12-Year-Old Climate Activist Storms COP28 Summit In Dubai, Demands Ending Fossil Fuel Usage

On Monday, a 12-year-old Indian climate activist, Licypriya Kangujam, made headlines as she took to the stage of the COP28 summit in Dubai, demanding an end to the use of fossil fuels.

What Happened: As reported by Reuters, Kangujam interrupted the climate summit carrying a sign that read, “End fossil fuels. Save our planet and our future.” The young activist was eventually removed from the stage, but not before receiving applause from the audience.

Appreciation for Kangujam’s audacious act was expressed by the COP28 Director-General, Ambassador Majid Al Suwaidi, who encouraged the audience to applaud the young activist’s spirit. This occurred despite public protests being generally restricted at the U.N. talks in the UAE, a nation known for its bans on many organized groups, including political parties and labor unions.

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A new draft of a final deal was presented at the conference on Monday. However, this draft did not directly address the phase-out of fossil fuels, a critical demand by the European Union and several developing countries vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

Why It Matters: At the onset of this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference or COP28, nations expressed a renewed commitment to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels. This commitment signaled a potential moment of reckoning for oil companies. Sultan Al Jaber, the COP28 President and UAE leader, acknowledged the challenging discussions held with oil and gas companies. Despite this, the recent draft deal presented at the summit fell short of directly addressing the phase-out of fossil fuels.

As the summit is set to conclude on Tuesday, it remains to be seen if there will be any changes to the draft deal to address concerns raised by Kangujam and others advocating for a faster transition away from fossil fuels.

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