Global Day of Action is a direct action protest format. Environmentalism initiatives began to use it in 2005 in connection with Global Climate Campaign. They aimed to focus world attention on the anthropogenic effect that humans are having on global warming. Its main objective is to spearhead demands that elected representatives of their respective governments honor commitments set forth by the Kyoto Protocol, by conducting in unison peaceful demonstrations around the world. The demonstration, or rallies, are intended to coincide with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), a meeting of world leaders from 189 nations, that meet annually to discuss climate change.
History
edit2018
editIn 2018, Global Day of Action took place during Global Goals Week, an annual week-long event in September for action, awareness, and accountability for the Sustainable Development Goals.[2][3]
2007
edit
The most recent Global Day of Action event, entitled Kyoto Now!, occurred on December 8, 2007 to coincide with the UNFCCC's conference, otherwise known as COP 13/MOP 3, convening Dec 3-14, 2007 in Bali, Indonesia. Numerous groups and coalitions, as well as independent grassroots efforts, were organized in over eighty countries worldwide to march in open rallies in support of this initiative. Chief among them was Campaign against Climate Change, Stop Climate Chaos and Greenpeace.
There were citizens in 84[4] countries - fifty more than the first year - participating in simultaneous rallies and marches around the world. Industrialized, G8 nations like Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, UK, and USA had multiple rallies - 36 in Canada alone - being planned in cities nationwide.
In Athens, a Saturday demonstration featured music, juggling and stilt-walking acts, with traffic being interrupted around Syntagma Square by the 102 organizations taking part.[5] In Taiwan, about 1,500 people marched through the streets holding banners and placards saying "No to carbon dioxide".[6] Toronto activists also congested its main thoroughfare of Yonge Street, with an estimated 2000-3000 marchers,[7] although another report estimated 500.[8] Speaking at that event under a sunny sky, which began at Dundas Square, was NDP federal party leader Jack Layton, and an impassioned and well received speech, in both French and English, by 12-year-old Misha Hamu.[9] Elsewhere in Canada, a mock funeral was conducted in Edmonton,[10] where black-clad protesters sang songs and gave eulogies over a long black coffin, and David Suzuki spoke at a rally in Vancouver.
In Bangalore,[11] more than 1000 volunteers of Greenpeace descended on M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, dressed head to toe in yellow, holding up a large number of placards with climate messages, making human art formations and wearing fun masks. Greenpeace Southeast Asia,[12] Thailand celebrated their event by releasing their new edition of Save the Climate Handbook at Chatuchak weekend market, which also featured a demonstration clinic on solar energy. In Istanbul there was over 7000[13] participants rallying under a clear blue sky.
In Berlin, German ice sculpture artist Christian Funk, carved a polar bear out of 15 tons of ice in front of the Brandenburg Gate on December 7, 2007, in honor of the protest. Measuring 4m x 4m x 1.5m, it was on display all the following day as it slowly melted.[14] In London over 10,000[15] supporters turned out in the rain carrying placards denouncing a planned expansion at Heathrow Airport of a third runway.[16]
Locations of demonstrations in 2007
- Albania
- Andorra
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Bangladesh
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Benin
- Bermuda
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Bulgaria
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- Canada
- Colombia
- Congo (DR)
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Egypt
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Ghana
- Greece
- Guinea
- Iceland
- India
- Indonesia
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kenya
- Lebanon
- Liberia
- Macedonia
- Malta
- Mexico
- Morocco
- Nepal
- Netherlands
- New Caledonia
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Nigeria
- Northern Ireland
- Norway
- Pakistan
- Palestine
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Puerto Rico
- Romania
- Russia
- Scotland
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Slovenia
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sri Lanka
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Togo
- Turkey
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Uruguay
2005
editIn response to entering into force of the Kyoto Protocol, following ratification by Russia, on February 16, 2005, Global Day of Action rallies were first conducted on December 3, 2005 to coincide with the UNFCCC's First Meeting of Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, or MOP 1, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The following year on November 3 and 11, 2006, rallies were conducted again when the UNFCCC convened for the Second Meeting of Parties, or MOP 2, in Nairobi, Kenya.
