Protests against overseas funding of fossil fuels, staged by about 40 activists, took place within the Sharm El-Sheikh COP27 climate summit arena last Wednesday. Jointly held by a group of civil society groups – Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development, Oil Change International, Friends of The Earth Japan and Solutions For Our Climate – the demonstration called for rich nations to shift their investments into renewables.
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Protest rules dictate that no individual countries be named, but the East Asian region was singled out in speeches. A Pikachu inflatable costume also featured, a likely reference to Japan via its popular Pokémon video game series. A press statement by the organsers referenced Japan, South Korea and China being the top foreign fossil fuel funders.
Protests will be held on a daily basis, the organisers said. But the scale of demonstrations is markedly smaller than at COP26 last year, held in Glasgow, Scotland, where street marches attracted thousands of participants. Only designated areas in and around the summit venue at this year’s COP27, in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, have been opened up for protests, with information on where protests can be held not readily available for the public.
