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Published 10:38 IST, September 21st 2019

Imran Khan humbled; Pak's Climate Change Min protests against own govt

Pakistan Climate Change Minister Zartaj Gul staged a protest against her own government in Pakistan asking for a change climate policy on Friday.

Reported by: Aishwaria Sonavane
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Pakistan Climate Change Minister Zartaj Gul staged a protest against her own government in Pakistan asking for a change climate policy on Friday. The incident occurred when the world's youth took the streets from Kabul to New York and Belgium to Bangladesh to demonstrate against the climate crisis.

The global event that saw the participation of over 150 countries, along with Pakistan. In Islamabad, the protests were led by state minister for climate change Zartaj Gul Wazir. According to reports, the Pakistan Minister demanded for changes in climate policy to the Imran Khan government, as she walked in the 'Fridays for Future' movement with the youth of the country to raise awareness over climate change. 

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In a video message, Zartaj Gul said that the country was facing adverse effects of climate change and is among the most vulnerable countries to face the wrath of changing the climate. 

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She said, "The nation should participate in the march to make the world leaders and the major contributors to environmental degradation and global warming realize their responsibility to help to develop vulnerable countries mitigate the impacts of climate change."

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Climate change protest

Young people afraid for their futures protested around the globe Friday to implore leaders to tackle climate change, turning out by the hundreds of thousands to insist that the warming world can’t wait any longer.

The demonstrations were partly inspired by the activism of Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, who has staged weekly “Fridays for Future” demonstrations for a year, urging world leaders to step up efforts against climate change.

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“It’s such a victory,” Thunberg told The Associated Press in an interview in New York. “I would never have predicted or believed that this was going to happen, and so fast — and only in 15 months.”

Scientists have warned that global warming will subject Earth to rising seas and more heat waves, droughts, storms and flooding, some of which have already manifested themselves.

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Protests across the world

Marches, rallies and demonstrations were held from Canberra to Kabul and Cape Town to New York. More than 100,000 turned out in Berlin. Smaller protests took place in Asia, including in Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Hong Kong and India. In the Afghan capital of Kabul, an armored personnel carrier was deployed to protect about 100 young people as they marched, led by a group of several young women carrying a banner emblazoned with “Fridays for Future.”

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(With AP inputs) 

10:19 IST, September 21st 2019