Locations of demonstrations in 2005
- Sydney (Australia)
- Bangladesh
- Brazil
- Sofia (Bulgaria)
- Halifax (Canada) - organized by Zoë Caron, Co-author of Climate Change for Dummies, and Aliza Weller, Ecology Action Centre
- Montreal (Canada)
- Chile
- Congo (Democratic Republic of)
- Zagreb (Croatia)
- Helsinki (Finland)
- Paris (France)
- Berlin (Germany)
- Athens (Greece)
- Dublin (Ireland)
- Indonesia
- Italy
- Japan
- Mexico
- Wellington (New Zealand)
- Nicaragua
- Oslo (Norway)
- Peru
- Manila (Philippines)
- Lisbon (Portugal)
- Romania
- Moscow (Russia)
- South Africa
- Barcelona (Spain)
- Istanbul (Turkey)
- Uganda
- London (England)
- Edinburgh (Scotland)
- Belfast (Northern Ireland)
- United States
- Venezuela
2024
editIn early 2024, the Insure Our Future (IOF) campaign network organised a Global Week of Action (GWA) calling on the insurance industry to end its connections with fossil fuels. This was the first coordinated period of action against the insurance industry, and saw over 100 actions take place in 31 countries across the world from February 26th to March 3rd.[17]
See also
editNotes and references
edit- ^ Bibi van der Zee and, David Batty "Copenhagen climate protesters rally", The Guardian, 12 December 2009 (page visited on 17 December 2017).
- ^ "Global Goals Week 2018". IISD SDG Knowledge Hub. Archived from the original on 5 October 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ "Global Goals Week - About". United Nations Foundation. Archived from the original on 30 December 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ "Global Climate Campaign". International Demonstrations on Climate Change. Archived from the original on 2008-01-21. Retrieved 2008-02-03.
- ^ "ANA-MPA © (2004-2005)". Action Against Climate Change rally in Athens. Archived from the original on 2011-06-05. Retrieved 2008-02-03.
- ^ "Brian Gray, Sun Media, 2007-12-02 © (2007), Canoe Inc". TO joins world for climate rally. Archived from the original on 2007-12-10. Retrieved 2008-02-03.
- ^ Estimate according to Toronto Police and Security Services measuring the percentage of Dundas Square being occupied at the time of the demonstration
- ^ "TO joins world for climate rally: Protesters urge stronger action, By Brian Gray - Sun Media, Dec. 9, 2007". Archived from the original on 2007-12-10. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
- ^ "Activists gather in T.O. for climate change rally - toronto.ctv.ca". Archived from the original on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2021-07-14.
- ^ Mock funeral for Mother Earth - Edmonton Sun, Dec. 8, 2007
- ^ Greenpeace volunteers paint Chinnaswamy stadium yellow, December 8, 2007[dead link]
- ^ "Global Day of Action on climate change - Greenpeace". Archived from the original on 2007-12-09. Retrieved 2007-12-09.
- ^ "Global Action Group (KEG)". Archived from the original on 2008-11-22. Retrieved 2007-12-17.
- ^ "CBS News". Archived from the original on 2007-12-10. Retrieved 2007-12-17.
- ^ "Campaign against Climate Change". Archived from the original on 2007-12-07. Retrieved 2007-12-04.
- ^ "BBC News". Archived from the original on 2007-10-09. Retrieved 2007-12-17.
- ^ L'Heritier, Isabelle; Whiting, Luke (2024-06-18). "Planning a Global Week of Action". The Commons Social Change Library. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
External links
edit- Global Climate Campaign
- Campaign against Climate Change Archived 2007-12-07 at the Wayback Machine
- Stop Climate Chaos - Scotland Archived 2021-04-21 at the Wayback Machine
- Stop Climate Chaos Archived 2021-04-21 at the Wayback Machine
