Climate activists stage protest demanding rich countries pay for climate reparations

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.