Climate activists rally in Bangkok: No more ‘carbon’ copies of injustice
More than 200 climate activists descended on the United Nations Headquarters in Bangkok yesterday passionately demanding an end to climate change laws and carbon credit systems that favour corporate giants.
The rally, titled “System Change Not Climate Crisis,” aimed to pressure the Thai government ahead of the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29), taking place in Azerbaijan from November 11 to 22.
Participants engaged in an open seminar discussing climate justice, the shortcomings of the carbon credit system, and how current policies allow major corporations to profit from the exploitation of natural resources. The activists assert that these policies must change to protect the planet and its inhabitants.
Protesters submitted an open letter yesterday, October 15, to the executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) before marching to the head office of the Natural Resource and Environment Ministry. There, they urged the government to cease its greenwashing practices of large corporations that contribute to carbon emissions.
Greenpeace Thailand activists made a striking statement by unfurling a massive 10-by-10-metre banner on the ministry’s building, proclaiming “People Before Profit” in English, with a Thai translation urging officials to “Stop greenwashing giant carbon-emitting companies,” reported The Nation.
A representative from Greenpeace stated that the letter delivered to the UNFCCC includes seven key demands aimed at the Thai government:
- Abolish the 20-year national strategic plan and related policies that create “fake” green spaces.
- Promote compensation for loss and damage caused by climate change to affected nations.
- Halt climate change laws that support carbon trading, aiding corporate greenwashing.
- Disband the Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organisation.
- Revise the roles of the Natural Resource and Environment Ministry to empower community rights in resource protection.
- Revoke concession contracts for carbon and bio credit projects granted to private companies.
- Establish strict deadlines for carbon reduction across fossil, food, meat, and resource exploration industries, with severe penalties for non-compliance.
