LAHORE: Farmers, climate activists, trade unions and workers on Friday staged protests across the country ahead of a meeting of the UN General Assembly, demanding $5 trillion in climate finance.
Rallies were organized in Gujranwala, Karachi and Shikarpur where protesters demanded adequate climate finance for Pakistan. They called for climate reparations to counter a climate crisis in the country. Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee, Labour Qaumi Movement & Power Loom and Garments Trade Union Punjab members held a demonstration in Gujranwala, demanding adequate climate finance for Pakistan. Similar protests and mobilization activities were held in Karachi and Shikarpur. The Shikarpur demonstration was led by Hari Jeddojehad Committee, Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee and Pakistan Railway Workers Union - Open Line. The Karachi demonstration was led by Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum.
The protesters demanded that rich countries developed as a result of historic emissions of carbon must pay their fair share to counter the climate crisis around the globe. In Gujranwala, Baba Latif said that the industrial labour got disproportionately affected by the climate crisis. On the one hand, the environmental regulations around industries are non-existent due to which workers face health hazards inside the industries. “We demand that the rich countries which developed at the expense of poor countries like Pakistan must pay their fair share because the responsibility of fixing the climate crisis falls on their shoulders.”
In Shikarpur, Ali Khoso said: “The floods in 2022 are a stark reminder of climate change in our region. The country witnessed devastation where millions of people were left homeless and many more lost their jobs and livelihood. While the responsibility of relief and rehabilitation falls on our own government, but we should not forget the global climate crisis is driven by rich countries and their corporations. In Karachi, Saeed Baloch said: “The US is the leading historical emitter of planet-warming greenhouse gasses, making its elite, corporations, and government primarily responsible for the climate crisis. 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.”