John Sauven, Greenpeace UK executive director, is at the People’s Climate March today, alongside Oscar-winning actress, screenwriter and author Emma Thompson.
John Sauven, Greenpeace UK executive director said: “We’ve got all the evidence we need but little time left to act if we want to protect ourselves from the impacts of climate change. We’re already witnessing Arctic sea ice melting, sea levels rising, and more extreme weather events causing human suffering and disruption to ecosystems.”
"With the burning of fossil fuels the biggest problem, we have more than enough clean technologies to solve it. We can drive gas guzzlers or zero emission vehicles. We can burn coal or turn every roof into a power station with solar power. What we’re lacking to drive the solution is political will."
"Our leaders must urgently agree a global countdown to zero emissions over the coming decades."
"In the UK, that means phasing out our polluting coal plants, the biggest single source of climate changing emissions.”
Emma Thompson, who is speaking at the rally, said: “We have a dependency on fossil fuels rather similar to our dependency on tobacco - which was a good idea until we realised it killed us. Fossil fuels were a good idea at the time. Not anymore. We now know they will end up killing us and are already doing so. But we are up against corporations, some of which are richer than many actual countries, who see the trillions of dollars represented by Earth's resources as their natural inheritance.”
"Going to the Arctic this summer and meeting climate scientists studying the impact of the receding ice sheets is a sobering experience. We ignore what the scientists are saying at our peril.”
“But today, I’m witnessing something which is an inspiring response. I feel part of a truly global movement of citizens with a clear and urgent focus on creating a just world and a liveable one."
"We need to hold our political leaders to account. The future of our children and grandchildren is at stake."
"Being a part of this global day of action has given millions of people a voice and we are going to use it until we are heard."
The People’s Climate March, in London on Sunday 21 September, is part of a global weekend of action on climate change. More than two thousand events are planned over six continents, including huge rallies in New York and London.
The march aims to show the groundswell of support for ambitious leadership ahead of the New York Climate Summit on Tuesday 23 September. The summit, called by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, will be attended by more than 120 world leaders including David Cameron and Barack Obama. It will be the largest gathering of world leaders to discuss climate change since the Copenhagen Summit in 2009.
Notes to editors:
UN press briefing on the Climate Summit: http://www.un.org/climatechange/summit/2014/09/press-briefing-preparations-climate-summit-2014/
