12-year-old Indian activist Licypriya Kangujam interrupts COP28 stage in Dubai
Licypriya Kangujam, a 12-year-old climate activist from India, interrupted the COP28 climate summit in Dubai on Monday.
What happened: Kangujam ran up the stage with a sign reading “End fossil fuels. Save our planet and our future.” While holding the poster up, she demanded governments to “act now” in phasing out coal, oil and gas, which she says are the top causes of the climate crisis today.
Although Kangujam was escorted away, the COP28 Director-General Ambassador Majid Al Suwaidi praised her enthusiasm and the audience applauded.
The drafted final deal: The protest occurred amid criticism of a draft text for the final agreement, with opponents expressing disapproval that it did not explicitly tackle the elimination of fossil fuels, a crucial request from both the European Union and susceptible developing nations. There is uncertainty whether the talks, initially set to conclude on Tuesday, will finish on schedule.
Kangujam’s urgent plea: Kangujam shared a statement on X after her protest, noting that she was detained for over 30 minutes. “My only crime – Asking to Phase Out Fossil Fuels, the top cause of climate crisis today. Now they kicked me out of COP28,” she wrote.
Her plea emphasizes the necessity for global collaboration in ending fossil fuel use, highlighting the devastating impact of climate disasters on millions of children. She asks governments to redirect their resources from wars to address hunger, provide education and combat climate change. She stresses the basic rights of every human being, such as clean air, water and a habitable planet.
“Your action today will decide our future tomorrow,” Kangujam wrote. “We are already the victim of climate change. I don’t want my future generations to face the same consequences again. Sacrificing the lives of the millions of innocent children for the failures of our leaders is unacceptable at any cost…After thinking many times, I decided to do this protest. Even my mom tried to stop me but I convinced her that ‘Everything will be alright.’ I am taking the risks of my life because I want to save our Planet and our Future. My voice deserve to be heard by the world. Let’s stand together by uniting, instead of dividing.”
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