12-year-old Climate Activist Storms Stage and Disrupts COP28 Summit

In the midst of the ongoing COP28 Talks in Dubai, 12-year-old Licypriya Kangujam, an indigenous climate change activist from India stormed the Cop28 stage to urge people to end the use of fossil fuels on the last day of the COP meeting. She rushed on to stage holding a a placard that read “End Fossil Fuels Save Our Planet And Our Future”. She then went on to give a speech on the same until she was escorted away by the authorities.

She is the youngest climate change activist globally who was inspired by Greta Thunberg. She is the founder of The Child Movement and spoke at COP25 urging leaders globally to take action against climate change. She was only 6 years old when she began advocating for the cause of the environment.

Watch the video of Licypriya storming the stage at COP28 here.

The director-general ambassador Majid Al Suwaidi of COP28 praised the the young girl’s enthusiasm at the event and encouraged the audience to applaud Kangujam. Public protests are limited at the United Nations talks in the United Arab Emirates, where many organized groups are banned.

Negotiators worked late into the night to reach a deal on halting global warming, but concerns were raised that the proposed text did not meet the goals to save the planet. A new draft released on Monday in the global stocktake part of the talks called for countries to reduce the use of fossil fuels in a fair and organized way.

Global Stocktake on Fossil fuel phase out

On Monday evening, a fresh version of the global stocktake (GST) text was released, presenting various options for mitigation. However, it did not include any mentions of gradually eliminating fossil fuels. Experts noted that this absence could significantly impede efforts to limit global warming to 1.5°C as outlined in the Paris Agreement.

The latest version of the COP28 agreement, released by the United Arab Emirates’ summit presidency put forth several options but did not explicitly mention a “phase-out” of all fossil fuels, a term that was present in an earlier draft.

The document mentions coal but leaves out oil and gas which cause around 55% of global emissions in a cause of alarm.

Climate Activist Licypriya’s message on X

In another post on X, she conveyed the message that governments should work together to phase out coal, oil, and gas, which are the primary contributors to the current climate crisis. She emphasized that the decisions and actions taken today would shape the future. As someone who has already experienced the impacts of climate change, she expressed the hope that future generations would not face the same consequences. She found it unacceptable to sacrifice the lives of countless innocent children due to the failures of leaders regardless of the cost.

She expressed that millions of children, similar to herself, are experiencing the loss of lives, parents, and homes due to climate disasters. She emphasized the urgency of the climate emergency and suggested redirecting billions of dollars from wars towards ending hunger, providing education, and combating climate change. The fundamental rights they are asking for include access to clean air, clean water, and a clean planet to live on.