[STATEMENT] Solidarity with Global Climate Strike 2024

The Asia Pacific Network of Environmental Defenders (APNED) stands in solidarity with the youth and climate and environmental human rights defenders (EHRDs) today in this year’s Global Climate Strike.

The palpable impacts of environmental degradation have been worsening over the past few years. Asia and Small Islands in the Pacific—alongside Africa, Central and South America, and Least Developed Countries (LDCs)—have high vulnerability to climatic hazards and have seen these hazards’ largest adverse impacts. Millions in these locations have been dealing with acute food insecurity and reduced water security. Between 2010 and 2020, human mortality from floods, droughts and storms was 15 times higher in highly vulnerable regions, compared to regions with very low vulnerability (Calvin et al., 2023).

The rate of sea-level rise (SLR) in the past ten years has more than doubled since the first decade of the satellite record, increasing from 0.21cm per year between 1993–2002 to 0.48cm per year between 2014-2023 (“Surging Seas in a Warming World”). Coastal flooding continues to pose risks to livelihood and health of coastal communities.

The rising surface temperature is also another problem caused by the emission of greenhouse gasses—especially the continued use of fossil fuels, and also because of intensified land use conversion. Greenhouse gasses emissions in 2019 have been estimated to be 12% higher than in 2010, and 54% higher than in 1990, mainly from fossil fuels combustion and industrial processes. In turn, the global surface temperature in 2011-2020 has increased by 1.1°C from that in 1850-1900 (Calvin et al., 2023).

And yet, governments and multinational and transnational corporations seem to be unable to learn from past histories of calamities and hazards. Amid the worsening impacts of climate change, we must also recognize the crucial role of environmental defenders who are at the forefront of protecting the environment against exploitation. Environmental defenders tirelessly protest against unsustainable extractive activities such as mining, logging, monoculture plantations, energy projects. They are silenced and attacked instead of being heard, and so we must continually call for their protection.

The week-long strike is also a manifestation that the youth respond to the urgency of calling for mitigation plans, as it began after 15-year-old Greta Thunberg and other young activists sat in front of the Swedish parliament for three weeks to protest against the lack of action on the climate crisis (Fridays For Future, 2023b).

This Global Climate Strike, may we take inspiration from the youth who bravely use their voices to demand for climate justice and forward social progress. The collective action from the largest generation of youth in history (Martin, 2022) plays a significant role in forwarding calls to governments and corporations, and may we stand with them.

We stand in solidarity with the youth, to whom the future of our planet belongs. The hope for a cleaner and safer environment lies in our collective action in demanding for a safer, cleaner, and healthier planet to live in.

 

References:

Calvin, K., Dasgupta, D., Krinner, G., Mukherji, A., Thorne, P. W., Trisos, C., Romero, J., Aldunce, P., Barret, K., Blanco, G., Cheung, W. W., Connors, S. L., Denton, F., Diongue-Niang, A., Dodman, D., Garschagen, M., Geden, O., Hayward, B., Jones, C., . . . Ha, M. (2023). IPCC, 2023: Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report, Summary for Policymakers. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Core Writing Team, H. Lee and J. Romero (eds.)]. IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 1–34. https://doi.org/10.59327/ipcc/ar6-9789291691647.001

Fridays For Future. (2023b, August 5). Fridays for Future. https://fridaysforfuture.org/

Martin. (2022, April 5). Youth – United Nations Sustainable Development. United Nations Sustainable Development. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/youth/

“Surging Seas in a Warming World.” (2024, August 26) United Nations Climate Change Report. https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/slr_technical_brief_26_aug_2024.pdf