Thousands take to streets of Glasgow to highlight ‘climate emergency’

Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Glasgow to protest against climate change.

Protesters marched through the city center in a global day of action coinciding with the COP30 climate negotiations in Brazil.

Organizers Friends Of The Earth Scotland said it was the biggest climate march in Glasgow since COP26 was held in the city in 2021.

Speakers at a rally on Glasgow Green afterwards included STUC assistant secretary Dave Moxham and Poverty Alliance chief executive Peter Kelly.

Caroline Rance, head of campaigns for Friends of the Earth Scotland, said the turnout showed a growing desire for urgent climate action.

She added: “People came out in large numbers to demand that the better world we know is possible.

“There is energy and enthusiasm to achieve transformative change, all it takes is political will.”

Ms Rance said public concern about the climate emergency remained “very high”.

She continued: “People recognize that the challenges our communities face, from Palestine to the Amazon, are deeply intertwined. »

Ms Rance also highlighted positive climate action measures such as insulating homes and improving the country’s bus services.

Nick Cullen, of the organizing group Climate and Migrant Justice, said the protest reflected a shared struggle between movements.

He added: “We joined this march because we must unite against the deepening hostile environment, far-right violence and the erosion of climate action.

“Today we demonstrated that in these challenging times, our communities are stronger and more powerful when we come together.”

A banner placed in front of the procession declared “a better world is possible” as it passed through the city.

Extinction Rebellion supporters brought a mobile sound system, while a choir performed reworked Christmas carols.

They adapted the lyrics to express their opposition to the Rosebank oil field, located to the west of the Shetland Islands.

A group of children also chanted “Stop Rosebank, the planet is for everyone” – in reference to the UK’s largest undeveloped oil field – as they moved through the town centre.

One activist wore a Donald Trump mask and held a sign reading: “It’s capitalism, you assholes.”

The Climate and Migrant Justice Organizing Group and the Gaza Genocide Emergency Committee were among the participating groups.

Palestinian flags were also visible throughout the march as a sign of solidarity with the people of Gaza.

John Hilley, of the Gaza Genocide Emergency Committee in Glasgow, said struggles for human rights and environmental protection were inseparable.

He added: “We must act together and urgently against the same economic and political forces behind these existential threats. »

The war in Gaza was sparked by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which around 1,200 people were killed and another 251 taken hostage.

Since then, more than 69,000 people have been killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza, according to the Hamas health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the UN.

Martin Canavan attended the protest with his daughter, Ailsa.

He told BBC Scotland News they wanted to take part because “urgent action” was needed to tackle the “climate emergency”.

“We need to make sure we are doing everything we can to improve the lives of those furthest from power,” he said.

“We want to make sure we can be part of the collective voice calling for change.”

Nine-year-old Ailsa said she wanted to come to the protest “because there is no planet B”.

She added: “I want us to be able to live and have a happy life without gas or anything. »

Nine-year-old Ailsa said she wanted to come to the protest “because there is no planet B”.

She added: “I want us to be able to live and have a happy life without gas or anything. »

Anna Brown was also among the protesters and said she didn’t think politicians were doing enough to act on the issue of climate change.

She said: “It shows something that we are at COP30: if something works, why do we need it for 30 years?

“Why does the process continue to fail at the national, international and local levels?

“We’re not seeing the change we need and people are still suffering.”

Brown added that her biggest concern was thinking about the future.

“People ask ‘what are you going to do? But it’s so hard to plan when you look around and realistically, by 2050 the Clyde will be flooded and our energy bills will go up every day.’

“Even when I was a college student, I worked three jobs and we shouldn’t have to do that, but it’s the only way we can afford to live.

“And it’s not just for young people, it’s for everyone.

“Climate action comes into play because, once again, it’s big corporations and billionaires who continue to make money and take it away from the people who need it.”

Delegates from nearly 200 countries are participating in the COP30 negotiations in Belém, Brazil.

This comes 10 years after the Paris climate agreement, in which countries committed to trying to limit the rise in global temperatures to 1.5°C.

However, the head of the United Nations (UN) has said that “exceeding” 1.5°C is now inevitable – and many world leaders are absent from the negotiations.

COP30 is the 30th annual UN climate meeting and comes four years after Glasgow hosted COP26.

COP means “Conference of the Parties”. “Parties” refers to the nearly 200 countries that signed the original 1992 UN climate accord.

It officially began on Monday, November 10 and will continue until Friday, November 21.

However, negotiations often fail due to last-minute bargaining to reach an agreement.