Saturday, November 06, 2021

Thousands protest in Glasgow and around the world for action against climate change

By SHARON PRUITT-YOUNG 

Climate activists march in Sydney during a COP26 protest on Saturday that was one of several demonstrations held around the world.

LISA MAREE WILLIAMS / GETTY IMAGES

Originally published on November 6, 2021 

Thousands of people gathered in Glasgow, Scotland, and around the world on Saturday to protest a lack of global action to combat climate change.

"It's kind of a cornucopia of different groups," NPR's Frank Langfitt reported from Glasgow, the site of the COP26 climate conference. "You have farmers, trade unionists, climate activists, even Scottish independence advocates. A wide-ranging coalition of people coming together for what they consider a common cause."

Among those coming together for change were Indigenous activists and young people from Brazil and Ecuador, as seen in photos shared via Twitter. Many young people from the global south were in Glasgow on Saturday. Despite low emissions from those areas, they are among those hit hardest by the effects of climate change, Langfitt noted.

Glasgow is the host city of the United Nations COP26 summit, which started Oct. 31. The gathering has drawn more than 100 world leaders for talks that are slated to last for another week.


Protesters attend the Global Day of Action for Climate Justice march Saturday in Glasgow, Scotland, where the COP26 conference is being held.
JEFF J MITCHELL / GETTY IMAGES

Activists are pushing global leaders to take action to ensure that the planet does not warm more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) compared with pre-industrial levels. It's a goal that was laid out in the Paris Agreement, but in the years since, the world has not been on track to meet that standard.

Demonstrations have extended beyond Glasgow in observance of a global day of action for climate justice. Thousands are protesting all over the world, with events planned on six continents.

Activists say global pledges to reduce carbon aren't enough


In the first week of the conference, more than 20 nations committed to move away from coal in favor of clean energy. A number of prominent banks pledged to halt their support of plants that run on coal.

Slowing the loss of forests is another goal that's been a focus of the conference. Thus far, 26 countries have agreed to enact policies that would make agricultural practices more sustainable.

"If we are to limit global warming and keep the goal of 1.5C alive, then the world needs to use land sustainably and put protection and restoration of nature at the heart of all we do," Alok Sharma, COP26 president, said in a statement Saturday.

But some are concerned that not enough action is taking place at the summit, and many young activists feel that their concerns are not being taken seriously. During a rally in Glasgow on Saturday, famed activist Greta Thunberg called out world leaders for slow-walking progress.

"It is not a secret that COP26 is a failure," she said. "It should be obvious that we cannot solve a crisis with the same methods that got us into it in the first place, and more and more people are starting to realize this and many are starting to ask themselves, 'What will it take for the people in power to wake up?' "

She described the conference as a "PR event" and a "global greenwash festival," during which leaders can say all the right things without their governments actually taking action.

"We need immediate drastic annual emission cuts unlike anything the world has ever seen," she said.

Copyright 2021 NPR.

Cop26: Huge crowds of protesters take to the streets to call for climate action

Andrew Milligan
Environmental groups, charities, climate activists, trade unionists and indigenous people all joined the march in Glasgow

George McMillan
DIGITAL PRODUCER
PUBLISHED Saturday 06 November 2021 -

Tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of the UK demanding stronger climate action from leaders in the midst of the Cop26 talks.

Protesters braved pouring rain and wind to march through Glasgow, where the UN climate conference is being held, while other marches took place in central London and in other cities around the UK and the world.

Environmental groups, charities, climate activists, trade unionists and indigenous people all joined the march in Glasgow.

A fire engine, women covered in moss, Poseidon on stilts and a group of children guiding a display featuring what appeared to be a large snake wearing glasses, were among those who gathered at the starting point at Kelvingrove Park.

Jason Cook, 54, from Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire, said he and two friends were marching because they were tired of hearing “blah, blah, blah” from leaders on climate action, echoing the criticism of Cop26 and world leaders by campaigner Greta Thunberg.

He told the PA news agency: “We don’t want to hear any more blah, blah, blah.”

The three men wore helmets, each adorned with a sign which said “blah”.

Dave Knight, 51, from Wiltshire, added there had been “lots of words, but we really need action – the end of fossil fuels as soon as possible”.

As the march entered Glasgow city centre a group of activists dressed as rats stood across the road holding smoke flares.

The group, who were acting as though they represented various sectors, were holding signs which, collectively, said: “When Cop fails, buy walls, buy guns, buy bombs.

“Bye bye climate migrants – profit over planet.”

Extinction Rebellion activists dressed as the Ghostbusters, along with a man wearing a sign that said “the end is nigh” were among the marchers making their way to Glasgow Green.

Hundreds of people lined the streets in support, some holding home-made signs.

Police refused to estimate how many people were marching, but organisers the Cop26 Coalition claimed more than 100,000 people had turned out despite the weather, as an estimated 300 events were taking place worldwide.

Asad Rehman, spokesman for the Cop26 Coalition, said: “Many thousands of people took to the streets today on every continent demanding that governments move from climate inaction to climate justice.

“We won’t tolerate warm words and long-term targets any more, we want action now.”

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