People Have A Global Voice On Climate Change In London

Me at London's People's Climate March 

On 21 September, I took part in the People's Climate March, the largest combined global climate march in history, with 2,646 solidarity events taking place in 162 countries, including here in London. On that Sunday, over 40,000 people attended the London rally from across the UK, with all ages taking part, from grandparents to children, founding campaigners and future generation of social media campaigners united. I carried my Avaaz banner, promoting the need to take responsibility for cleaner energy and chatted to interesting people from across the UK.

My friend David, who is a fantastic photographer, joined me on this peaceful march and he took some wonderful shots, in particular as we walked past Whitehall towards the Palace of Westminster, where the march ended with speeches by campaigners including the musician Peter Gabriel and actress Emma Thompson. I was pleased to learn later that 400,000 people attended the New York climate change march on 20 September, making it the largest rally in history.

My first experience of campaigning harks back to the late 80s, when I took part in a series of anti-war marches as a student  in Sheffield, with the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) symbol scrawled on the back of my denim jacket. The passion for campaigning continued throughout the five years I spent as a student and continues now. Anti-war campaigning has been the main theme over the years for me, including protesting against the Iraq War in 2012 and a Stop The War Coalition march in 2013. However, the environment and the effects of 'global warming' have become increasingly more important to me over the last decade.

Recycling each week is not enough for me and I believe more needs to be done to raise awareness of the irreversible damage that a build up of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere can do to our natural environment, our health and well-being. By acting now on simple things like changing the way we use our energy and manage our waste, we can prevent further damage before it is too late. We should not depend on the large corporates to be the only ones who need to change to make a difference. We also need to change our own behaviours, in order to prevent irreversible damage to our natural habitat. 

I also went to see the film Pride on 19 September, which I recommend going to see if you haven't already but remember to take a tissue, as tears may flow in a good way.  This inspiring film, set in the summer of 1984, when Margaret Thatcher is in power, tells the story of a London-based group of gay and lesbian activists who raised money to support a Welsh community of miners on strike, organised by the National Union of Mineworkers.

The two groups discover that standing together makes for the strongest union of all. Something that was achieved across the 162 countries that took part in the People's Climate Marches this month.

Read more here about the  People's Climate March London