We, the socialist youth of the Asia Pacific, declare a global climate emergency and urge governments all over for swift, bold, and effective actions to avert a climate crisis.

People in the Asia Pacific who emit the least carbon emissions in their activities are the most vulnerable in times of storms, flash floods, droughts and rising sea levels.

While we are all affected when sea levels begin to rise and the climate crisis peaks in the coming years, the poor and marginalized are bearing the brunt of the storm today.

Farmers who are defending their land are being killed everywhere. Indigenous peoples are driven away from their homes. Youth and children are made vulnerable in a time of natural disasters.

We emphasize that our world leaders don’t have a decade to act on the climate crisis when the majority of the world’s poor are experiencing it now.

IUSY Asia Pacific demands the following:

• Reject extractive industries and exploitative practices. Governments should decisively reject extractive industries like coal power plants and mining that further destroy the planet’s resources. Private companies should be regulated to end exploitative practices in agribusiness, like animal farms, slash-and-burn on farms, and deforestation. Workers in these industries should be protected, centering on just transition.

• Defend the defenders. Governments should protect indigenous peoples who are subject to violence linked to development aggression. The Lumad in the Philippines are affected by mining, the Papua in Indonesia and the Temiar in Malaysia are affected by deforestation, and the different ethnic regions in Burma are affected by dams. Indigenous cultures that preserve the natural resources should be respected by governments. Public welfare should come first before private profit.

• Power to the people, not just participation! We demand a shift in engagement with vulnerable sectors,  namely women, LGBT+ communities, indigenous peoples, workers and the youth, where participation is not tokenistic but communities are given authority to decide on issues that affect them. We demand not just a seat in the table but power over what gets talked about in the table as well.

• Build the global framework for climate justice and solidarity. We demand a system of climate justice where countries are faithful and transparent to their determined contributions to reduce the global carbon emissions before 2030. Countries that emit the most carbon into the planet should pay compensation to countries who are heavily affected by the changing climate. We will build global solidarity to support communities that are affected by the climate crisis, provide them knowledge and resources, to usher in a new system where energy sources are sustainable, workers are ensured of just transition, and the health and wellbeing of communities are priorities.