Climate Activists Demonstrate in London, Organize Worldwide

LONDON, UK, December 7, 2009 (ENS) - An estimated 50,000 people marched in London Saturday to demand action on climate change. Dubbed The Wave, the biggest climate change march in UK history called on the government to take much more urgent and effective action.

"This is a turning point," said Ashok Sinha, director of The Wave's organizing group Stop Climate Chaos Coalition. "Today, more than 50,000 ordinary people of all backgrounds have united in a powerful call to our government to stop gambling with the Earth's climate."

Marchers in The Wave at Grosvenor Square, London (Photo by Sam Saunders)

"Their inspirational display of belief in the better future that a low carbon economy will bring is a powerful signal to Gordon Brown and other world leaders to pull their fingers out," said Sinha. "Our leaders must agree a fair deal at Copenhagen that keeps global warming well under 2 degrees Celsius."

"The Wave has shown today that mainstream groups at the heart of our society are watching our politicians closely and will hold them to account for the safety of humankind and Earth's ecosystems," he said.

Blue was the unifying color of The Wave. (Photo by Sam Saunders)

The Wave has the support of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. In a video posted Sunday on the No. 10 Downing Street website, Brown said, "I strongly support the Wave demonstraction today. We will only get an ambitious climate change deal at Copenhagen and make climate change history if governments all round the world feel the pressure of the public calling on them to make ambitious commitments and thereby to put the world on a path towards a safe future for our children."

Part of an ongoing series of actions and protests around the world, the Wave encircled the Houses of Parliament with people dressed in blue to symbolize their support for urgent action to cool the planet. Environmental, trade union and faith groups from around the UK were prominent among the marchers.

Addressing the crowd, Green Party leader and Euro-MP Caroline Lucas said, "It's more crucial than ever that people mobilize and coordinate against the forces wreaking environmental and economic havoc on our planet."

"For Copenhagen to be judged anything close to a success," said Lucas, "we need to see a commitment to tough binding targets, funding for climate mitigation and adaptation in developing countries, and a real culture shift within governments to enable a massive clean energy revolution."

To keep their message before the public, hundreds of climate activists have set up a Camp for Climate Action at Trafalgar Square as a launching pad for further demonstrations.

Camp out in Trafalgar Square (Photo credit unknown)

The location of what campers are calling the "COP out, Camp out," was kept secret until the last minute, when the target was announced through mass text-messaging. The activists met up at Jubilee Gardens, outside the Shell Building, and marched on to Trafalgar Square.

Tracy Worthy from the Camp for Climate Action said, "The camp will be a space for people to get inspired and prepared for taking action during the COP15 talks."

Worthy calls the Copenhagen climate summit "elitist and undemocratic" and says the talks in Copenhagen are part of a political and economic system that puts corporate profits before the needs of people.

At the midpoint of the Copenhagen climate conference - December 12 and 13 - a global mobilization called "The World Wants a Real Deal" will take place, organized by groups in the TckTckTck coalition, the Global Climate Campaign and many others.

There will be big rallies on Saturday in many cities around the globe, and on Sunday communities of faith the world over will ring church bells, beat drums, blow horns - all 350 times.

The number 350 symbolizes 350 parts per million of greenhouse gases - the maximum the activists and many scientists say can be allowed to accumulate in the atmosphere before the planet suffers the worst consequences of climate change.

Organizer Bill McKibben, founder of the U.S.-based 350.org, said citizen cooperation crosses national, cultural and liguistic boundaries. "These vigils, now being planned in cities from New York to Nigeria to Nepal, will all take place right in the middle of the two-week Copenhagen climate conference. That weekend is shaping up be a remarkable global collaboration, with participation from a broad coalition of organizations and individuals across national and linguistic boundaries. Together, we'll speak with one voice to make it clear that "The World Wants a Real Deal," a deal grounded in the latest science and strong enough to get the planet back to 350."

During October 2009, the concentration of atmospheric greenhouse gases was measured at 384 parts per million by the Earth Systems Research Laboratory of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S. government.

Among the many actions planned during the Copenhagen talks, Friends of the Earth UK is mobilizing thousands of activists for the Flood for Climate Justice on December 12, when they will "flood the streets of Copenhagen" to deliver their message.

The Elders with some of their grandchildren (Photo courtesy The Elders)

The global conservation group WWF has a 350 message for world leaders on the urgency for decisive action on climate change. The People's Orb - a shimmering silver sphere containing a 350 gigabyte mosaic of stories, voices, images and action on climate change collected from around the world - is on its way to Copenhagen.

An independent group of well known and globally recognized elders is backing the global day of action on the weekend of December 12. The Elders, brought together by Nelson Mandela, include Kofi Annan, Gro Harlem Brundtland, Jimmy Carter, Mary Robinson, Aung San Suu Kyi, and Desmond Tutu.

"Leaders of the world," said Elder Archbishop Desmond Tutu, "as you prepare for Copenhagen, look into the eyes of your children and grandchildren and think of their future. Millions of lives depend on the decisions you will make."

The Elders will be present at a vigil in the Copenhagen conference center when to present climate change photos and stories from around the world.

In an open letter to 192 world leaders, The Elders specify the details of a legally binding agreement they believe are essential to avert the worst consequences of global warming.

Among others, these requirements, shared by many scientists and activist groups, include a two degree Celsius target as the outer limit of global temperature increase, a reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by the year 2050, and a commitment from developed nations to cut emissions of 25-40 percent by 2020, and 80-95 percent by 2050, relative to levels in 1990.

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