Thousands march to demand climate justice in London and around the world
Climate activists from all over gathered on Saturday 12 November in the Jubilee Gardens across from the Shell Building on Belvedere Road, London. They painted huge portable campaign murals, made speeches and carried signs in preparation for the march from the Shell Building to Trafalgar Square.
The march was organized by the Climate Justice Coalition in response to the COP27 Climate Summit taking place in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. A broad spectrum of climate and social justice groups were represented.
Celebrities Matty and Jules of Belle Roscoe gave their time and presence to the climate march. Matty posed in his Walrus mask for SavingOurPlanet with the Shell Building in the background, holding a sign, “We are all endangered.”
A contingent of doctors and medical health professionals representing Doctors for XR and Health for a Green New Deal also posed in a group picture for this blog. Dr Lynne Jones, a psychiatrist and aid worker who sets up programs in areas of conflict and disaster, said, “We have a global responsibility.”
A group from Oxford also posed for us, representing the Climate Oxford Business Network, a group of 90+ Said Business School students and alumni.
Phil Ball, a creative actions coordinator and consultant for Tipping Point, directed the painting of 4 mural-banner hybrid works of art. One of these is for stopping Rosebank, the proposed new North Sea oil field, another for stopping EACOP, the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, and yet another commemorates Chris Kaba, shot by the metropolitan police.
Tarun Gidwani represents Tipping Point UK, which is part of the climate reparations block.
Hermione Berendt, sporting an “END FOSSIL FUELS NOW” placard, works for 350.org.
Dr. Camilla Royle, Fellow in Geography and Environment at the London School of Economics, said, "I'm here because I'm worried about climate change, I think we urgently need to keep fossil fuels in the ground, and our government and others are doing exactly the opposite of what is needed."
(Below)
Petition: "Stop Carbon Emissions -
End Fossil Fuel Extraction"
Joel from Walthamstow, London, wants people to sign his petition. He says, "I believe you need to cut carbon emissions, and the people like Shell and BP, we can't let them get away with doing it by 2050."
You can phone Joel at 07932-720773.
Among the activists' demands:
- Dramatically and immediately reduce the use of fossil fuels.
- Clip the wings of the large energy companies that aggravate the climate disaster and profit from doing so. The Climate Justice Coalition notes, “Global temperatures, rising. Energy bills, rising. Billionaire profits, rising. While people are being forced to choose between heating and eating, energy companies are making record-breaking profits.”
- Climate justice. Working people and people of colour - who have contributed the least to the problem - are now paying the price with killer famines, floods, crop failures, fires and rising poverty. – Global Justice Coalition.
- Stop the Rosebank oil field project.
- Stop EACOP, the East African Crude Oil Pipeline
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Report by Liza Toth and Julie Wornan
Photos by Liza Toth
References
Thousands march for climate justice
Climate Justice Coalition
Tipping Point
Climate Reparations
Stop Rosebank
Stop EACOP