KARACHI: ‘Save the Earth, save the generations’ echoed as the loudest chant in Frere Hall, where people from across the city gathered under the scorching sun to advocate for the planet and especially for their country.

The Climate March was organised on Sunday by the Mahooliyati Tahaffuz Movement in collaboration with the Climate Action Centre run by Yasir Darya, who was present at the march. He appeared very hopeful about the future of climate activism.

“I am happy with the turnout and glad that people are now taking climate change seriously,” he said.

The march began with a drum dance that the audience thoroughly enjoyed, with everyone joining in on the beats and having a great time.

Victims of anti-encroachment drive, corporate farming, fishermen affected by marine pollution also raise their voices

It served as an ice-breaker, with dancers dressed in yellow and wearing green headbands stealing the spotlight and spreading vibrant colours all around. Then, a drum circle was conducted to warm up the audience.

On the left side of the hall sat the victims of demolition drive along Orangi Nullah, carrying the burden of homelessness for years.

The pain was evident on their faces as they voiced their concerns once again — a struggle that has become all too repetitive for them.

“My daughter is all grown up now, and I have no idea how she will ever get married, as we’ve been displaced for four years. We were never compensated for our losses, and no government official ever came to our door to explain why this is happening to us. So, we’ve shown up here in hopes that our voices will be heard — though, honestly, I feel very hopeless,” Naveed, a resident who was displaced during the anti-encroachment drive by the provincial government, said.

The march also saw the presence of the fishing community from Ibrahim Hyderi, with ample representation of both men and women, who were demanding a cleaner sea for the fish to live in, as well as equal rights for themselves.

“We spend seven days a week at sea, and you tell me — if there’s no marine life left to catch, how will we feed ourselves? The contamination is killing marine life, and, as a result, our livelihood is disappearing. We need to save the planet so that we don’t end up starving,” said 65-year-old Kulsoom Bibi in Sindhi.

Her words were translated by Karim, the man who accompanied her.

In front, Nooruddin, a man from Jacobabad, held a banner against corporate farming, advocating for farmers whose lands have been occupied, leaving them penniless and without hope of a better future for their children.

“The water from the Sindh River is being stolen, which prevents local farmers from getting their fair share for their land. These mafias have taken over our rightful resources. As an educated man, I am here to be the voice of my people — because if not me, then who?” he asked pointedly at the end.

An electrifying yet moving performance was delivered by teenage students dressed in various costumes, each representing a different element of the planet.

There were multiple musical performances, each leaving a unique impact on the audience.

Some of the notable posters at the march read, ‘Stop the climate emergency with renewable energy!’, ‘System change, not climate change’, ‘Climate justice now!’, ‘End imperialist plunder and destruction’, ‘We pledge to take care of the Earth’, ‘Stop global warming’, and more.

Additionally, a pledge wall was set up in one area of the hall, where participants were encouraged to write a one-sentence pledge contributing to environmental sustainability, which was widely appreciated by the audience.

There were major speeches by Ahmad Shabbar, Pastor Ghazala, Luke Victor, Yasir Hussain, and Faisal Edhi, each amplifying the call for urgent climate action and connecting it to pressing issues like hunger, poverty, and land mafias.

Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2024