‘Time is running out’: UK climate activists urge action with 100 days until COP26

Record ID: 1628264

  • Title: ‘Time is running out’: UK climate activists urge action with 100 days until COP26
  • Date: 23rd July 2021
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JULY 23, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF 100 CLIMATE PROTESTERS MARKING 100 DAYS TO CLIMATE SUMMIT COP26 ON PARLIAMENT SQUARE PROTESTERS HOLDING LARGE ALARM CLOCK VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS MARCHING FORWARD, HOLDING PLACARDS WITH PICTURES OF BRITISH PRIME MINISTER BORIS JOHNSON AND CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER (FINANCE MINISTER) RISHI SUNAK AND TEXT READING (English): "MISSING IN ACTION" LARGE ALARM CLOCK (SOUNDBITE) (English) GREEN PARTY MEMBER OF THE LONDON ASSEMBLY, ZACK POLANSKI, SAYING: "And the clock is a beautiful metaphor because, essentially, time is ticking out - both for our planet and... it's important that we often talk the climate emergency that we have only 9 or 10 years left, but actually the climate emergency is happening right now all over the world. Places in the global south, in particular, have been really, really pummelled by the climate emergency and here in the UK we've seen rare weather events happening more and more commonly, and this is really affecting people. And frequently we know that the effects of the climate emergency hit some of the most disadvantaged communities the worst. So its absolutely important that we stand up for social justice and climate justice, and the clock is a representation to say time's ticking out for the planet and those people, and we need to act now." (SOUNDBITE) (English) CLIMATE ACTIVIST, STEPH RAYBOULD, SAYING: "So the message is we want our politicians to be really proactive and really present, and we want them to be making their voices heard to be making real promises to help the climate and to move forward with climate change, and we don't want them to be missing in action. We want them to be doing and we want real life changes." VARIOUS OF PLACARDS WITH PICTURES OF JOHNSON AND SUNAK AND READING (English): "MISSING IN ACTION" / "THE CLIMATE NEEDS YOU" (SOUNDBITE) (English) CLIMATE ACTIVIST, RENEE BURNETT, SAYING: "It's hotter than it's ever been, it's rainier than it's ever been, and it's not just about us. It's about the children, it's about the entire world. The poorest countries in the world are the ones that will starve, are the ones that will drown and we as the bigger countries are the ones that are doing the damage, and we need as a global community to hold ourselves accountable for it." (SOUNDBITE) (English) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF GREENPEACE, JOHN SAUVIN, SAYING: "At the moment we are far off course. There are still some really important countries like China that haven't put a more ambitious proposal on the table yet. These countries need to do so, urgently, if we're going to have any chance whatsoever of solving the problem of climate change. We're really running out of time and I think that's why today, it's the 100-day mark, it's the countdown, we've got to get to the finishing line and we've got to do much, much better than we're doing at the moment." PROTESTERS AT PARLIAMENT SQUARE / WESTMINSTER IN BACKGROUND (SOUNDBITE) (English) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF GREENPEACE, JOHN SAUVIN, SAYING: "The most important thing is you've got to lead by example, that's the only kind of leverage that we have - it's to prove that building a zero-carbon economy can work. It can work for the planet, it can work for people, it can work in terms of jobs. There's huge opportunities there, but that's what the (British) government has got to prove because otherwise it's going to be really hard to persuade the likes of China and India, and other fast developing countries whose emissions are sky rocketing at the moment, that there is a better alternative, a necessary alternative, if we're going to solve the climate emergency that we're facing." VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS ON PARLIAMENT SQUARE / WESTMINSTER IN BACKGROUND
  • Embargoed: 6th August 2021 11:18
  • Keywords: 100 days COP26 Glasgow Greenpeace John Sauvin London Parliament Square activists climate change climate conference protest
  • Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
  • City: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Climate Change,Environment,Europe,General News,Government / Politics,Climate Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA001EN2AE6F
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Protesters gathered at London's Parliament Square on Friday (July 23) to mark 100 days until the United Nations climate summit, COP26, being hosted in Glasgow, Scotland.
    One hundred climate activists stood together to represent the number of days left until world leaders meet, stressing that time was ticking to curb the effects of climate change.
    The protesters called on Britain's leaders to do more and set the path for other super powers to reduce emissions.
    Some held placards with images of Prime Minister Boris Johnson and finance minister Rishi Sunak, accusing them of being "missing in action" over climate policy.
    John Sauvin, the executive director of Greenpeace, said the British government must implement policies to prove a zero-carbon economy can work to encourage rapidly developing economies like China and India to follow suit.
    (Production: Ben Makori, Lucy Marks)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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