A climate rally is to take place in Carlisle city centre.
From noon until 3pm tomorrow there will be a rally for climate justice and jobs as part of the Global Day of Action for climate justice.
A selection of speakers, a placard-making workshop and singers and musicians sharing their thoughts for the future are among the activities on the day.
A coalition of local organisations, trade unions, community groups and individual activists including Sustainable Carlisle, The National Education Union, Public Services Union, Unison, University College Union and The National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers and many more have worked together to organise the public event.
They feel that, despite years of talks and “empty words” from government, that we are still to see any real action and we are today facing a more perilous situation than ever before.
They point to the devastating impact of climate change laid bare by the wildfires in Greece and Turkey and significant flooding locally and further afield.
The rally is a place for everyone to come and share their thoughts about the future. All are welcome. The organisers encourage social distancing and mask-wearing and ask people not to attend if they have COVID symptoms.
David Niven, Carlisle Trades Union Council, said: “’The clear evidence is that so-called ‘free markets’ and the private sector won’t provide the solutions to the climate crisis. We need a ‘Just Transition’ to a green economy that benefits us all and not just the richest one per cent.
“One that is based on public ownership and decarbonisation of key industries such as energy and transport, and on public investment to create one million well paid, unionised jobs in renewable energy, retrofitting of homes and public buildings, public transport, and recycling. A recent report showed that a minimum of 9,000 of these jobs can be created in Cumbria.”
Karen, Lockney, The University and College Union regional secretary said: “UCU is supporting this rally because we recognise the role of higher education in ensuring we have a workforce which supports the green jobs agenda. Our branch is especially conscious of this for Cumbrian young people who want to live and work in our fantastic county.
“We want to encourage them to be able to stay in Cumbria if they wish and know they can contribute to a sustainable economy in a landscape we are protecting for future generations. As a trade union, we are committed to a just transition and we are passionate about securing a safe future for working people where their communities can flourish.”
Henry Goodwin, director, Sustainable Carlisle said: “We are organising this rally to give a wide range of organisations in Carlisle an opportunity to come together and express how this climate crisis affects us all at the time when world leaders are meeting at COP26.
“We recognise that the climate crisis cannot be fixed without climate justice for all. We want to share concerns and solutions.”
