Global Day of Action

In 2018, Global Day of Action took place during Global Goals Week, an annual week-long event in September for action, awareness, and accountability for the Sustainable Development Goals.[2][3]

Protesters in Toronto, Canada.

David Suzuki speaks at the 2007 event in Vancouver. The protester's sign denounces the Gateway Program.

The most recent Global Day of Action event, entitled Kyoto Now!, occurred on December 8, 2007 to coincide with the UNFCCC's conference, otherwise known as COP 13/MOP 3, convening Dec 3-14, 2007 in Bali, Indonesia. Numerous groups and coalitions, as well as independent grassroots efforts, were organized in over eighty countries worldwide to march in open rallies in support of this initiative. Chief among them was Campaign against Climate Change, Stop Climate Chaos and Greenpeace.

There were citizens in 84[4] countries - fifty more than the first year - participating in simultaneous rallies and marches around the world. Industrialized, G8 nations like Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, UK, and USA had multiple rallies - 36 in Canada alone - being planned in cities nationwide.

In Athens, a Saturday demonstration featured music, juggling and stilt-walking acts, with traffic being interrupted around Syntagma Square by the 102 organizations taking part[5] . In Taiwan, about 1,500 people marched through the streets holding banners and placards saying "No to carbon dioxide[6] ." Toronto activists also congested its main thoroughfare of Yonge Street, with an estimated 2000-3000 marchers,[7] although another report estimated 500.[8] Speaking at that event under a sunny sky, which began at Dundas Square, was NDP federal party leader Jack Layton, and an impassioned and well received speech, in both French and English, by 12-year-old Misha Hamu.[9] Elsewhere in Canada, a mock funeral was conducted in Edmonton,[10] where black-clad protesters sang songs and gave eulogies over a long black coffin, and David Suzuki spoke at a rally in Vancouver.

In Bangalore,[11] more than 1000 volunteers of Greenpeace descended on M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, dressed head to toe in yellow, holding up a large number of placards with climate messages, making human art formations and wearing fun masks. Greenpeace Southeast Asia,[12] Thailand celebrated their event by releasing their new edition of Save the Climate Handbook at Chatuchak weekend market, which also featured a demonstration clinic on solar energy. In Istanbul there was over 7000[13] participants rallying under a clear blue sky.

In Berlin, German ice sculpture artist Christian Funk, carved a polar bear out of 15 tons of ice in front of the Brandenburg Gate on December 7, 2007, in honor of the protest. Measuring 4m x 4m x 1.5m, it was on display all the following day as it slowly melted.[14] In London over 10,000[15] supporters turned out in the rain carrying placards denouncing a planned expansion at Heathrow Airport of a third runway.[16]

Locations of demonstrations in 2007

In response to entering into force of the Kyoto Protocol, following ratification by Russia, on February 16, 2005, Global Day of Action rallies were first conducted on December 3, 2005 to coincide with the UNFCCC's First Meeting of Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, or MOP 1, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The following year on November 3 and 11, 2006, rallies were conducted again when the UNFCCC convened for the Second Meeting of Parties, or MOP 2, in Nairobi, Kenya.

Locations of demonstrations in 2005