Supporters across Great Britian turned out in London Wednesday to lobby Parliament to take action against climate change.
The gathering dubbed "Speak Up For The Love Of" was spearheaded by the Climate Change Coalition and is supported by Stop Climate Chaos Cymru and Stop Climate Chaos Scotland. It aimed to gather thousands of people to support the climate change project to eliminate carbon intoxication due to fossil fuels and promote clean homes and energy and continuous, efficient transportation.
Everyone from bee keepers, surfers, snowboarders, priests, nuns, farmers, doctors, grandparents was asked to lobby the 650 Members of Parliament (MPs) regarding the negative effects that climate change may pose to the things they most value. Personalities attending were Olympic rower Andrew Hodge, comedian Sally Phillips, Arthur Smith, snowboarder Jamie Nicholls and actress Sally Hawkins.
The group wants to strengthen the goal of halting coal-generated systems and carbon-powered electrical tools in the country in eight years. Members also want to convince their MPs to make sure the new progress objectives coming from the United Nations will co-exist with the big goals for climate change and reflect significantly reduced carbon industries.
The political sector should see that people regard climate change as a global problem that can influence humanity, and that the public is relying on them to take action for a protected future, said Nick Bryner, Oxfam's head of UK campaigns.
A farmer tourism business owner named Bernard Llewelyn from Carmarthenshire, Wales, also expressed his concerns. He said he is taking part in this lobby as he is worried about the effects of climate change to family farm properties and to the beauty of the rural areas of Wales. The people must act now to preserve the food supply and economic stability of rural regions, he said.
All people have roles in the battle to fight climate change, said David Nussbaum, chief executive of WWF-UK. "For a long time scientists, business leaders and the public have understood the severity of the threat. At today's 'Speak Up' event, MPs will experience the depth of feeling that not enough has yet been done, and the breadth of support for strong action from this new parliament," Nussbaum said.
A member of the religious sector also has a representative at the massive lobby. Sister Karen Marguerite d'Artois OP, a Catholic nun, said people have a social responsibility to the less-fortunate and "We need to reflect on how we live our lives at present and how these acts can influence the status of the people in developing countries." Pope Francis also is expected to release his Climate Change Encyclical on June 18. Papal encyclicals are teaching documents issued by the Catholic church and it is widely expected to make a strong case for urgent action on climate change.
"I'm heartened to see the strength of feeling on tackling climate change from all parts of society from businesses to charities today," said Amber Rudd, energy and climate change secretary. "Getting a global deal to cut emissions is going to be tough, but the U.K. has been leading the way and will continue to do so."
Photo: Shever | Flickr
