A Climate Protest Against...Peñalosa

Rallying for the climate - kind of - in the Parque Nacional.

At a rally against climate change yesterday participants protested against...Mayor Peñalosa.

The gas masks say 'No TransMilenio.' Does this make sense
 if it means keeping the old 'rolling chimney' buses around?

Some of the issues seem reasonable, such as protesting the recent cutting of urban trees (the city says that some trees have become hazards). And defending the Van der Hamm protected area north of Bogotá, which the city wants to develop (the city says the protected area has already been damaged).

But the rally's primary emphasis seemed to be opposition to the expansion of the city's TransMilenio express bus system...the very same system which has won international awards for reducing climate change gases.

And, while it is a different, if related, issue, many TransMilenio buses are relatively clean burning, and the city promises that buses on the planned

'Bogotá free of fossil fuels.' We'll
expect that one tomorow.

Septima corridor will be electric or gas-powered zero emission vehicles. Meanwhile, many of the old buses running on the avenue are literal rolling chimneys. Is keeping those polluters on the road by opposing TransMilenio really pro-environment?

Even more absurd were the calls for a 'Bogotá free of fossil fuels.' If only! But such unrealistic fantasies only distract from achieving real changes.

And if these people were really against climate change, they'd oppose the private cars inundating the city by the tens of thousands every year, which generate much more greenhouse gas per-rider than buses do, as well as hogging space and clogging roads. But I didn't see a word against private cars.

Two old 'rolling chimneys' which passed the park where they were protesting against TransMilenio.

Protest these? New relatively clean TransMilenio buses on Carrera Septima.

Don't cut down trees!

Smoking away. No contradiction between protesting pollution and polluting.

Smoking away: These pollution protesters saw no reason not to pollute themselves.

Activist Greenman at the protest.

No TransMilenio on Carrera Septima - because we like those old rolling chimneys!

No TransMilenio on Ave. 68.

Protect the wetlands.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours