From Belém to Berlin, from Nairobi to New York, hundreds of thousands of people poured into the streets this weekend as part of the Draw the Line global week of action.
United under a common call from Indigenous leaders of the Amazon and the Pacific, people across continents joined marches, rallies, and creative actions to demand an end to fossil fuels, a just transition, and real climate justice – showcasing both resistance and hope.
Over 600+ actions took place in more than 85+ countries between 15–21 September. The mobilisations culminated in mass demonstrations over the weekend, with at least 10,000 people coming together in London and Toronto, 25,000 in New York, and 50,000 distributed across events throughout Germany this Saturday.
The mobilisations highlighted escalating climate impacts, rising food and energy costs, deadly floods and heatwaves, and growing insecurity driven by fossil fuels and conflict – just weeks before world leaders gather at COP30 in Belém, Brazil.
Anne Jellema, Executive Director of 350.org, declared that “People everywhere have drawn the line. From the Global South to the Global North, ordinary people are standing up to polluters and billionaires who are destroying our future. The message is clear: end fossil fuels, fund a just transition, and put people, not corporations, at the heart of climate decisions. COP30 cannot fail.”
Protesters also praised community-led solutions, such as renewable energy systems, debt cancellation, fair taxation, and land rights for Indigenous and frontline peoples.
Pacific
In the Pacific, hundreds of people gathered in their villages and cities, on the streets and the shorelines, to demand stronger climate action that aligned with the 1.5℃ target.
In Fiji, communities gathered at the Suva foreshore to Draw the Line against further loss and damage. In Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney, Pacific communities rallied to call out the weak emissions target recently set by the Australian government. In the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Palau, Aotearoa and Papua New Guinea, Pacific youth celebrated the vibrant culture that they intend to protect from greed and climate chaos.
In Samoa, Tuvalu, Kiribati youth held educational programs to build awareness on adaptation, climate justice and storytelling. Momentum now builds towards COP30 where leaders will seek to address the Ambition Gap and keep the promise of 1.5℃ alive.
Asia
In Asia, where climate breakdown contributes to political upheavals, thousands of people in Indonesia, Philippines, Bangladesh, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and China took to the streets in major cities or held creative local actions to demand climate and social justice.
Frontline communities reeling from extreme weather impacts and pollution from coal and gas plants demanded an end to fossil fuel expansion, while calling on rich countries and big polluters to fulfil their climate obligations. Festivals showcasing community-led renewable energy solutions highlighted where climate funds should go and what a better future could look like.
Africa
Across Africa, more than 100 actions took place in South Africa, Kenya, Benin, Senegal, Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo and more to Draw the Line against fossil fuel colonialism and demand a just energy future.
From colourful marches and cultural festivals to frontline testimonies, people showcased the power of collective action.
In Johannesburg, workers, youth, and faith leaders connected energy injustice to everyday struggles with food, housing and healthcare, calling for socially owned renewable energy to deliver dignity, jobs and democracy. Across the continent, the mobilisations sent a clear message: Africans are ready to reclaim power from fossil fuel corporations and lead the way toward a clean, just and people-centred future.
Europe
From 18-21 September, tens of thousands of people across Europe took to the streets. In London, the Make Them Pay march brought together unions, migrant justice groups and climate campaigners in one of the UK’s largest climate justice demonstrations in years.
In Berlin, workers, Fridays For Future, and economic justice groups led a creative march, with more than 60 additional demonstrations across Germany. Across the continent, from Amsterdam to Athens and Lisbon to Istanbul, over 80 demonstrations saw farmers, students, and social justice groups unite to demand taxes on the super-rich and polluters to fund climate action and public services.
Momentum now builds toward 28 September in Paris, where unions, migrant and racial justice groups, and climate organisations will join in a carnival-style mass march.
US
25,000 people marched down New York’s “Billionaire’s Row” to oppose tax breaks for the wealthy, Big Oil handouts, and growing inequality. The march—featuring giant puppets, a press conference, and stops at Trump Hotel, BlackRock, and Park Avenue penthouses—demanded climate justice, migrant rights, and taxes on the ultra-rich.
Led by frontline communities, youth, families, and people of faith, it was part of more than 160 “Make Billionaires Pay” events nationwide and the U.S. arm of the global “Draw the Line” week of action.
Canadians in several major cities rallied Saturday as part of the global “Draw the Line” week of action, opposing Prime Minister Mark Carney’s support for new fossil fuel projects and looming public service cuts. In Toronto, hundreds marched from downtown to Queen’s Park, calling for climate justice, Indigenous rights, full immigration status for all, an end to trade with Israel, and action to rein in billionaire wealth.
Latin America
In the Brazilian Amazon, fishing communities from Marajó stood up to fossil fuel giants and the Brazilian government, highlighting the damage that would be done to their community if oil extraction projects were to go ahead. The locals of Jubim held a banner upon boats forming a symbolic line in the very river at risk with a giant banner demanding: ‘COP30: AMAZONIA ON ITS FEET, OIL IN THE GROUND’. The action sends a clear message to world leaders that fossil fuels have no place in the future of the Amazon or the climate negotiations at COP30.
