Carola is not scared of being arrested even though she still under investigation for saving refugees. She’s being criminalized for showing solidarity, for standing up for basic human rights. She is scared however about the environment. The way things are going, our environment is suffering. As an ecologist she’s spoken to many climatologists about what’s happening on our planet right now. There’s a climate breakdown happening and this strikes the poorest first. The poorest have contributed least to the crisis but are affected the most. We are headed for an existential crisis and a crisis of human rights. Basic human rights are also still affected by racism. Racism is still very much part of our society and immigration is strongly affected by it. The European Union is lacking to support the immigration of those who need a new country to settle because the situation in their own country is too severe. Carola is being criminalized for helping refugees and migrants to have a better future. Carola also takes a stand against eco-fascists, the people who decide over life and death, the people who have taken the lives of others. These eco-fascists believe that by taking lives of others, by not helping refugees off the boats, they help the planet. Eco-fascists save trees, not refugees by protecting an ideology that is very similar to nazism.
Carola concludes her talk by stating that we need to share resources, we need to help each other but most of all, protect everyone’s human rights. This is the only way to create a world where we save trees and refugees. Carola Rackete is a German ship captain who works for the German sea rescue organisation Sea-Watch. Fortune called Rackete the "fresh new face" of the European migrant crisis. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx