Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Licypriya Kangujam, a 12-year-old Indian climate activist, stormed the stage at the United Nations COP28 climate summit, on Monday (Dec 11) holding a sign which read “End fossil fuels. Save our planet and our future.” Meanwhile, the countries continue to debate a new draft climate agreement proposed by the Emirati presidency which advocates for reducing the production and use of fossil fuels but stops short of using the wording “phase out”. 

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‘They detained me’

Kangujam posted the video of her storming the stage on X, where she can be seen running up to the stage with the sign, and said, “Governments must work together to phase out coal, oil and gas – the top cause of the climate crisis today. Your action today will decide our future tomorrow.”

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Subsequently, she briefly sat down before being escorted away as the audience clapped, reported Reuters. “They detained me for over 30 minutes after this protest. My only crime- Asking to Phase Out Fossil Fuels, the top cause of climate crisis today. Now they kicked me out of COP28,” said Kangujam along with her video on X. 

ALSO READ | COP28 Live Updates: Tensions rise as draft text avoids mentioning phase out of fossil fuels

“We are already the victim of climate change. I don’t want my future generations to face the same consequences again. Sacrificing the lives of the millions of innocent children for the failures of our leaders is unacceptable at any cost,” said the Indian activist in a subsequent post. 

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She added, “I’m am child who is completely frustrated by today's climate crisis. We are the first line of victims. I feel the core issues of phasing out fossil fuels are keeping in side in the negotiations process going on in the COP28.”

COP28 Director-General Ambassador Majid Al Suwaidi said he admired the enthusiasm of young people at the climate summit and encouraged the audience to give the Indian activist another round of applause, reported Reuters. 

ALSO READ | Explained | Global CO2 emissions due to fossil fuels hit new record. Will world leaders at COP28 act now?

Amid the current climate summit which is being held in the United Arab Emirates, protests have been limited as the country bans many organised groups, including political parties and labour unions. 

Who is Licypriya Kangujam?

Born on October 2, 2011, Kangujam is among one of the youngest climate activists in the world and called for laws to tackle high pollution levels in India. She also addressed the world leaders at the COP25 UN climate conference in 2019, held in Madrid, Spain. 

ALSO READ | New COP28 draft deal avoids 'phase out' of fossil fuels

Kangujam, who hails from the Indian state of Manipur, began her journey as a climate activist in 2018. In June 2019, inspired by the Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, she started spending a week outside the Parliament calling on the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to pass a law on climate change. 

New draft stops short of calling for fossil fuel phase-out

The latest draft of the final deal calls for reducing production and use of fossil fuels, but stops short of using the word phase out which has been a key demand of several nations, including low-lying island nations that are at risk from rising sea levels. 

(With inputs from agencies)