Barry White
A major climate coalition is set to stage protests across Britain and Ireland this weekend. The Climate Justice Coalition, which organised the biggest climate march in British history last year, has called the demonstration on Saturday 12 November, to oppose the UK government’s ‘climate-wrecking plans’. The alliance, formerly the Cop26 Coalition, expects thousands of people to march in the streets on the day to demand climate justice in support of a global day of action called for by Egyptian groups at Cop27.
More than 40 UK wide demonstrations are set to be staged, bringing together climate groups, cost-of-living activists, trade unionists, social justice groups and local communities, the coalition said. There will be a regional demonstration in Sheffield at 12 noon at Barker’s Pool in the city centre (see: http://acesettleandarea.org/global-day-of-action-for-climate-justice-sheffield-12-november/#more-2089 . The coalition is calling for the British government to “implement real climate solutions that solve both the climate and cost-of-living crises and ensure that everyone has a right to live with dignity.”
War On Want director Asad Rehman (https://waronwant.org/our-work/climate) said: “Cop27 must not be defined by the empty words of Sunak and co, but by the determined resistance of all the world’s people. The twelfth of November is the day thousands of us will come together in global solidarity.”
Meanwhile the Environment Agency has issued a warning to communities urging them to prepare for flooding this winter. In a statement issued on 7 November it pointed out that since 1998 we have seen six of the ten wettest years on record and this year for the first time ever saw three named storms in one week. The year also witnessed the UK’s highest ever recorded temperatures as the Met Office confirmed that England had its joint hottest summer on record. As winter approaches the Met Office says that the chances of wet and windy weather will increase with unexpected flooding occurring at any time.
However, much of the country is still struggling with drought. On 24 October 2022 the Environment Agency issued Yorkshire Water with 12 Drought Permits for their North West Reservoir Group. The permits will remain in place until 31 March 2023 and will allow Yorkshire Water to reduce the amount of water released so that they can conserve water in the reservoirs for longer and secure public water supplies (more information at: https://consult.environment-agency.gov.uk/yorkshire/copy-of-prolonged-dry-weather-in-yorkshire/#:~:text=On%2015%20August%202022%20Yorkshire,water%20resources%20and%20the%20environment ).
It’s time the politicans and fossil-fuel companies got the message, ‘action on climate change is overdue – the climate crisis is here and now’.
Photo: Mick Holder.
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