Climate activists in London rally against fossil fuels ahead of UN summit

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) – Hundreds of climate activists joined marches in London as part of a global wave of action demanding the rapid phase-out of fossil fuels.

This weekend's demonstrations are part of a broader global movement, with over 400 anti-fossil fuel protests scheduled to occur from Cape Town to Tokyo, Karachi to New York.

Coinciding with these protests, the United Nations Climate Ambition Summit, set for Sept. 20, will see UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres call on nations to cease approving new oil and gas production.

The Fight Fossil Fuels website, which is dedicated to these protests, has issued a statement calling this mobilization "historic," emphasizing its role in renewing and strengthening globally coordinated efforts aimed at ending the fossil fuel era.

"Across the globe, we are coming together to fight back against the fossil fuel industry and its enablers," the statement reads, echoing the sentiment of countless protesters worldwide.

The UK government has recently granted hundreds of new North Sea licenses and expressed support for the development of the massive Rosebank oil field off the Scottish coast.

Over 40 demonstrations are scheduled to take place this weekend in major cities, including London, Edinburgh, Manchester, and Plymouth.

These protests follow a stark warning from the UN last week, stating that the world will fall short of addressing the climate crisis unless there is a swift reduction in fossil fuel use.

"We are now watching the climate crisis unfold, whether its rising temperatures and wildfires or the heating up of our seas, and yet our government is choosing to throw more fuel on the fire," Stop Rosebank campaigner, Lauren MacDonald, said.

"We know – and they know – there can be no new drilling if we want a habitable world and yet they are issuing new licenses and considering approving the massive Rosebank oil field, which would create more CO2 emissions than 28 of the poorest countries produce in a year combined," she underlined.

"How we respond will determine how the world is shaped for generations. We’re taking to the streets across the UK with one simple message: We demand an end to new fossil fuels licenses. We demand a fast and fair transition. We demand climate justice," Tyrone Scott, a senior campaigner of Movement Building & Activism, as well as War on Want & the Climate Justice Coalition, also said.