Renowned climate activist Sonam Wangchuk is on a fast-unto-death to gather the attention of leaders to "save climate". Wangchuk's "climate fast" would continue in stages until the central government supports his demand to enact the Sixth Schedule and grant Ladakh sovereignty. As he enters his sixth day of his 21-day protest, Wangchuk shared a video on his official X handle, stating: "Our demand for safeguard of the fragile Himalayas and its indigenous people is not just from the government but also from the citizens living in big cities of the world."
Speaking about the weather and sudden rise in temperature, Wangchuk stated: "To start with the weather, let me tell you its quite interesting. The glass in front of me is half frozen. In last few days, you witnessed that the temperature was -16 to -17 degree Celsius, while today it is -4 degree Celsius. The reason behind the sudden surge in temp is because of the sky. As you all can see, that clouds are hovering above. These clouds reflect back the infrared heat waves which emerges from the ground. That is why the temperature rises. Snowfall is also expected to fall today, and if it does, the temperature will rise further."
At the NDS stadium in Leh, Sonam and around 60 local residents from differrent villages are spending days and nights in the open.
He further urged the people to "live simpler lives so that there is less carbon emission and less need for minerals and mining which destroys our mountains."
Earlier, Sonam reminded the BJP of its 2019 election pledge in his address, stating that the party had guaranteed that the area will be included to the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution because 97% of Ladakh's population is indigenous tribal. “When it became a Union Territory in 2019, the issue before the people was how can we now safeguard these mountains from business sharks, mining lobbies, and industrial lobbies. Luckily, the Government of India and the BJP stepped in,” he had stated.