In a significant global mobilization, more than a million protesters are expected to demand urgent action on climate change across over 50 countries. This series of demonstrations, dubbed the Global Fight to End Fossil Fuels, aims to pressure governments worldwide to phase out the burning of fossil fuels, a leading contributor to global warming. Organized by youth-led and other climate groups, including Fridays for Future, founded by Greta Thunberg, these protests are set to be one of the largest international climate actions since the pre-pandemic period.
The timing of these protests is strategic, occurring ahead of the United Nations Secretary General’s Climate Ambition Summit. Activists from diverse regions, including Europe, the US, India, Africa, Australia, and South America, are participating.
For instance, in Quezon City, Philippines, activists staged a protest in front of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, advocating for the cessation of coal, oil, and natural gas usage. Similarly, a significant march is planned in New York City to coincide with the city’s Climate Week and the upcoming UN climate summit.
The protests underscore a global consensus among climate activists: the necessity of ending the era of fossil fuels. This historic mobilization reflects the urgency of addressing climate change, exacerbated by record-breaking heatwaves, severe weather events, and an increase in global temperatures that threaten to breach the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
