In German election, hunger strikers seek climate promises

For the first time in Germany, climate change is perhaps the most dominant issue in an election campaign, especially for young voters

BERLIN -- After three-and-a-half weeks on a hunger strike, Henning Jeschke is frail and gaunt, but determined to go on, still hoping to pressure the three candidates for chancellor of Germany into meeting him for a debate about the climate crisis ahead of Sunday’s general election.

For the first time in Germany, climate change is perhaps the most dominant issue in an election campaign, especially for young voters. It's at the center of televised debates among candidates, and five of the six main parties offer plans with varying degrees of detail for slowing global warming.

But young climate activists — who pitched a protest tent camp in a park in Berlin's government district last month — fear politicians’ promises will quickly dissipate after the vote or give way to pressure from special interests. Jeschke and six others launched a hunger strike Aug. 30.

On Wednesday, the 24th day without food, Jeschke was resting on a mattress in the center of the camp, propped up on one elbow, giving back-to-back interviews and taking occasional sips of tea.