‘Even my mom tried to stop…’: Manipur climate activist who storms COP28 stage and shouts ‘end fossil fuels’
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COP28 Summit: While the top leaders and officials were attending the annual climate summit in Dubai, a 12-year-old Indian activist stormed the stage by rushing to the dias and holding a sign above her head that read, “End fossil fuels. Save our planet and our future.” Licypriya Kangujam, who hails from the Manipur district, was at the United Nations Climate Conference 2023 (COP28), where she emphasised that the world needs to end the usage of fossil fuels immediately in order to safeguard the future.
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“Governments must work together to phase out coal, oil and gas – the top cause of the climate crisis today. Your action today will decide our future tomorrow. We are already the victims of climate change. I don’t want my future generations to face the same consequences again. Sacrificing the lives of millions of innocent children for the failures of our leaders is unacceptable at any cost,” she said.
“Millions of children like me are losing their lives, losing their parents and losing their homes due to climate disasters. This is a real climate emergency. Instead of spending billions of dollars on wars, Spend it on ending hunger, giving education and fighting climate change,” added Kangujam.
COP28 Director-General Ambassador praises her efforts
Before concluding her speech, she said, “We want clean air to breathe, clean water to drink and a clean planet to live. Asking for clean air to breathe, clean water to drink and a clean planet to live in is our basic right”.
After completing her brief speech, the teenager received a round of applause from the audience before being escorted away by the security guards. However, COP28 Director-General Ambassador Majid Al Suwaidi welcomed her step and said he admired her enthusiasm and encouraged the audience to give her another round of applause.
Meanwhile, taking to social media, Kangujam, whose Twitter profile claims her heroic stories are placed in CBSE class 3 and 7 English books, wrote, ” They detained me for over 30 minutes after this protest. My only crime is asking to Phase Out Fossil Fuels, the top cause of the climate crisis today. Now they kicked me out of COP28.”
“I’m a child who is completely frustrated by today’s climate crisis. We are the first line of victims. I feel the core issues of phasing out fossil fuels are keeping inside in the negotiations process going on in the COP28 with over 2500 fossil fuel lobbyists. After thinking many times, I decided to do this protest. Even my mom tried to stop me but I convinced her that “Everything will be alright”. I am taking the risks of my life because I want to save our Planet and our Future. My voice deserves to be heard by the world. Let’s stand together by uniting, instead of dividing,” she urged.
No mention of phasing out fossil fuels in the joint statement
As the climate talks in Dubai spun into their final hours, negotiators on Monday released the latest draft on the global stocktake, deemed the most critical document of COP28, which notably omits any mention of the “phase-out of fossil fuels”.
However, the draft does suggest countries could agree on reducing the “production and consumption of fossil fuels” for the first time in the history of UN climate conferences.
Several countries and the EU have emphasised that a deal to “phase out all fossil fuels” would signal success for COP28.
Also Read: COP28 releases crucial document to guide adaptation efforts, disagreement lingers
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