By TRN Online,
Kathmandu, Sept 20: Climate activists held protests in Kathmandu today demanding
$5 trillion in climate reparations for the Global South countries.
The protest held in
Kathmandu is part of a larger simultaneous protests that are also being held in
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines
led by the Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD) and its
member organisations in respective countries.
These coordinated
mobilisations in Asia have been conducted ahead of the Summit of the Future and
United Nations General Assembly in New York City and are part of the Global Week of Action for
Climate Finance and a Fossil-Free Future, a week-long event of
protests in 58 countries calling for the phase out of fossil fuels and the
payment of climate finance, according to a press release issued today by RRN.
“2024 has been a
devastating year for those at the frontlines of the climate crisis,” says APMDD
coordinator Lidy Nacpil.
Extreme heat in South
and Southeast Asia in the first half of the year has closed schools, disrupted
food production, and collapsed power grids. In southern Pakistan, 568 people died in six days due to
heat stroke. In the second half of the year, the monsoon rains, exacerbated by
climate change, have given Bangladesh its heaviest rainfall and worst flooding
in over a century, leaving millions of people stranded and damaging $282 million worth of
crops.
In the Philippines, the Department of Agriculture disclosed that this year’s El
Niño has cost 9.5 billion pesos in losses, devastating
over 175,000 farmers and fisherfolk. “This year’s extreme weather events remind
us that the most vulnerable people in the Global South pay the heaviest price
for climate change despite contributing the least to global emissions,” Nacpil
says.
Under the UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), developed countries agreed to provide
climate finance to cover the costs of developing countries’ climate programs
and projects. The target amount of climate finance that must be raised for the
Global South will be a main agenda item at COP29 in November. COP29 is expected
to set the new collective quantified goal (NCQG) for climate finance, which
will replace the previous goal of $100 billion a year, which has already been
criticized as inadequate.
“For the workers of
Nepal, climate change is not a distant threat, but a daily reality. It is
imperative that climate finance takes into account their unique
vulnerabilities, providing them with the resources to rebuild their lives and
livelihoods” said Sita Lama from the General Federation of Nepalese Trade
Unions (GEFONT), who is coordinating the mobilistaion in Kathmandu.
“If the global community is serious about
addressing climate change, it must prioritize the needs of vulnerable countries
and workers. True climate justice means that rich nations step up, not just
with words, but with resources to help countries like Nepal navigate this
crisis," she added.
“The historically rich
and industrialised nations are the leading emitter of planet-warming greenhouse
gasses, making their elites, corporations, and government primarily responsible
for the climate crisis,” said Ram Subedi, from the NGO Federation of Nepal
(NFN), who were also part of the mobilisation.
“The U.S. and other
rich, polluting countries have a historical, legal, and moral obligation to
cover the costs of mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage, and ensuring a just
transition in the Global South. If they cannot deliver an adequate amount of
climate finance, injustice will prevail and people in the Global South will
suffer the most as global temperatures soar,” stated Praman Adhikari,
representing the South Asia Alliance for Poverty Eradication (SAAPE) in the
demonstration.
Likewise, Bhanu
Parajuli from RRN emphasized, "Fair climate finance is essential for Nepal
and the Global South to address the severe impacts of climate change on
vulnerable and marginalized communities."
Following the demonstration,
a determined delegation proceeded to the Finance Ministry to officially submit
a memorandum requesting the government to bring forth the people's voices
during international negotiations related to climate finance, namely the Summit
of the Future, the UN General Assembly in September 2024, and the upcoming
COP29 in November 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Representatives from labour unions,
women’s movements, peasants' movements, civil society, and other stakeholders
were signatories to the memorandum.
The delegation met with
and submitted the memorandum to the Honourable Deputy Prime Minister and
Minister of Finance, Bishnu Prasad Paudel. Deputy Prime Minister Paudel
expressed his commitment to champion the cause, recognizing its importance for
Nepal and the Global South, according to the press release.