Lisipriya Kangujam, a 12-year-old climate activist from Manipur, climbed the stage at the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2023 (COP28) in Dubai on Monday and waved a sign that read, “End fossil fuels.” Protect the environment and our future.
To thunderous applause from the audience, the Indian climate activist stood on stage and gave a short speech criticizing the use of fossil fuels. But soon, he was being taken away.
Director-General of COP28, Ambassador Majid Al Suwaidi, expressed his appreciation for the youth energy displayed at the conference and asked all attendees to continue appreciating Kangujam.
The activist from Manipur posted a video of the incident on Twitter and said, “I was arrested for over 30 minutes after this protest. Demanding the phasing out of fossil fuels, the main contributors to the current climate disaster, is my only That’s a crime. I have now been expelled from COP28.”
“What’s the reason for taking off my badge for protesting fossil fuels?” she asked in another post. If you are truly anti-fossil fuels you need to stand with me and remove my badges immediately. This is a gross abuse of the rights of children on UN property and a violation of UN principles. “I’m allowed to speak at the United Nations.”
Also read: COP28: World leaders meet in the UAE to address the climate catastrophe
“My voice is being suppressed by this effort. You can’t break my spirit, but you can stop me from entering #COP28UAE. Trust me, I will return stronger than before,” she said.
The United Arab Emirates, which bans many organized groups, including political parties and labor unions, has seen little public opposition during the UN talks.
Nations were given a revised draft text of the final agreement on Monday. Phasing out fossil fuels, a key demand of the EU and many poor countries particularly vulnerable to climate change, was not specifically mentioned in the text.
“There is no Planet B”, Belgian climate protest tells COP28
As delegates from nearly 200 countries gathered in Dubai for the UN’s COP28 climate conference, police said around 20,000 protesters demonstrated in the Belgian capital on Sunday, demanding more action to tackle global warming.
Protesters carried banners reading “Act Now” and “There is no Planet B” while marching to the beat of drums. The “O” on the banner was stylized to represent burning earth.
A protester who attended with his son, named John, said, “We believe it’s really important to raise everyone’s awareness, especially children’s, about the future of the planet and the leaders who are always Don’t hear what’s going on.”
The COP meeting in Dubai on Sunday focused on how climate change contributes to disease and illness. Charities and the host country, the United Arab Emirates, pledged $777 million to end neglected tropical diseases, which are expected to worsen.
The 2015 Paris Agreement aimed to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels; Above this point, scientists warn of devastating effects on climate, health and agriculture, among other things, but efforts are falling short of this goal.
Karol De Decker, 52, who took part in the demonstration, said countries must take responsibility for accelerating the transition to renewable energy. He said, “The hope still remains. But now the time has come to fulfill it.”
