On, 29th November, citizens of Sierra Leone join hundreds-of-thousands of people around the Globe taking to the streets ahead of the UN Climate summit in Paris. As part of the Global Climate March citizens will call on governments to speed up action on climate change by signing an ambitious climate agreement.
Highlights of some of the 2,000 mobilisations organised across the globe include:
- In Freetown Sierra Leone, the Youth Partnership will mobilize citizens to raise their voices against Poverty, Inequalities and Climate Change through a mass public rally that will call on governments for concrete actions to address climate change;
- In Uganda, thousands will rally in the streets of the capital Kampala, echoing the call for climate action from the Pope, who will be in the country as part of his first trip to Africa.
- Sâo Paulo, Brazil will see a huge gathering on 29th November with people showcasing their own solutions to climate change issues. The congregation will start marching towards one of the city´s iconic parks where speeches and music will unite the participants.
- In New Delhi, India and in some other cities throughout the country, a Global Climate Walk is planned, with yoga, biking, and marching in seven cities. The main activity will be in New Delhi, where on Sunday 29th November morning, people from across society will join together for the climate.
The summit in Paris is the second of two unique UN summits in 2015, which together provide a once-in-a-generation opportunity to end extreme poverty, fight inequality and tackle climate change. At the UNGA in September, world leaders committed to a new set of Global Goals for Sustainable Development. Now leaders face their first test on whether they are serious about making these goals a reality.
Addressing climate change, and ending poverty and inequalities are two sides of the same coin. We cannot deliver sustainable development without tackling climate change, and we cannot tackle climate change without addressing the root causes of poverty, inequality and unsustainable development patterns. If leaders want to fully implement the newly adopted Global Goals, tackling inequality and ending poverty within a generation, they will need to drastically address climate change impacts.
The impact of climate change is already affecting people in all corners of the world, with the most vulnerable being hit hardest. Storms are strengthening, droughts are lasting longer, and floods are worsening – all of which will make it much harder for affected communities to survive. A strong agreement in Paris could help poorer countries reduce carbon pollution and help vulnerable communities adapt to the impacts of climate change.
The Global Climate March will see development organisations, climate movements, the young and old, faith groups, indigenous people, trade unions and many more march together.
From the Amazon to the megacities of the South, from the streets of America to the squares of Europe, from villages in Africa and Asia to low-lying island communities in the Pacific – in cities, towns and villages across the world citizens are marching for change and highlighting how decisions in Paris will have an impact nationally.
Climate Change is affecting every corner of the world; from Sierra Leone to the UK and from Vietnam to Nepal. We must the work collaboratively in addressing the devastating consequences of Climate Change and ensuring that we put national adaption and mitigation strategies together with sound policies that addresses its impact.”
“This weekend hundreds and thousands of people are calling for action to fight climate change – one of the defining issues of our time. In Paris, governments must agree a robust, universal agreement which signals the end of fossil fuel emissions by 2050, the main cause of climate change. Now is the time for a strong deal for climate action. Climate change affects us all and we are uniting today from all walks of life to demand action. Our calls must not be ignored.’’
A new international climate agreement in Paris could:
- Set the stage for the achievement of the Global Goals in coming years.
- Send a strong signal that the age of dirty fossil fuels is over.
- Set us on a path to a safer, fairer and more sustainable future for all.
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About action/2015:
action/2015, is one of the world’s largest civil society campaigns made up of over 2000 organisations, networks and coalitions from 150 countries. To date, more than 30 million actions have been taken in over 100 countries as part of the campaign since its launch in January 2015. We are united by the belief that 2015 is a critical year for progress in the fight against climate change, poverty and inequality.