Y4EJ youth participate in Global Day of action demonstration

By Raquel Helene Kleber

An estimated 20.000 people gathered at this year’s Global Day of Action in Durban, South Africa, during COP17. The demonstration held in Durban has for years became a tradition at the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change. This year’s event caught the attention of various global media.

Eco-Justice youths sending loud message to world climate polluters during the Global Day of Action in Durban, South Africa

The non-violent march involved international and national community, religious and environmental organizations, civil society, academia, youth, and counted with the active participation of the youth from the Eco-Justice training, jointly organized by the World Council of Churches Water Network and the Lutheran World Federation.

The youth spotted a banner saying ‘Polluters Pay’ which included names of the main polluters countries. As a participant, we joined the call urging international leaders to take concrete actions towards addressing climate change, in addition to an urgent legally binding and just agreement.

For many youth, the demonstration’s at the Global Day of Action was their first time, and they were very impressed by the non-violent approach of the march, which they termed as a celebration to achieve an Eco-Just economy and society. One of the participants even expressed that “it was not only a call to tell polluting countries to pay, but also to recognize ourselves as individual polluters”.

Climate change is one of the signs of the groaning of creation, which is suffering the consequences of human mistreat and is also a sign of injustice, when the most vulnerable and the minorities face the greatest consequences. In order to tackle this problem, a change in the economic system is demanding, but also a change in our actions from the position of dominators to stewards of God’s creation.

In the process of creating a more Eco-Just world, the youth has a significant role to play, since we are the ones who have hope and energy that can be used to change these situations, added to our abilities of networking and technology for change. We are the ones who will be affected by today’s decision, and yet “we have a unique opportunity to become a solution in this world”, said Isaiah Kipyegon.