Tens of thousands of protesters joined marches around the world on Saturday (15 November) to urge global leaders at COP30 to deliver climate justice and tackle global economic inequality.
The marches formed part of the Global Day of Action organised by the Peoples’ Summit, which is running in parallel to the UN climate change conference in Belém.
Overall, more than 100 marches, demonstrations and events took place in 27 countries around the world, including in Belém, where some 70,000 participated in the Peoples’ Summit March (pictured).
In the UK and Ireland, marches were held in 16 cities, including London and Dublin. In Asia, around 10,000 protesters joined marches in more than 40 cities and provinces in the Philippines, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal, while in Africa, mobilisations were held in Kenya, Zambia, Benin, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Global Day of Action
Commenting on the mobilisations, Tasneem Essop, executive director of Climate Action Network International, said, “We are done watching Big Polluters and the governments aligned with them decide our future. Real solutions are already alive in the territories – in the hands of Indigenous peoples, workers, women, and youth who defend land, water, and life every single day.
“On this Global Day of Action, we take to the streets of Belém with thousands of others to make one thing clear: the era of sacrifice zones is over. The world we need puts justice at the centre – not profit, not war, not extraction. People’s power is rising, and we are not backing down.”
‘Change the system’
Elsewhere, Lidy Nacpil, coordinator of the Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development, said that the marches were taking place to “change the system” and urge definitive action on tackling climate change.
“On the streets of Belém, we are marching with thousands of allies for an end to the capitalist and imperialist order that has plundered our lands and exploited our people,” she said. “Inside the COP, we are pushing for governments to adopt a global just transition mechanism, provide climate finance from the North to the South, and accelerate a fair transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. […] System change is the only way forward – anything less is an injustice against our people.” Read more here.
