climate change, Parliament, Cape Town, African Climate Alliance, Gabriel Klaasen, MarchforSystemChange

A number of people marched to Parliament today and made calls for policies to be put in place to reduce climate change. Image: Stock Image / Pixabay

LOOK: Hundreds march to Parliament over climate change

A number of people marched to Parliament on Heritage Day calling for policies to be put in place to reduce climate change in South Africa.

climate change, Parliament, Cape Town, African Climate Alliance, Gabriel Klaasen, MarchforSystemChange

A number of people marched to Parliament today and made calls for policies to be put in place to reduce climate change. Image: Stock Image / Pixabay

Scores of mostly youngsters marched to Parliament today, 24 September, calling for policies to reduce climate change in the country.

The protest was organised by the African Climate Alliance

The #MarchforSystemChange forms part of the climate week in Cape Town that started at the beginning of the week. The protest was reportedly organised by the African Climate Alliance and supported by a number of other organisations.

Learners from three separate institutions joined in on the demonstration outside Parliament. Ground Up reports that activist Zipho Majova told those gathered outside Parliament that they wanted systematic change.

For too long the rights and wellbeing of people and the planet have been sidelined for the purpose of creating wealth for a few,” Mojave said.

How climate change impacts various sectors

African Climate Alliance’s Gabriel Klaasen says they marched for future generations. Klaasen said that people are tired of suffering at the hands of the system and are tired of being walked over and oppressed.

Klaasen explained that issues such as broken public transport, food insecurity and housing shortage are all linked to climate change. Going into detail, Klaasen explained how the broken public transport system means more cars on the road which contributes to more greenhouse gas emissions.

In terms of housing, he said the lack of access to proper houses leaves people susceptible to flooding. He added that climate change also impacts the prices and access of healthy food.

Climate change: African leaders need money to fight it

Previously, it was reported that the leaders of two dozen African countries Friday urged wealthier nations to uphold their aid pledges so the continent can tackle climate change impacts for which it shares little blame.

They made the call after African leaders on Monday lashed out at industrialised nations for failing to show up to a summit in the Netherlands on helping African nations adapt to these changes.

The three-day forum came two months before Egypt hosts the crucial COP27 climate conference in Sharm El-Sheikh in November. The African continent emits only around three percent of global CO2 emissions, former UN chief Ban Ki-moon noted this week. Read the full story here.