Environmental activists demand ban on use of coal as fuel

To put across their demand to end the use of coal as fuel, environmental and human rights activists of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum held a rally from the Governor House to the Karachi Press Club on Friday.

They called for declaring a climate emergency and banning the use of coal. The general secretary of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, Saeed Baloch, emphasised that the upcoming COP 29 Climate Change Conference should declare an end to the coal use by 2035 to save the world from the harms of climate change.

He stressed that the responsibility primarily lied with the leaders of developed nations, who needed to be more accountable for the environmental crisis. He also highlighted the need for wealthy countries to fulfil their financial responsibilities towards climate change, enabling poorer countries, which had the least responsible for the climate change yet they were most affected by it, to swiftly transition towards efficient and renewable energy sources. He stated that the future of energy depended on renewable resources and warned that heavy investment in coal would be a massive burden on the economy.

Senior Vice Chairperson of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum Fatima Majeed shed light on the fishermen's participation in these movements demanding an end to the fossil fuel era, which had led to environmental degradation, polluted air and water, and caused exploitation of fishermen and farmers for profit. She stressed that there should be no further expansion of coal in Pakistan or anywhere else in Asia.

She also expressed concern over the failure to meet the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global temperature rise to below 1.5 degrees. She emphasised an urgent need for transition from coal to renewable energy, adding that false solutions such as carbon capture, hydrogen, and gas as transition fuels were being promoted contrary to sustainable scientific recommendations.

Karachi Environmental March leader Ahmad Shabbar cited recent data confirming that no new fossil fuels should be extracted if the temperature increase was to be limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius. He called for the rapid closure of more than half of the existing coal mines while ensuring the protection of activists and communities.

Ahead of the Global Climate Conference in Baku, the Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD) has announced actions to remind the world of the climate emergency. As part of these actions, thousands of activists in 15 Asian countries, including Pakistan, will participate in demands for swift, just, and equitable systems.

From September 13 to September 20, thousands of climate activists are expected to participate in climate demonstrations, rallies, and marches, calling for the complete end of coal as fuel by 2035.