As several countries in Asia reel from the destructive impacts of Typhoon Wipha, 350.org Asia today announced that it will join a powerful wave of global actions set to take place this September by movements across the world. Under the banner Draw the Line, communities will mobilize in towns and cities to draw the line against injustice, pollution, and violence, and for a just transition and a future built on renewable energy, fairness, and peace.

The call has become a global rallying cry supported by workers, youth, indigenous groups, and social movements. In a world marked by escalating climate disasters, rising authoritarianism, and deepening inequality, the message is clear: we must draw the line for people and the planet.

Draw the Line is a global action (15-28 September) with widespread mobilizations large and small peaking over the weekend of September 19–21, 2025. The call to action to Draw the Line: Rights, Jobs and Justice, is being co-convened by a network of global climate organizations including 350.org, CAN-International, APMDD and War on Want, together with other local, regional and global movements across the world.

This announcement comes at the same time as a major climate address by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres in New York, where he declared the shift to renewable energy is already happening and emphasized the economic, social, and security benefits of a just transition away from fossil fuels.

Participants in Draw the Line are planning thousands of actions across continents, from red and green lines to long marches, strikes, festivals, community gatherings, and cultural events. Mass ‘line’ formations, symbolic boundary markings, and bold artistic interventions will demand just transitions, climate finance for the Global South, and fossil fuel phase-outs, among other demands. Events will include mobilizations in Johannesburg, New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Karachi, Lahore, Nairobi, Cotonou, Ottawa, New York City, London, Paris, Berlin, Suva, Melbourne, Jakarta, Manila, Tokyo, Dhaka, and Belem.

The September mobilization comes just six weeks before world leaders gather in Brazil for COP30. Movements will call for a better world for ourselves, our children and our communities. A world with renewable, affordable energy for everyone. A world where we can speak up for our rights, where people and nature are safe, and where big polluters help pay to fix the climate crisis.

Our future belongs to us, not to polluters and billionaires. This is our line to draw.

Our demands include:

  • Change the system through an equitable and just transition: through centering workers and communities
  • Power Up Renewables, Shut Down Polluters
  • Fund the Future, not the Crisis
  • Reclaim Democracy
  • Defend Human Rights, Freedom, and Peace
  • Restore Our Relationship with the Earth

Quotes

Chuck Baclagon, 350.org Asia Regional Finance Campaigner says, “Asia is where the climate crisis hits hardest—because it’s home to nearly half the world’s population, and many of the communities most vulnerable to its impacts. The recent Typhoon Wipha and monsoon flooding in the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam and China is yet another stark reminder: the climate crisis  is no longer a distant threat, but a lived reality. From rising seas to deadly heatwaves and relentless storms, the costs of inaction grow heavier by the day. Yet, too many governments in the region continue to double down on fossil fuels—clinging to an outdated model of development that deepens inequality and drives disaster.

People across Asia aren’t standing by. From fishing villages to megacities, Indigenous leaders, youth, and grassroots movements are drawing the real blueprints for a livable future: resisting dirty energy, building community-powered solutions, and demanding justice. Draw the Line is part of that surge. It’s not just a protest—it’s a stand. A clear line between what the planet can no longer endure and what’s still possible if we act with courage and solidarity.”

Sisilia Nurmala Dewi, 350.org Indonesia Team Lead adds, “We draw the line against rich countries and polluters freezing their climate obligations, while we swelter in extreme heat. We draw the line against broken climate promises, while more violent floods, droughts and landslides ravage our communities

Indonesia remains one of Asia’s top emitters, and the government needs to ramp up its climate ambitions to prove itself as a credible global leader. It must lay out concrete and decisive plans to phase out coal and ramp up renewable energy fairly, as it finalizes its climate targets. The COP30 UN climate summit is a defining moment for the people and the planet. The line for a livable future must be drawn now – bold, unwavering, and final.”

Masayoshi Iyoda, 350.org Japan Campaigner stresses, “The rising cost of living in Japan, including higher rice prices, emerged as one of the top concerns of voters in the recent elections. Now, a report indicates that the spike in food prices can also be attributed to climate change-induced extreme weather.

The country’s insufficient emission reduction targets and energy policies that promote fossil coal, gas and oil will lead to catastrophic climate impacts that far exceed the 1.5°C warming limit established by the Paris Agreement. We urge all political parties and politicians to urgently phase out fossil fuels and transition fairly to 100% sustainable and democratic renewable energy.

In light of the seriousness and urgency of the climate crisis, we cannot afford to stand by idly. This September, we will draw the line against climate inaction and send a strong message to our leaders: prioritize the people, peace and the planet, not polluters. It’s our future, our ability to feed our families that is on the line.”

Amanullah Porag, 350.org South Asia Mobilisations Coordinator reminds, “The fossil fuel-based system in Bangladesh is not just inefficient, it is unjust. Our lives are shaped by power outages and high fuel costs, while a handful of elites profit from gas, coal, and imported energy contracts signed without public consent. If we don’t speak up, business-as-usual will return. We draw the line against another decade of dirty power, debt, and political silence. We are drawing the line for our right to people-led renewable energy and a better life.”

Anne Jellema, Executive Director of 350.org concludes, “This mobilisation is about power, people power. The power to reject the lies of fossil fuel billionaires and remake our world for the many, not the few. We are drawing the line, because when governments fail to act, we rise. When polluters and profiteers try to divide us, we unite. We have the answers to this crisis, and we are calling on world leaders to listen, act, and follow the will of the people, not the whims of autocrats and billionaires. It’s our future, and it is for us to decide what it looks like.”

Media Contact:

Ilang-Ilang Quijano, 350.org Asia Communications Manager, ilang.quijano@350.org