Climate activists across Nigeria and 49 other countries are organizing more than 150 events, calling on their governments to swiftly implement a fast, fair, and well-funded phase-out of fossil fuels to prevent further climate catastrophe.

Nigeria and Kenya are leading the movement in Africa, with each country hosting more than 10 actions. Overall, over 70 events are planned in 20 African nations, featuring rallies, theatrical performances, and more.

Ogunlade Olamide, Senior Program Manager at Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), warned: “It is worrying that climate finance is being reduced to charity and business by entities responsible for the crises, while the coping capacities of impacted frontline communities are nearly exhausted. We demand that this parasitic system must STOP. It’s people over profit, not the opposite.”

These rallies mark the beginning of a global week of action leading up to Climate Week NYC (September 22-29), coinciding with the UN General Assembly and the first UN Summit of the Future. World leaders will convene to discuss a Pact for the Future, which has seen fluctuating commitments to transition away from fossil fuels—though the latest draft reinstates this crucial goal.

In Asia, over 70 demonstrations will take place across 62 cities in countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, and India, many targeting coal-fired power plants to protest the alarming expansion of new coal projects in the region.

To meet the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement, the transition away from oil, gas, and coal must occur at a pace and scale that limits global temperature rise to below 1.5 degrees Celsius.