News / climate change
Major climate march to take place in Bristol
As world leaders meet in Glasgow to discuss how they will tackle climate change, Bristolians will be taking to the streets on Saturday to push for decisive and radical action at the summit.
The march will be one of many taking place across the world as part of a global day of action organised by the COP26 coalition. The international coalition has brought together climate movements and activists into one big movement to build momentum during COP26.
Huw Williams, an organiser from the Bristol branch of the coalition, said: “It has been really good coming together to build this massive protest, it’s a big step forward and it’s an international day, which is great – it’s how it should be I think”
is needed now More than ever
In Bristol, people will assemble on College Green at 12pm on Saturday for a march due to start at 1pm. The protest will climate with a rally on College Green at 3pm.
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The coalition is demanding that leaders take urgent action to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5°C, invest in renewable energy to create unionised green jobs and services, and the payment of reparations to indigenous communities and the global south.
Williams said: “Leaders have got to feel people from the grassroots putting on the pressure for climate justice.”
COP26 began on October 31 and is due to finish on November 12. It is the fifth COP since the COP21 held in Paris in 2015, where the Paris Agreement climate treaty was agreed.
The Paris Agreement states that every five years, countries must revisit their promises and attempt to increase their ambitions, so the agreements made at this COP are particularly important. According to the IPCC, current global emissions need to be halved by 2030.
People across the globe are coming together to demand stronger climate action. Photo: Phil Riley
When asked about his hopes for the outcome of COP26, Williams said: “Do I think the COP process itself is somewhere where we can expect significant climate action and justice take place? No, I don’t to be honest. The fact that we are at COP26 will tell you that the previous 25 haven’t been very good.
“But if you look at Paris, there were commitments to some better targets that I think were a direct result of the very large mobilisations that took place. I think this day of action will be a major staging post on the road to building a much-needed climate movement. We need mass mobilisation to get things done.”
Main photo by Peter Brooks
Read More: ‘It’s now or never’ – The urgent need for diverse voices in climate change decision-making
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