supports environmental destruction, and so we have to change our economic system.

So our economy must become social and environmental economy.

- [Helena] When I am on the streets with other activists, we keep saying we don't have time.

What is the sense of urgency?

- [Mojib] Well, we are talking about these things for decades now, that this cannot go on forever, because at some point it may be too late.

When it comes to climate change, then this time is almost upon us.

[light music] - Today we're going to Lützerath, a town in western Germany, right at the edge of one of the largest carbon sources in Europe, the open pit coal mine, Garzweiler 2.

Because of this, Lützerath has become an epicenter in our fight for climate justice.

[dramatic music] Right behind me is one of the largest CO2 sources in the whole of Europe.

It's the open ligate coal mine, Garzweiler, where every day more coal is pulled out of the ground to burn in German coal power plants.

Even though we know that it's bad for the climate crisis, coal is one of the leading fuels for the climate crisis, for rising CO2 in our atmosphere, even though we know that over 300 villages and towns have disappeared into this hole, over 120,000 people have lost their homes due to this form of fossil fuel infrastructure, RWE, which is the company digging here, and one of the leading contributors to the climate crisis worldwide, wants to expand this coal mine even further, even though that we know in order to stay in line with 1.5 degrees, we need to exit coal at the very latest in 2030.

And that means that all of these villagers need to stay and the coal mine cannot expand even further because that in the end will be death to the people living here, and it will be really terrible for people all over the world who will feel the effects of the worsening climate crisis.

- You see nothing but dust and coal and big steel diggers.

- The hole, it just goes onto the horizon.

These are towns as well, right?

The coal that was underneath it.

- Do you see the digger there?

My cousin lived there before and yes, she was expropriated and had to move away.

It's sad.

- And I think for me, the terrible thing is that we don't need to do this anymore, because we have renewable energy and studies show that we don't need to dig up any more coal in order to transition and meet the energy demand.

I also wanted to speak to Vanessa, an incredible activist from Uganda, all about how the climate crisis is a global justice issue.

- I think Germany in particular has a responsibility to take climate action because communities like mine that did not cause the climate crisis are on the front lines of the climate crisis right now, because of the rising global emissions, the weather patterns in my country, Uganda, are changing, and we are experiencing more extreme weather conditions.

We are seeing extreme floods, extreme landslides and droughts, and this means massive destruction of people's homes, people's farms, people's businesses and loss of lives.

- So right now we're walking into the camp right at the edge of the coal mine, where over the last few months, activists and the climate movement has converged from all over Germany to protect the town of Lützerath and to stop the coal mine from expanding further and who are essentially putting their bodies on the line here to fight the climate crisis.

I'm really excited to talk to some of the activists who know what's going on and who have built this up.

So do you mind telling us what is happening here?

Why is it so loud?

- We are building up structures to defend this village, to defend 1.5 degrees.

I think in this time we are not just facing a climate emergency and actually the question if we can grow old on this planet but also the question comes up of how are we living on the fence right now?

We are not just struggling for the coal to stay on the ground, but also for a society that's worth living in.

Right now, Lützerath, it's a focal point for the climate justice movement.

The digging out all this coal, burning it, means fueling the climate crisis.

Especially in the global South, lives have been threatened for years.

People are dying.

Ecosystems are collapsing.

We are active here in order to basically do our bit.

We build structures in the trees, tree houses, towers.

[dramatic music] We don't want to take this.

Germany needs to basically act right now.

If we're successful here, and there is this chance we are, then they'll have to stop.

[upbeat music] - [Helena] The climate crisis is a global issue.

So it's so important that we stay connected with activists all over the world.

Today's Zoom session is gonna be a conversation between Fridays for Future Germany and the Sunrise Movement from the United States.

The climate crisis is happening on such a large scope so we are mostly focused on exerting public pressure on governments, and that's on every kind of level.

You hear a lot about climate tipping points, like climate systems, and they're very much there and they're very scary.

But at the same time, we can also reach tipping points in our social systems where at the certain point when we've marched enough times and we've been there enough times then suddenly a lot will be possible that didn't seem so before.

- We know that there's, just like Helena said, so many people already on our side, but we actually need to activate them and make them feel their power and know where to direct that.

