Demonstrate for climate justice
Campaign Against Climate Change national demonstration, Sunday 29 November
Assemble 12.00, Hyde Park Corner

The climate crisis is now at a critical stage. The International Energy Agency warns that if we do not get our emissions under control by a rather terrifying 2017, our fossil fuel economy will “lock-in” extremely dangerous warming. Yet the COP21 climate talks due to take place in Paris in December have given up all pretence of staying within 2 degrees of global warming, and are about to agree a new limit on global warming of 3 degrees - which will make life impossible on the planet.

Why are the world’s leaders about to take this suicidal route? Because to seriously combat climate change means a complete rejection of the free market, and the politics of austerity being carried out by governments all over the world. The effect of the floods in Britain in 2014 were made far worse by thousands of jobs being cut from the Environment Agency by the Tories, leaving 300 flood defence schemes across England unbuilt – and by the cuts to the fire stations and firefighters who had to clear up the mess. In Greece, fire departments can’t even afford spare tyres for their trucks driving into forest blazes. Cuts to storm defences in the U.S. increased the effect of Superstorm Sandy, leaving a bill for the damage at $65 billion – which was offset by even more cuts to the public sector, leaving communities even more vulnerable to the next unnatural weather event.

In order to stop fast approaching runaway climate change, we are going to need to build the infrastructure to move away from a fossil fuel based economy to a renewable energy economy – which means a massive investment in public services and the creation of millions of jobs. We will need to force the polluting fossil fuel companies and the rich with their high carbon lifestyles who have caused this mess, to pay for the costs of this change through higher taxes and compensation packages.

Capitalism and its politics of austerity are not only ruining people’s lives, they are also ruining the planet. We can no longer waste time lobbying governments to make changes – we have to build a global social movement for justice that forces them to.

On November 29th  as the COP 21 talks begin, marches will be held all over the world to start that process. Join us on the march for climate justice and jobs in London – and then if you can make it, come to Paris to join the huge trade union march on December 12th to protest at the end of the talks whatever the outcome – but more importantly, to meet movements from all over the world to build the social justice movement we need to stop austerity and save the planet.

The People’s March for Climate Justice and Jobs

Unison call to join the march

PCS call to join the march

Unite call to join the march

Huge mobilizations by an unprecedented coalition of groups will take place throughout the climate talks in Paris.

Read article: Activists promise largest climate civil disobedience ever at Paris summit

Trade unions will rally in Paris on 12 December. The Campaign Against Climate Change has organised cheap Eurostar transport and hostels, departing London on 11 December and returning 13 December. For more info, see the Campaign Against Climate Change website.