Climate protesters kick-off rallies across country

KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 16

While over 700 mobilisations against fossil fuels are planned around the world from September 15 to 17 to draw the attention of stakeholders, more than 500 people took to the streets today in the nine major cities of Nepal demanding rapid, just and equitable eradication of fossil fuels.

The climate march was organised in Gauradha, Jhapa, Biratnagar and Udayapur of Koshi Province and Hetauda, Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Sindhuli of Bagmati Province. It was also followed in Pokhara and Lamjung of Gandaki Province and Bhairahawa of Lumbini Province.

Organiser of People’s Climate March 2023, Sagar Koirala said, ‘As world leaders gather at the United Nations Climate Ambition Summit on September 17, we want to raise millions of voices to pressurise stakeholders to stop the use of fossil fuel and focus on use of renewable energy sources.’

‘Today, we joined hands in Patan of Lalitpur to demand swift, just, and equitable end to fossil fuels,’ he said, adding, ‘It’s time to make a change for our planet’s future. We have to end fossil fuels and quickly make transition towards renewable energy.’ Climate advocates across different cities of Nepal have urged world leaders to undertake a rapid, equitable and just fossil fuel phase-out to protect the people and planet, said Omkar Subedi, an activist from People’s Climate Mobilisation Team. He further said, ‘With so many deceptive excuses, governments are expanding rather than phasing out gas and oil. Unreliable solutions like carbon capture and removal technologies, and hydrogen and ammonia co-firing are being promoted to extend the life of coal energy.’

‘We are not just fighting for the communities living around fossil fuel infrastructure. It is for the health and well-being of humanity and the planet. As the planet is at stake, we must stop the use of fossil fuels. The fight needs to have equity and justice at its heart, otherwise it won’t succeed. We need to rebuild our economies as post-carbon economies by 2050,’ said Nischhal Kharel, another organiser of People’s Climate March, Kathmandu.

The actions are part of mass global escalation demanding rapid end to fossil fuel use ahead of the UN Climate Ambition Summit on September 20 in New York.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called on world leaders to make ambitious commitments to phase out fossil fuels.

On September 17, a campaign ‘March to End Fossil Fuels’ will happen in New York demanding that President Joe Biden take bold climate action by rejecting new fossil fuel projects, phase out fossil fuel production and declare climate emergency.

Earlier, on September 8, the United Nations global stocktake report stated that governments are failing to cut greenhouse gas emissions fast enough to meet the goals of the Paris agreement.

According to the report, which tracks countries’ efforts to meet the goals of the Paris agreement, meeting the goals will require ‘phasing out all unabated fossil fuels’ and that there is a ‘rapidly narrowing window’ for governments to move faster. Global greenhouse gas emissions must peak by 2025 at the latest, and be rapidly reduced from there, to limit temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. However, emissions are still rising and there is a gap of 20 to 23 gigatonnes of CO2 between the cuts needed by 2030 to limit global temperatures to 1.5C and the world’s current emissions trajectory.

Organiser of Hetauda Climate March to End Fossil Fuel, Alisha Mulmi said, ‘The success of a fast and fair fossil fuel phaseout primarily lies with the leaders of developed countries with huge historical responsibility for the climate crisis.’

Oshan Thapa Magar of Bhairahawa Climate March stated that wealthy countries must deliver their full and fair share of climate actions, including meeting their climate finance obligations so that developing countries, the least responsible but suffering the brunt of the climate crisis, can rapidly shift to efficient and safe renewable energy.

Climate activists stated: ‘We have escalated this fight in the face of swiftly intensifying climate crisis and consequent impacts while governments continue to have low ambition and are backtracking from their weak commitments.’

A version of this article appears in the print on September 17, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.