- There are people suffering at the moment all over the world already and losing their homes and their livelihoods.

- When we're fighting for climate justice, we also need to be fighting for broader economic justice.

- In the end of the day, the promises don't count if we're not actually realistically reducing emissions.

Our job as movements to not give up before it's utterly too late.

I see a lot of responsibility to keep hope alive for as long as possible and to keep action alive as long as possible, because that is in the end what we need.

[upbeat music] [Helena speaking German] This is our first big post-COVID lockdown strike.

Our strikes in Germany have become some of the largest in the world.

We are in this fight heart and soul.

[speaker speaking German] [crowd cheers] [crowd chants] [speaker speaks in German] [crowd applauds and cheers] - What do we want?

- [Crowd] Climate justice.

- When do we want it?

- [Crowd] Now!

- Are we gonna strike for it?

- [Crowd] Yes!

- Are we gonna get it?

- [Crowd] Yes!

- So what do we want?

- [Crowd] Climate justice.

[speaker speaks in German] [crowd cheers and applauds] [Greta speaks in German] - I am really delighted to see so many people.

Today, we are striking all over the world under the hashtag uproot the system, because that's what we want to do.

[crowd cheers] The climate crisis has never once been treated like an emergency.

It is clearer than ever that no political party is doing close to enough.

We are not only stealing the future from our children and grandchildren, we are also stealing the present from the most affected people in the most affected areas.

We need to become climate activists and demand real change because remember, change is now not only possible.

It is also urgently necessary, but when enough people demand change, then change will come.

And that's why we have to continue fighting for as long as it takes.

If we want to ensure a safe present and future, we need to be active democratic citizens and go out on the streets like we are doing today.

- [Speaker] What do we want?

- [Crowd] Climate justice.

- [Helena] Seeing these large crowds is incredibly moving.

It reminds me of the first demonstration I went to with my grandpa and it reminds me that we're not alone, that there are so many people who are always fighting alongside us.

[protesters chanting] [protesters continue chanting] It's important to remember that every large societal shift from civil rights to women's rights to vote, to LGBTQ rights has been fought for by regular people who take to the streets, stand up for what they believe in and demand change.

- Power to the people!

- Power to the people!

- People have the power!

- The people have the power!

- Power!

- Power!

- People!

- People!

Every single day, I'm so inspired by the people who are in this fight with me and all the things that we've accomplished, and I really hope that by sharing this story, I can inspire other young people to recognize their own power and to join us, because we need to keep on fighting if we want a livable future on this planet, because another world is possible.

-This is what democracy looks like!

-Show me what democracy looks like!

-This is what democracy looks like!

[gentle music] I am in Egypt at the 27th UN Climate Summit with a group of Fridays for Future activists.

It's the most important forum where leaders of all the countries, as well as civil society and scientists, come together to work on solutions for the climate crisis.

This year's outcome was mixed.

A landmark deal on loss and damage was reached, which is incredible.

It means that the richest countries are gonna give money to the most vulnerable countries to help them pay for climate disasters.

But the underlying issue, which is rising emissions, was not addressed.

And that's even though we're in the midst of the make or break decades where global emissions actually need to be cut in half within the next 10 years.

In the end, UN secretary António Guterres summed it up best.

He said, "A window of opportunity remains open but only a narrow shaft of light remains when it comes to climate action."

I've spent the last few weeks here in Egypt at the UN Climate Summit.

I've seen lots of world leaders make lots of empty promises.

There are hundreds of fossil fuel lobbyists here trying to make dirty deals.

And I've met people who are suffering right now from the climate crisis from droughts and floods and storms.

And I've seen us, I've seen civil society I've seen young people, I've met them from all over the world, who are fighting as hard as they can.

And what's become clear is this.

The current crisis will not be ended, because world leaders decide to end it.

Climate crisis will be ended by us fighting as hard as we can, by us fighting for our lives everywhere all the time and taking to the streets.

We have a really small window of time left open.

So the deciding question is this: what are you gonna do in that window of time?

[gentle music] [gentle music continues] [gentle music continues] [gentle music continues] [gentle music continues] [gentle music continues] - [Announcer] Major funding for this program is provided by [gentle music continues] Additional funding by [gentle music continues] For more information on films by kids, visit thirteen.org/filmsbykids.

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