COP27 is set to be held from 6th to 18th November in Egypt as countries come together to discuss their collective climate goals. As a response to COP27 and the unfolding climate crisis, on November 8th, Greenpeace India, along with the fishing communities of the state of Kerala, unfurled a 27 ft-by-60 ft banner on the open waters of the Chellanam Harbour, one of the worst erosion-impacted coastlines, which read “UNITED FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE”. The aim is to highlight the increasing impacts of climate change and to demand climate justice at COP27. Through this photo-op, impacted fishing communities demanded action from those in power to match the efforts of vulnerable communities and climate justice movements in fighting climate change.
The public action was part of three events organised at Fort Kochi and Chellanam, Kerala, from 5th to 8th of November 2022. The events witnessed critical stakeholders from vulnerable communities across India coming together to express solidarity and challenge the inaction on climate change by country leaders and world leaders. This is a crucial step in the fight for climate justice, as historically marginalised communities, though having the least contributions towards causing the climate crisis, are the most affected by extreme global warming-induced weather events.
“We have put out this message because it is high time the world sees the real-time impact of climate change. We are losing our homes and livelihoods to erratic weather events. Fishing is our only source of income, and it is becoming increasingly challenging to go out into the sea, make a living and feed our families. Political leaders across the world have wasted enough time. Now, there should be quick, real solutions to our problems. The world needs to know our story.” said Anthony Thayil, KSMTF Erakulum District President.
The key objective of these events was to create momentum and public conversations towards demanding a scientific and community knowledge-driven Climate Adaptation Plan across India. The community members sent the message that they are facing the brunt of climate change already and, at the same time, are stepping up to create spaces for solidarity, hope and resilience. They demanded that their actions should be backed up by the state and society members as they continue to work on radical hope.
Avinash Chanchal, Campaign Manager at Greenpeace India, commented, “The latest IPCC reports highlight the widespread losses and damages to nature and people being caused by the climate crisis. Our climate adaptation policies must align with climate justice and acknowledge that this crisis disproportionately affects marginalised and underprivileged populations and, therefore, ensure that their lives and livelihoods are protected. Furthermore, we will require immediate changes at a systemic level to rapidly decarbonise our economies. Ambitious declarations without any impactful implementation is essentially hollow talk, and must be called out as such.”
The programme’s participants included farmers from Maharashtra who faced drought and excess unseasonal rainfall, fishworkers and coastal dwellers from Chellanam, inland fish workers and residents of the Sundarbans, youth from fishing communities of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and the survivors of the 2018 floods in Kerala who were rescued by the Chellanam fishing community.