CLIMATE MARCH and PARIS COP21 NEWS

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For a real time view of the COP21 negotiating text Carbon Brief have published their ‘bubble‘.

Carbon Brief also have a list of all of the first day speakers. Game changing announcements included one from India that offered some hope of a change from the coal stance of this major emitter and from global business leaders seeking to use their influence and resources to lower greenhouse gases.

The Indian Prime Minister, in conjunction with the French announced an International Solar Alliance “Modi said the aim was “to bring affordable solar power to villages that are off the grid”….. “The alliance [intended 100 countries] hopes to mobilise “more than $1,000bn of investments that are needed by 2030 for the massive deployment of affordable solar energy“….. “Hollande said. “Wealth tomorrow will come from new energies that will be developed everywhere and, namely, solar.”

Business billionnaires announced “The group of 28 investors — which includes Microsoft’s Bill Gates, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos — have pledged to support early stage technologies, helping them to get off the ground at a time when other investors may be put off by the high risk factor involved.”  ‘Mission Innovation‘ consists of  20 participating countries [including the UK] who “will seek to double its governmental and/or state-directed clean energy research and development investment over five years.” and a ‘Breakthrough Energy Coalition‘ of the business leaders. See more at Making Clean Energy Affordable.

Schwarzenegger, Republican ex Govenor of California, joined by his Democrat successor at the COP pushed the view that people would support action if they understood the dangers already unfolding – future dangers were too distant to respond to.

The Transition Highgate/HiCAN contingent attended the London Climate Change march on the 29th Nov 2015, mingling with other local groups and thousands of other marchers. See photos.

climate march sketch Sue Lees Nov 2015Our view of the speeches – courtesy Susan Lees

On the same day there were thousands of marches around the world with more than half a million people according to the BBC.

There was no official march in Paris, due to recent events, but there was an unofficial advertising campaign critiquing corporate sponsors.

On the first day Bill Gates launched the ‘Breakthrough Energy Coalition’ where multimillionnaire investors will invest in new technology in tandem with governments. See Making Clean Energy Affordable for more information.

On the same day Carbon Brief reported that “Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister, and Francois Hollande, France’s president, launched an International Solar Alliance, an Indian initiative dedicated to the promotion of solar energy. It aims to “significantly augment solar power generation””

“The alliance hopes to mobilise “more than $1,000bn of investments that are needed by 2030 for the massive deployment of affordable solar energy.”

Hyde Park speakers and Millbank speakers.

Park Lane 12.00pm.  Speakers included:

    • Vivienne Westwood
    • Alyson Austin –part of the successful campaign against new opencast coal mining in Merthyr Tydfil in Wales
    • Himaya Quasem from ActionAidUK on flooding in Bangladesh and community resistance
    • Sue Ferns – Trades Union Congress / Deputy General Secretary, Prospect
    • Kofi Mawuli Klu – PARCOE Co-Vice Chair
    • Cecilia Anim – President, Royal College of Nursing
    • Tina Louise Rothery – from the anti-fracking Nanas and successful campaign in Lancashire
    • Romayne Phoenix – from the People’s Assembly Against Austerity
    • Afsheen Rashid – Repowering London: community energy projects facing severe cuts.
    • Matt Wrack – General Secretary of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU)
    • Sara Marielle Gaup Beaska, Risten Anine Gaup, Lars-Ante Kuhmunen with others – traditional Sámi singers with a yoik.

Millbank 2.30.  Speakers included:

  • Francesca Martinez – activist and award-winning comedian
  • Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner (Senior Rabbi to Reform Judaism), Dr Ruth Valerio (Churches and Theology Director, Arocha UK) and Shanza Ali (Director of Muslim Climate Action)
  • Chris Baugh – Assistant General Secretary at PCS (Public and Commercial Services Union)
  • Suzanne Dhaliwal – Tar Sands Campaigner
  • Voltaire Alferez – environmental campaigner from the Philippines
  • Asad Rehman – International climate justice campaigner
  • Piers Telemacque – NUS Vice-President Society and Citizenship introducing Laurel from Time To Act
  • With brilliant live performances from Kate Tempest – award-winning poet and rapper, Mic Righteous, and an unmissable performance from Charlotte Church
  • Compered by James Randerson – journalist at The Guardian