350.org Australia navy ship sails through Sydney harbour to demonstrate climate action.

Despite the doom and gloom climate trajectory, climate warriors from the grassroots up have demonstrated their resolve not to give up hope fighting for future generations against worsening climate scenarios.

Major cities in Australia and the Indo-Pacific/Asia-Pacific have joined hundreds of thousands of people in more than 90 countries that took part in demonstrations last week to protest about the failure of politicians to tackle the global environmental crisis.

More than 800 events – from marches to street theatre, acts of civil disobedience to mini festivals – were held in towns and cities amid growing frustration at the lack of meaningful political action over the emerging climate breakdown.

Rise For Climate from the Arctic.

Nick Bryer from campaign group 350.org which organised the event said: “Politicians are failing. They are still protecting the interests of the fossil fuel companies over the interests of people, despite mounting evidence of the devastation these companies and this system is causing the planet.”

He said the day of global demonstrations was about people around the world “rising up and demanding a different cause of action, a different future which puts people and a sustainable future before the interests of these huge corporations”. Read the Guardian report here.

In the US, the Rise for Climate march was spearheaded by what organizers called the largest ever climate march on the US west coast. It snaked through the heart of San Francisco, came ahead of a climate change summit in the city the following week gathered mayors and business leaders from around the world.

PacificPAWA rising

The San Francisco march, which called for California governor Jerry Brown to end fossil fuel extraction in the state, attracted around 30,000 people, organisers said.

Activists added, “We are standing up to life destructive industries, from big oil to natural gas companies, that obstruct progress toward a healthy, sustainable and just society.”

Rising for climate in San Francisco, USA.

The Rise For Climate came after the Bangkok Climate Change Conference held on 4-9 September. Negotiators in the conference are reported to have made limited progress in advancing the Paris Agreement Work Programme (PAWP) which contains the guidelines required to operationalise the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, which are expected to be adopted at the Katowice Climate Change Conference in Poland in December 2018.

The Global Climate Action Summit was also held in San Francisco, 12-14 September inviting mayors globally to step up their climate action. The summit was a chance to demonstrate to the world that cities, along with businesses, investors, state and regional governments are at the forefront of working towards a climate safe, healthy, prosperous world for all.

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