Need some motivation to attend Scotland's Climate March? Here are six points to ponder.
In Paris, in December 2015, global leaders are expected to conclude negotiations for a new global deal to tackle climate change and address its impacts.
The Stop Climate Chaos group of charities has called a march in Edinburgh (details at the bottom of this list) to coincide with the start of these talks and similar marches elsewhere, including in London on Sunday 29 November.
Here, TFN brings you six reasons you should attend Scotland's Climate March.
1. Put pressure on them – let the decision makers know it’s important
Global leaders are meeting in Paris in the first week of December 2015 to conclude negotiations for a new global deal to tackle climate change and address its impacts. All the international summits from the last few years will culminate there.
Politics tends to operate in short-term cycles, therefore issue like climate change, which has to be viewed in the longer term, can fall victim to political expediency. To make sure political leaders know there is strong public support for ambitious and binding commitments in Paris, we need to show them our strong and growing climate movement.
Beyond Paris, public pressure on this issue must continue the momentum to ensure what is agreed is actually delivered. You need to be part of this, if you want it to happen.
2. Think globally, act locally
Put Scotland on the map as a world leader on climate action. We all – every person and every country – have a part to play. In Scotland we already have some ambitious climate change targets. We must make sure the Scottish Government remains committed to meeting those targets – some of which we have already missed. Let’s hold the government to account – and keep them on track.
3. For our natural heritage
We’ve all heard the alarming stories about nations such as the Maldives slipping beneath the waves, or the devastation which will be caused to low lying and already struggling countries such as Bangladesh. That should be reason enough to support the Climate March. But this is a world-wide phenomena, affecting all of us, and it’s important to realise there will be repercussions here as well. Scotland’s precious natural habitats will be changed forever – a process which has already begun. As mankind-driven climate change accelerates, hill side and mountain flora, fauna and habitats will disappear.
4. For our economy
Scotland’s habitats are one of our richest resources, bringing in millions in tourism cash, but climate change threatens that. There will be tourism impacts with the loss of industries such as skiing, and rising temperatures mean the threat of pests and diseases could result in damage to food production. The inevitability of flooding and coastal erosion will not just bring misery to communities, but will cause economic hardships.
5. For our future
In the natural world, change is constant and nature is resilient – species evolve and adapt, some die over time, others radiate. But human-driven climate change is pushing things at such an accelerated rate that ecosystems are becoming overwhelmed. In the geological past, such catastrophic changes have occurred in response to exceptional events – for example, the meteor strike that wiped out the dinosaurs, but they always induce a period of mass extinction – and many scientists fear we have entered such a phase. This collapse will mean misery for billions throughout the globe and could threaten our very existence. Going on a march won’t stop this, but neither will doing nothing. The biggest fightbacks can start with the smallest actions. Be part of it.
6. For our animals and ecosystem
Internationally, climate change is threatening the livelihood and existence of species such as polar bears. But as things stand, we are also set to lose species in Scotland such as the mountain top loving ptarmigan, dotterel, and arctic char – a trout species isolated in Scotland’s lochs since the ice caps retreated. While the temperature change may mean we gain some species, these are likely to be introduced exotics – such as the already spreading ring-necked parakeet – which would damage our ecosystems further.
Scotland's Climate March - what you need to know
Scotland’s Climate March takes place this Saturday 28 November.
People will gather at the Meadows in Edinburgh at noon and will set off at 12.30pm, going down Forest Road, across George IV Bridge and then down the Mound.
Once the march arrives at the Ross Bandstand in Princes Gardens (West) the rally will kick off. It will be compered by Hardeep Singh Kohli and feature live music from Colonel Mustard & the Dijon 5 and a great lineup of speakers.
