Around 3500 climate change-affected communities from within Thailand, India, Philippines, Bangladesh, Indonesia and other countries came together with Asian and international civil society groups to march on the streets of Bangkok to the UNESCAP Headquarters where the UN Climate Talks are being held.
Protestors with banners in various languages and some in traditional costumes at the climate protest.
The UN ramped up security as thousands stood outside the UN building singing, chanting slogans and demanding delegates at the UNFCCC and world leaders to speed up the negotiations process and provide a fair Climate Deal.
The TCKTCKTCK campaign group including WWF team were also on the street to support the growing movement on climate change.
9 Comments
Huh? Isn’t Thailand a very big contributor of carbon emission as well? Who are they protesting against?
These are people – civil society members – and just like in the US or the UK, people can protest against the inaction of their own governments or the inaction world leaders from many countries currently at the Bangkok talks. Thumbs up to them!
I find it interesting that these people from remote communities always protest in English. It’s like they were being given the banners and placards by a pressure group or something.
The climate has always changed and always will. CO2 allegedly makes the world warmer, but the world isn’t going along with the theory. If ten years of ‘natural variation’ can cool the world down as it has, how much of the warming in the 80’s/90’s was due to the same ‘natural variation’ factors in their positive phases?
Don’t be fooled by hype, think for yourself.
People in Thailand protest against their own government to become more pro-active about reducing their own emissions. Being part of the protest I can say that the participants were much wider then Thai people and demands were for all governments to step up…
People in Thailand being brainwashed by their government who want to recieve free money from the rich countries which they will spend on big homes and crocodile shoes.
I’m sorry, but I’ve been to Bangkok, and the people that live in these villages and outlying communities that surround that city are some of the poorest in the world. How are they climate change-effected ? Their gov’t does nothing to improve the quality of life. Americans that travel there do more for these people than there own gov’t. When I was visiting a friend of mine just north of Bangkok, at his home (a mansion actually, cost him all of 25k usd), I was stunned to witness how little these people have in the way of modern conveniences. Little in the way of electricity and motor vehicles. For someone to say that thousands protest in favor of climate change support when I know they care more about making money and how to support their family, I find this report to be very suspect.
Lets not forget that climate change aggravates poverty by putting pressure on natural resources. The protest happened in Thailand as the climate meetings are there but the impacts of climate change is felt by everyone no matter where you are. In the Pacific we are feeling the impact more on our resources including agriculture, fisheries etc
The protest is symbolic and rather then criticizing the protesters or the language used (in fact i see local language banners in the blog) …i don’t think its that hard to understand that globally people need to put pressure for countries to stop polluting more. I’m glad someone is out there on the street to show leaders we are not sleeping over climate change….
The poorest people in the world are absolutely the most affected by climate change.
Many people in Europe and North America live in cites, they have their food delivered, ever so conveniently to the nearest grocery stores. They never have to touch the cold earth in order to put food on their plates and the closest they come to nature is the produce section of Loblaws and SafeWay. Take it from someone who has seen first hand the effects of climate change and how much damage it is doing to the world.
I live in Arctic Canada. I have relatives who have died because they fell through the ice in January. January! Ice should never be thin enough to consume anyone or anything in the arctic in January. Melting permafrost has ruined airstrips, drained marshlands and is destroying infrastructure. My own house is losing its porch for gods sake!
People need to wake up and see that, just because they are not directly affected by it, climate change is very, very real.
Any protest is good protest against climate change. These people are genuinely affected and genuinely want change in their leaderships’ reaction to climate change.
Canada is one of the world’s worst emitters, I protest my government’s inaction. The people of Thailand are doing the same. All the power to them! United we stand against the most dangerous force threatening our very existence on earth.
Denying it can only bring the worst case scenario. Stop believing in the lies the corporate world want you to believe. They want nothing but your money. Whats the worst that could happen if we do make the shift to sustainable futures? And what’s the worst that could happen if we don’t?
Ms Grey,
The worst that can happen is that the government will take billions of extra dollars/pounds/euros in extra tax money. Money I do not want to give them. And then they will spend it on whatever they want to, do not be fooled.
You are deluded if you think they will spend all of your hard earned tax money on anything worthwhile to do with Global warming. Sorry not global warming I should have said climate change.
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[...] citizens. Australia and Japan have voiced strong disapproval over the neighbors’ intransigence. A huge rally in Bangkok illustrated the extent of popular outrage over perceived inaction on climate change. At [...]