Climate activists, climate victims, academia, researchers, and concerned citizens came together in the coastal megalopolis of Karachi on Sunday to demonstrate a sense of urgency and issue a collective call to action against the unfolding climate change catastrophe.
Climate marches (climate activist protests) have emerged as a major global phenomenon. Considered to be powerful drivers of interest on the subject, they are not like other protest marches where people express outrage or vent frustration but are intended to have a lasting impact on policymakers worldwide. These marches are focused on expressing an urgency for addressing critical issues such as environmental degradation, the politics of climate change and its social consequences, which are having profound implications across the globe. The marches are aimed at emphasising the power of the people to influence the elites—those in social, economic, and political positions of power which allows them to exert considerable control on powerful institutions, laws, myths, traditions, and social norms and thereby have disproportionate control over societal outcomes.
Commencing in the early 1970s, climate activism has intensified over the years with growing demands for stronger political and administrative actions. The observation of the first Earth Day led to large-scale environmental movements, resulting in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which initiated international advocacy in the late 1980s with different organisations. In 1992, the Climate Action Network was formed, and Climate Justice Now emerged as a coalition with the 2009 Copenhagen Summit, which reflected climate activism's evolution. The momentum continued as young people and students joined the call for a global climate strike in 2019 when teenage Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg emerged, focused on political action to tackle the climate calamity.
By 2021, climate protests or climate marches became commonplace, drawing attention to the unfolding climate change catastrophe on nearly all continents with more and more people and communities engaged. Today, there is an increasing and firm trend of seeking information about different aspects of climate change with the purpose of bringing together diverse perspectives on climate change under a single umbrella.
In the Global South, climate marches are often connected to immediate socio-economic challenges exacerbated by climate change. Here, participants mostly belong to marginalised groups and have suffered the direct impacts of climate change on their livelihoods
The youth are participating in climate-related protests across the globe in increasing numbers and are playing their part in forcing their respective governments to act on climate change by using social media platforms and through their physical presence on the ground as well. They believe that the current economic, social and political burdens have been imposed on populations due to the worsening climatic conditions, so it is imperative to take emergency measures to cope with the expected impacts of climate change and to make efforts to mitigate the cause of these climatic changes.
Climate marches in the Global North are not only raising awareness about this phenomenon but also advocating for policy change. There is an intense desire and motivation for participants in these regions to influence governmental action on climate issues, reflecting a growing recognition of the urgency of the state of climate change. These marches help mobilise public participation and build a groundswell of public opinion through political engagement – turning it into a robust social movement aimed at climate justice. But the visibility of these events depends on media coverage - a critical factor in amplifying the message of climate urgency and action now.
However, this visibility is blurred in the Global South, where climate marches are often connected to immediate socio-economic challenges exacerbated by climate change. Here, participants mostly belong to marginalised groups and have suffered the direct impacts of climate change on their livelihoods, such as water scarcity, increased temperatures, heatwaves, flooding, droughts, and food insecurity, which further lead to climate-related displacement with psychological impacts.
This is where Pakistan comes in. It is one of the most prominent victims, where climate change disproportionately affects the marginalised and vulnerable populations who are already dealing with economic and political instability, poor urban governance and deteriorating infrastructure. The country has been facing severe climate-related challenges on a regular basis.
The Lyari and Malir rivers and other stormwater drains have become sewage drains. Large, private housing schemes now occupy the city's key water inlet and outlet points. Parks and ancient trees of the city have been destroyed, contributing to increasing temperatures in the city
The theme for Karachi Climate March 2024 is 'Life' with a focus on saving the natural environment of Sindh, including that of Karachi, protecting the River Indus, Karoonjhar mountains and other ecological places across the province. Participants of Sunday's march believe that the region's environmental problems are all interconnected and do not follow the government's imagined administrative boundaries: not ensuring the flow of the required water in the River Indus is a problem for all and leads to the Indus delta's destruction, causes agricultural activates downstream to shrink, mangroves to dry up, the sea to swallow up land and increase chances of hurricanes. The human impact of these environmental issues is displacement and or migration of communities.
Similarly, ongoing projects of the Sindh government in Karachi are destroying the ancient villages and natural water channels of the local Sindhi and other populations, which violates national and international environmental laws.
Pollution is a major issue for the city, whether it is water or air pollution - Karachi was recently ranked as the second-most polluted city in the world. The Lyari and Malir rivers and other stormwater drains have become sewage drains. Large, private housing schemes now occupy the city's key water inlet and outlet points. Parks and ancient trees of the city have been destroyed, contributing to increasing temperatures in the city, which has seen the mercury top a sweltering 40 degrees in October. By losing its tree cover, the city can no longer provide clean air to its residents.
Even though the government has created environmental tribunals, these courts are weak in implementing the law and are unable to effectively punish violators. The Sindh government's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which is supposed to act as a bulwark against willful and unintended environmental degradation of the province, has become conspicuous by its near silence on the environmental impacts of any new project. In return for some money, they allow openly environmentally hostile projects to be implemented, and the Sindh Environment Council has become inactive.
The big question to be raised by the marchers is: Despite the heat waves, floods, and droughts, why is there a delay in environmental initiatives?
Activists, community members, academia, researchers, and civil society once again issued a call to action in the Karachi Climate March 2024 and demand urgent, real solutions for the city
One answer is that in a city like Karachi, major projects are decided and built without consulting the city's residents. As a result, projects have severe environmental and social impacts while violating residents' rights and impacting the community's future.
Unless the leaders of the city and the nation hear the communities in their offices, in conferences, in the Parliament or at other public forums, the only option communities would be left with is to call them out on the streets. This is exactly what happened in Karachi on October 27, 2024, when activists, community members, academia, researchers, and civil society once again issued a call to action in the Karachi Climate March 2024 and demand urgent, real solutions for the city. They showed they are ready to fight for climate justice for those affected and protect future generations. The march served as a platform to raise awareness, catalyse community solidarity and collective action, and demand action from the government to address climate-related issues seriously. It also empowered marginalised groups to amplify their voices and concerns and demand accountability from the government. These marches are advocates for climate justice, for policies that address resilience and adaptation strategies, while emphasising the need for sustainable practices, renewable energy, and protection of natural resources. The sense of community fostered among the participants at these venues unites diverse groups within the community for a common cause and encourages grassroots activism.