Saturday, December 4, 2010

To mark the climate change negotiations being held in Cancun, Mexico, campaigners in the UK braved the cold and converged on Central London. Assembling in Hyde Park, they were marshalled into place to form the numbers "2030" for an aerial photo, symbolising the need to reduce the UK's net carbon emissions to zero by 2030.

Photo: Andy Bodycombe

The protesters then marched through London to a rally just off Parliament Square, with a variety of placards demanding a million climate jobs, an end to domestic flights and zero carbon by 2030. The rally is described on the Campaign against Climate Change web site thus:

Here campaign coordinator Phil Thornhill kicked off an impressive  list of speakers:  Caroline Lucas MP (Britain's first Green MP and leader of the Green Party),  Michael Meacher MP (veteran environmental champion in the Labour Party ), John McDonnell MP (Labour MP for hayes and Harlington who thanked the climate movement for helphim in his battle against the devastation that would have been caused by a third Heathrow runway ), Andy Atkins (Director of  Friends of the Earth), Tony Kearns (long term climate campaigner as well as Communication Workers Union Gen Sec) Maria Souviron (ambassador from Bolivia the country leading the charge for developing countries demanding climate justice at the UN talks ), Paul Allen (pioneer of the zerocarbon Britain 2030 project from the Centre for Alternative Technology),  Ben Brangwyn (co-founder of Transition Towns), Sophie Allain (from Climate Camp and spokesperson for the Radcliffe 20 Direct Action activists ), Maryla Hart (from Biofuelwatch) and John Stewart (chair of  AirportWatch and HACAN) to round off the speeches with the reminder that 'we have the answers' and around the globe our movement is building. 

Musical interludes were provided by Seize the Day and Climate Justice All stars, while welcome refreshments  were served by the Brixton Tea Party. Finally many demonstrators retired to a convivial 'after-party' at the Enterprise pub.

SCAN volunteer Simon was at the front of the rally with his DV camera and brings you these videos.