Last year's Climate Change March was the biggest environmental gathering in British and world history, forcing governments to legislate on climate change, writes Julia Stephenson.

When I heard that tens of thousands will gather again this year to call for meaningful action from world governments I must confess I thought, 'Not another march! There are plenty of other things I’d rather be doing.'

But when I thought about it some more I decided to turn up, show my face and shuffle along at the back. I’ve called a few friends I haven’t seen for a while so we’re planning a catch up while we do our bit.

And we all need to do something.  Green guru Donnachadh McCarthy sums up the situation in this extract frm his latest book Easy Eco Auditing.

`Sir Nicholas Stern, a former economist with the World Bank, was asked by the UK government to review the economic implications of climate change.  His 2006 report laid out the case for reducing emissions now to avoid a 2 degrees centigrade rise in temperature.  Even a rise of 2 degrees, he suggested, could result in the loss of up to 30 per cent of species; a rise of over 2 per cent could result in the Amazon rainforest being turned into a vast savannah.  The concomitant release of millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide stored in its trees could lead to temperatures rising above 3 degrees centigrade, which in turn could lead to a melting of the permafrost within the Arctic Circle.  This could result in further heating of the oceans and the possible release of billions of tonnes of methane salts buried on the seabed, which would lead to runaway, irreversible global scorching and the end of life as we know it. 

Unfortunately, politicians will only take the actions necessary to tackle the climate crisis if they feel they have a mandate from the public to do so’.

This is where we come in.  As Ghandi says; Almost everything you do willseem insignificant, but it is important that you do it”

 

 

Read more about the march

See you there!

 

 

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A copy of the email sent out by the Campaign against Climate Change who are organising the march follows;

SATURDAY DECEMBER 6TH 

Part of a Global Day of Action on climate.

See www.globalclimatecampaign.org

Last year 70+ countries were involved.

MARCH ON PARLIAMENT for the climate

The march this year goes to Parliament Square to demand that the government act now on climate.

Starts at 12 noon at Grosvenor Square (Bond street or Marble Arch tube)

Climate protest bike ride starts from Lincoln's Inn Fields at 10.30 am: and joins start of march later.  See  http://www.campaigncc.org/bikeride.shtml   .

Speakers will include Nick Clegg MP (leader, Liberal Democrat Party), Michael Meacher MP(ex-environment minister) Caroline Lucas MEP (leader, Green party), and George Monbiot.

For info about coaches or other transport from around the country to the march see http://www.campaigncc.org/local.html

To download the leaflet for the National March go to  http://www.campaigncc.org/resources.shtml

The March on Parliament has four main themes -
1) NO to a 3rd runway at Heathrow and the runaway expansion in aviation expansion.
2) NO new coal - no new coal-fired power stations as planned at eg Kingsnorth in Kent
3) NO to the expansion of agrofuels - with negative impacts on forests, the climate and world food supply.
4) YES to a renewable energy revolution and green jobs
Come with your own banners, costumes etc on one of these themes (if you fancy !) and join up with others pushing that theme......

The March on Parliament for the Climate marks the Saturday midway through the UN Climate Talks in Poznan, Poland and we make our demands on the UK government in solidarity with the world's poorest and most vulnerable communities that will suffer worst and most immediately from climate change caused overwhelmingly by the rich long-industrialised countries.

We need the government to act now on climate, to stop building coal-fired power stations and new runways - and to begin the renewable energy revolution. We need a tidal wave of people outside parliament to make them act to stop climate catastrophe now ! Be part of that tidal wave, be there ! Next year may be too late.

Why so critical now? See http://www.campaigncc.org/whynow.shtml

PLEASE PASS THIS  AROUND TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE