Birmingham gets ready for The Wave

• Nov. 18 by Natalie Adcock (0)

Birmingham groups are preparing to join people from all across the country to campaign for government action against climate change at the demonstration The Wave in London on Saturday 5^th December.

It will be the United Kingdom’s largest march in support for action on the issue of global warming and organisations such as Birmingham Friends of the Earth, the Northfield Ecocentre and Birmingham Faith and Climate Change are organising transport and inviting local residents to join them.

The Wave will call on world leaders to take urgent action at the UN’s climate change summit in Copenhagen to secure a fair international deal to stop global warming exceeding the danger threshold of 2 degrees Celsius.

The throng of people demonstrating will be encircling Parliament and attendees are asked to consider the blue theme with clothes or banners.

At 3PM there will be a pause for a moment of reflection and on an agreed signal, the entire march will burst into life, to give the impression of a wave of change surrounding Westminster and creating one of the world’s largest mexican wave.

Birmingham Friends of the Earth state that they are calling for a pledge to cut carbon emissions in the home 40% by 2020 and for the UN to put sufficient money aside for developing countries so that they can develop cleanly and adapt to the effects of climate change.

Birmingham Friends of the Earth’s coach service is sold out but there are still ones available around Birmingham such as with the group Elect Mark Anthony France as Bromsgrove MP organising a coach service leaving from the Bromsgrove Market Hall at 8:30PM.

There is a coach leaving from Kings Heath, possibly picking up at the Northfield Ecocentre and University, another organised by the co-operative leaving from central Birmingham and two (with COFOD and Christian Aid) leaving from Carrs Lane. Prices are all approximately £10.

 Joe Peacock of Friends of the Earth said:

“There have been climate change demonstrations on a regular basis over recent years, but this one is different and we can see that from the numbers already going.

We really are running out of time now and we cannot afford the talks in Copenhagen not to deliver a sufficiently strong deal that will ensure CO2 emissions begin to fall globally at a fast enough rate.

That’s why our coach is full and there are at least another 5 going from Birmingham, but people need to book their tickets soon. 

I think it will be a spectacular event as well as a strong demonstration about this very serious issue, so I wouldn’t want to miss it for anything.”

For people who cannot make the event, there are ways of getting involved such as taking a picture of blue hands for campaigners to take to the event or by joining The Northfield Ecocentre’s banner making workshop on Thursday 26^th December from 5:30PM – 6:30PM.

If you are attending The Wave or know of any other groups organising transport, let Birmingham Recycled know in the comments below.