Marking international Earth Day, a group of some 50 environmental activists and their supporters rallied outside the Sogo shopping complex in Kuala Lumpur today to press for climate justice.
Among the key messages raised by the group include the impact of climate change on the world, particularly rising temperatures, which have ultimately led to rising sea levels.
Growing up by the beach in Kuantan, climate change activist Amalen Sathananthar said he has witnessed firsthand the impact of climate change on his own home.
"I do not want to lose my home. I do not want to lose the place where I grew up. Where I spent my childhood every day, playing in the trees, playing by the beach.
"My kids will never see that. My kids will never understand what it's like to sit by a tree and just watch the waves come in," he said, adding that his home is located less than 2km away from the coast.
Other speakers also highlighted the impact of deforestation on the livelihood of Orang Asli communities from illegal and state-sanctioned logging activities.
Orang Asli contemporary artist Shaq Koyok (above, right) urged the crowd to support his community's struggle against encroachment into their lands.
"We need to stop it. The destruction on our motherland, Mother Nature, and on Orang Asli lands.
"Stop destruction. We have had enough," stressed Shaq, a Temuan from Banting.
The various organisations that made up the rally today came together as the Klima Action Malaysia (Kamy) network.
Kamy member Nurul Fitrah Marican read out the group's eight demands to the government, including for lawmakers and head of states to treat climate change as a crisis.
Their other demands include pushing for a transition towards a low carbon resilient economy, stricter environmental regulation and enforcement, as well as incorporating climate resilience assessments as a precondition of new infrastructure projects. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.