The climate talks in Paris between 30 November and 11 December will be the most important in several years, attended by world leaders from 130 countries. They will (hopefully) result in the finalisation of a new global deal designed to combat climate change after 2020. Countries contributing to 90% of global emissions have been asked to submit a pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and most have done so, reducing the amount of negotiating that will actually have to be done in Paris. For example, the EU has stated that it will reduce emissions by 40% before 2030, compared to 1990.
For information on the pledges of each country, visit www.carbonbrief.org/paris-2015-tracking-country-climate-pledges. However, many people feel that these pledges will not be enough to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius, the level at which experts say climate change becomes irreversible.
Last year's climate march in London by Sebastian Ilari Flickr CC
With this in mind, climate groups are organising a series of marches in cities across the world on the 29 November, including one in London, which aims to begin at Park Lane near Hyde Park and finish at Millbank near Lambeth Bridge. More information about the march can be found on the Campaign Against Climate Change website, www.campaigncc.org/climatemarchlondon.
If you can get involved, do, as it’s great to get out there and support by adding your voice. Particularly for young people, climate change is going to affect us more than any other age group and it’s really important that we do all we can to help. Many people are more concerned with human and economic issues than environmental ones, but everything politicians talk about such as unemployment, spending cuts and tax credits is completely related to the natural environment that we live in. The good news is, that the current debates and conferences on climate change give us yet another opportunity to add our voice and bring these issues to the forefront of our government’s consciousness.
To get involved with climate change on a wider scale, and for tips if you’ve never been to a climate march before, visit the websites of The Climate Coalition ( www.theclimatecoalition.org ) and UK Youth Climate Coalition (ukycc.org )
If you are going to attend the climate march in London, my general advice would be to take an adult with you if you are under 18 and to let someone know where you are going. Get your friends to come along too, even if they claim not to be interested in the environment, you might just change their minds, plus it’ll be a lot less nerve-wracking!
Cadence