Karachi Climate March 2025 demands end to fossil projects

KARACHI:

Civil society activists gathered at Frere Hall on Sunday for the Karachi Climate March 2025, rallying under the slogan "Jeenay Do!" to demand climate justice, reparations, and an end to ecologically destructive development.

Organisers framed the climate crisis not as a natural emergency but a political assault rooted in fossil capitalism and colonial extraction. The march called for debt cancellation and reparations from the Global North, citing Pakistan's minimal emissions yet disproportionate suffering from floods, heatwaves, and displacement.

Protesters demanded a rapid fossil fuel phase-out, 50% renewable energy targets, and investment in clean transport and energy infrastructure. The march also condemned corporate-led ecocide and plastic pollution.

Intersectional justice remains central, with calls to center women, Khawaja Siras, persons with disabilities, and marginalized communities in climate relief and recovery. Protesters oppose coal projects and coastal reclamation. Endorsed by over two dozen civil society groups, the march asserts: "Karachi is not a sacrifice zone.