As world leaders continue to negotiate a global game plan for climate action on the final day of the COP24 summit in Katowice, Poland, more than 150 representatives from movements across the globe came together for a sit-in to demand that governments “stand with people, not polluters” and “commit to action in line with the urgency of the crisis.”
The purpose of the “corporate-captured U.N. climate talks,” as the activists have called them, is to write a rulebook for the 2015 Paris agreement—supported by every nation on Earth except the United States, thanks to President Donald Trump’s vow to withdraw from it. The accord aims to limit global warming within this century to 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels.
“Governments must take responsibility and provide real leadership to halt climate breakdown. They are failing completely to do so, and their failures are on full display here at COP24,” charges a statement from the sit-in organizers. “Inside these halls, we are calling on the rich polluting countries to stop obstructing progress and to support the just transition we need.”
Demanding “climate justice and a world under 1.5ºC of warming,” and accusing decisions-makers of sticking to “business as usual,” the activists on Friday held up massive banners that read, “stand with people, not polluters,” “system change, not climate change,” and “which side are you on?”
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