Climate protesters demand swift action - 10th November 2021

The end of the COP26 climate conference's first week saw the streets of Glasgow teeming with thousands of demonstrators including climate and environmental activists and campaigners.

Demonstrators are disgruntled by what they deem governments' failure to meet targets on global warming and their slowness to act on climate change.

Youth activist Greta Thunberg, also at the protests, shared the sentiments of protesters, highlighting what she sees as the “all talk and no action” approach of world leaders at the conference.

Greta Thunberg: "The COP has turned into a PR event, where leaders are giving beautiful speeches and announcing fancy commitments and targets while behind the curtains, the governments of the global north countries are still refusing to take any drastic climate action. This is no longer a climate conference. This is now a global north greenwash festival. A two-week-long celebration of business as usual and blah blah blah."

Glasgow, the focal point for the global climate marches, saw people championing their cause and demanding alacrity on the part of governments.

Alex Jones is uneasy about the repercussions of the COP26 outcomes on future generations.

Alex Jones: "Obviously, I'm here with my kids, and it's going to be their inheritance, long after I'm gone. It's going to be them to deal with the fallout of the decisions that get made at the moment, so for their sake it's really important."

Jayne Whitehead is convinced that the public's action needs the backing of governments' and the introduction of stringent measures to slash levels of carbon emissions.

Jayne Whitehead: "So, individuals can't do that themselves, world leaders need to change the systems radically, so that we are cutting from now and not in the future, but immediately."

Furthering the cause of ending fossil fuel use and coming to the aid of those already bearing the brunt of climate change, more marches are slated to take place globally.

Jenny Rise believes that world leaders fear these movements.

Jenny Rise: "A lot of politicians are scared of the power of this movement and that we can achieve something."