Global Day of Action is a direct action protest format. Environmentalism initiatives began to use it in 2005 in connection with Global Climate Campaign. They aimed to focus world attention on the anthropogenic effect that humans are having on global warming. Its main objective is to spearhead demands that elected representatives of their respective governments honor commitments set forth by the Kyoto Protocol, by conducting in unison peaceful demonstrations around the world. The demonstration, or rallies, are intended to coincide with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), a meeting of world leaders from 189 nations, that meet annually to discuss climate change.
History
2018 In 2018, Global Day of Action took place during Global Goals Week, an annual week-long event in September for action, awareness, and accountability for the Sustainable Development Goals.
2007
The most recent Global Day of Action event, entitled Kyoto Now!, occurred on December 8, 2007 to coincide with the UNFCCC's conference, otherwise known as COP 13/MOP 3, convening Dec 3-14, 2007 in Bali, Indonesia. Numerous groups and coalitions, as well as independent grassroots efforts, were organized in over eighty countries worldwide to march in open rallies in support of this initiative. Chief among them was Campaign against Climate Change, Stop Climate Chaos and Greenpeace.
There were citizens in 84 countries - fifty more than the first year - participating in simultaneous rallies and marches around the world. Industrialized, G8 nations like Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, UK, and USA had multiple rallies - 36 in Canada alone - being planned in cities nationwide.
In Athens, a Saturday demonstration featured music, juggling and stilt-walking acts, with traffic being interrupted around Syntagma Square by the 102 organizations taking part. In Taiwan, about 1,500 people marched through the streets holding banners and placards saying "No to carbon dioxide". Toronto activists also congested its main thoroughfare of Yonge Street, with an estimated 2000-3000 marchers,Estimate according to Toronto Police and Security Services measuring the percentage of Dundas Square (now Sankofa Square) being occupied at the time of the demonstration although another report estimated 500. Speaking at that event under a sunny sky, which began at Dundas Square (now Sankofa Square), was NDP federal party leader Jack Layton, and an impassioned and well received speech, in both French and English, by 12-year-old Misha Hamu. Elsewhere in Canada, a mock funeral was conducted in Edmonton,Mock funeral for Mother Earth - Edmonton Sun, Dec. 8, 2007 where black-clad protesters sang songs and gave eulogies over a long black coffin, and David Suzuki spoke at a rally in Vancouver.
In Bangalore,Greenpeace volunteers paint Chinnaswamy stadium yellow, December 8, 2007 more than 1000 volunteers of Greenpeace descended on M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, dressed head to toe in yellow, holding up a large number of placards with climate messages, making human art formations and wearing fun masks. Greenpeace Southeast Asia, Thailand celebrated their event by releasing their new edition of Save the Climate Handbook at Chatuchak weekend market, which also featured a demonstration clinic on solar energy. In Istanbul there was over 7000 participants rallying under a clear blue sky.
In Berlin, German ice sculpture artist Christian Funk, carved a polar bear out of 15 tons of ice in front of the Brandenburg Gate on December 7, 2007, in honor of the protest. Measuring 4m x 4m x 1.5m, it was on display all the following day as it slowly melted. In London over 10,000 supporters turned out in the rain carrying placards denouncing a planned expansion at Heathrow Airport of a third runway.
Locations of demonstrations in 2007
Albania Andorra Argentina Australia Austria Bangladesh Belarus Belgium Benin Bermuda Bolivia Brazil Bulgaria Burundi Cameroon Canada Colombia Congo (DR) Costa Rica Croatia Czech Republic Denmark Egypt Finland France Germany Ghana Greece Guinea Iceland India Indonesia Ireland Italy Japan Jordan Kenya Lebanon Liberia Macedonia Malta Mexico Morocco Nepal Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Nigeria Northern Ireland Norway Pakistan Palestine Panama Paraguay Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Romania Russia Scotland Senegal Serbia Sierra Leone Singapore Slovenia South Africa South Korea Spain Sri Lanka Sweden Switzerland Taiwan Tanzania Thailand Togo Turkey Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay
2005 In response to entering into force of the Kyoto Protocol, following ratification by Russia, on February 16, 2005, Global Day of Action rallies were first conducted on December 3, 2005 to coincide with the UNFCCC's First Meeting of Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, or MOP 1, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The following year on November 3 and 11, 2006, rallies were conducted again when the UNFCCC convened for the Second Meeting of Parties, or MOP 2, in Nairobi, Kenya.
Locations of demonstrations in 2005
Sydney (Australia) Bangladesh Brazil Sofia (Bulgaria) Halifax (Canada) - organized by Zoë Caron, Co-author of Climate Change for Dummies, and Aliza Weller, Ecology Action Centre Montreal (Canada) Chile Congo (Democratic Republic of) Zagreb (Croatia) Helsinki (Finland) Paris (France) Berlin (Germany) Athens (Greece) Dublin (Ireland) Indonesia Italy Japan Mexico Wellington (New Zealand) Nicaragua Oslo (Norway) Peru Manila (Philippines) Lisbon (Portugal) Romania Moscow (Russia) South Africa Barcelona (Spain) Istanbul (Turkey) Uganda London (England) Edinburgh (Scotland) Belfast (Northern Ireland) United States Venezuela
2024 In early 2024, the Insure Our Future (IOF) campaign network organised a Global Week of Action (GWA) calling on the insurance industry to end its connections with fossil fuels. This was the first coordinated period of action against the insurance industry, and saw over 100 actions take place in 31 countries across the world from February 26th to March 3rd.
See also Campaign against Climate Change An Inconvenient Truth Climate change Earth Day International Day of Climate Action Individual and political action on climate change World Environment Day Global day of action for the Iranian people
Notes and references
External links Global Climate Campaign Campaign against Climate Change Stop Climate Chaos - Scotland Stop Climate Chaos