Friends of the Earth joins the Global Climate Strike in a call to #UpRootTheSystem – demanding climate justice and solidarity with people and areas bearing the brunt of climate induced catastrophes.
After months of not being able to protest, thousands of climate activists took to the streets this Friday to demand immediate and tangible action to protect the climate. This year’s demands and key messages emphasised on the Global North’s responsibility towards the Global South, who are already experiencing a heightened number of natural catastrophes and will continue to do so in years to come.
It’s time for governments and policy makers from the Global North to take responsibility and be held accountable for their inaction and delaying tactics. They urgently need to start implementing green recovery actions that work for the climate, the environment and people everywhere, especially for those who are hardest hit by years of inaction.
This year’s key demands by Fridays for Future’s highly resonate with everything Friends of the Earth campaigns for: a peaceful and sustainable world in which societies live in peace with nature. Here are their key demands and some of the colourful ways activists expressed them.
Go Fossil Free now!
Countries in the global North are the biggest consumers, extractors and burners of fossil fuel, activities that are detrimental to the climate and the environment. Global leaders need to ensure these are left in the ground by replacing them with renewable energies and ensure a just transition for workers in the energy sector.
Repay your debts!
The North has produced a disproportionate amount of emissions compared to the global South and should be held accountable by repaying their climate debt through reparations and financial support to countries that are currently suffering the results of the climate crisis.
Ensure global COVID-19 recovery!
Recovering from the pandemic needs global action, suspending restrictions and ensuring equal distribution of vaccines is a step towards green and equitable recovery.
Climate Crisis = Human Rights Crisis
People around the world are reckoning with the effects of the climate emergency. They have no other choice than fleeing for their safety. There will be a growing number of climate refugees in the coming years and their safety and rights should be protected and enshrined in international law.
Ecocide = international crime
It’s time to really stop ecological and biological breakdown and hold those who disregard the invaluable impact of the environment to human and non-human species, truly accountable.
Respect the defenders
Support and listen to those who are actively defending their land and livelihoods. Learn from the ways indigenous people and small farmers work their fields and treat nature instead of destroying it. Protect their needs and collaborate with them.
Friends of the Earth fully supports the demands of the strikers and recognises the need for intersectional climate justice. The MAPA (Most Affected Peoples and Areas) are not just fighting for their future but also for their present. Now that everyone is getting ready for COP26 – the UN climate talks in November – focussing on what world leaders will discuss and prioritise, it’s important to re-emphasise what is truly needed for climate action for everyone, everywhere!
