Llangollen Friends of the Earth calls on UK government to end support for fossil fuels as part of global day of action for climate justice on 6th November.
Groups of walkers, cyclists and kayakers carried flaming Earth models into the centre of Llangollen this Saturday. Participants took in the beautiful landscape of the Dee Valley as the flaming earth models made their way to the town centre.
The local event was part of a global day of action during the UN climate talks, to demand the UK government end its support for fossil fuels.
With the message “Earth’s on fire” the campaigners highlighted the government’s hypocrisy in claiming to be a world leader on climate whilst continuing to support fossil fuels here and abroad.
Currently the UK government is supporting a new oil field off Shetland, it’s supporting investment in new oil in Mozambique (fueling conflict in the region), and supporting a new coal mine in Cumbria. Friends of the Earth are calling on the Government to drop their support for these projects, and to concentrate on securing a future for our young people.
Warren Davies, group coordinator said, “We’re asking people to write to their MP to express their concerns about government support for fossil fuel projects, to share their concerns about climate change, and to call for action.”
The group stated that fairness must be at the heart of action, and that the poorest people in our communities and around the world must not be disadvantaged.”
Warren went on to say,
“We all want less waste, we all want a healthier society and we all want to protect future generations. By taking climate action we can achieve these things, but the effort must be felt by all of society, that is in the UK and Globally.”
A YouGov survey found 67% of voters felt that the UK should strive to be a global leader on climate change.
“People have done all they can individually, they’ve reduced their energy use, they always recycle. But we’re at a brick wall. To get get further we need the government to lead and enable people to reduce their emissions”
Climate change solutions can bring many positives, especially to rural areas. Local energy generation, insulation businesses and local food production can all potentially create decent, secure jobs.
In recent years we have experienced unprecedented flooding and drought cycles. We’ve had flooding on the lower Dee and upland fires on Llantysilio mountain. During these times, the local population has pulled together, supporting local firefighters. But as these weather patterns get worse and more frequent, we will be spending more and more of our efforts sorting them out. Of course climate change is a global issue, and so every community will face similar or worse challenges.
Unique features of the valley including the beautiful Llangollen whitebeam tree are also under threat. The Llangollen whitebeam is unique to the area and is struggling to survive as a species. Climate change will only make its fate more precarious.
Our Government, as hosts of the UN climate talks, must take this opportunity to take decisive action.”
Notes
1. Friends of the Earth’s briefings on the Cumbria coal mine, the Cambo oil field, drilling for oil in Surrey and the Mozambique gas project are all available here: https://friendsoftheearth.uk/climate/4-cases-threaten-uks-climate-reputation
3. Link to COP26 coalition map of actions: https://cop26coalition.org/map/
The COP26 Coalition is the UK-based civil society coalition made up of thousands of organisations and individuals demanding climate justice at COP26. Coalition members include grassroots movements, the largest trade unions in the UK and NGOs, including Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace UK, Extinction Rebellion, Scottish Trade Unions Congress, UNISON, Tearfund, 350.org, Fridays For Future, Wretched of the Earth, and many more. https://cop26coalition.org/
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