The Extinction Rebellion Zagreb initiative staged a Climate March in the centre of the capital on Saturday in response to the climate crisis, with the participants demanding the government turn to renewables.

The march was organised on the occasion of Earth Day.

The participants shouted they wanted climate justice, that it was the only hope, and that revolution was the only solution.

They carried banners which said “Systematic change – No to climate change”, “For global peace, for climate justice, for social justice”, “Green capitalism does not exist”, and “Less work at work, more work on the environment, let’s shorten the work week”.

“We wish to encourage citizens to get involved in dealing with the climate crisis, given that at the last march we had demands which the government has not fulfilled,” said Magdalena Skoda of Extinction Rebellion Zagreb.

Those demands were that Croatia declare a climate crisis and that the climate crisis be highlighted in schools, she said, adding that Croatian scientists have published an appeal which Croatian politicians probably have not read.

Green Action and Greenpeace activists also took part in the march.

Green Action president Luka Tomac told Hina the march showed how concerned citizens were about climate change and how willing they were to take action.

However, citizens can only do so much and it is up to the government to create ambitious climate and energy policies that would lead to a low-carbon society much sooner than the government plans, he said.

Those policies put sun and wind energy first instead of investing in fossil projects such as the continued use of coal, new LNG projects and a new block of the Krško Nuclear Power Plant, he added.

“We need a swift energy transition because it’s the only way to achieve energy independence and avoid existing and future crises,” said Tomac.

The director of Greenpeace’s Croatian and Slovenian office, Zoran Tomić, told Hina two major fossil fuel-related crises had marked this year, the “unfortunate war in Ukraine” and the “galloping climate change.”

“We need radical change, we must turn to renewable energy sources, notably sun energy, and not gas, oil and coal,” he added.