What’s better than an electric Pokémon to fight against coal and oil? A civil society coalition disguised as Pikachu showed up in Dubai for COP28. These Japanese protesters, but not only, would like the Japanese government to stop financing new projects linked to fossil fuels and redirect its support towards renewable energies.
With the slogan #SayonaraFossilFuels, and thanks to the little yellow creatures, the demonstrators believe they have an impact “because they are mythical characters endowed with powers beyond human powers,” underlines one of them. They do things that are out of the ordinary, they make a difference, they can change things, Pikachu are a force for good because Pikachu is one of the good Pokémon.”
At the same time, the Emirati president of COP28, Sultan Al Jaber, considered that the “exit” of fossil fuels was “inevitable” but also seemed to say that it was not essential to limit warming to 1.5 °C.