Scottish climate campaigners travel to Copenhagen headed by 75-year-old

Scots are determined to show they want climate justice. A 75-year-old campaigner heads a Scottish delegation travelling over land to attend the climate march “The Flood” in Copenhagen in December.

Friends of the Earth Scotland is proud to be taking 30 activists, who have all paid for the trip themselves, overland to join “The Flood for climate justice” 12 December.

8,000 people turned out for the Wave in Glasgow on Saturday 5 December, and hundreds of Scots will be heading to Copenhagen to tell world leaders to share Scotland’s ambition.

Starting in Glasgow on 10 December, it will take the campaigners two days reach the Danish capital, via trains to London and Brussels, and then coach the rest of the way.

John Elliot, 75 and from Duns in the Scottish Borders, is a long time climate activist. John said: “I participated in the building of a sandbag dam against a ‘flood’ at the meeting of European Environment Ministers in the Hague in 2001 so it is natural that I wish to continue my action now that I know so such more about the climate science.

“Perhaps my own life, but definitely the lives of my children and grandchildren will be severely impacted, perhaps shortened, if major action to reduce climate change is not agreed.”

Juliet Swann, Friends of the Earth Scotland Head of Campaigns, said: “It is essential that the rich nations take a lead and make a serious commitment to tackle climate change during the discussions in Copenhagen.

“Here in Scotland, we have shown leadership and commited to reduce emissions by 42% by 2020. Friends of the Earth Scotland demand that other developed countries share Scotland’s ambition and commit to cuts of at least 40% in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.

“Without urgent action, and effective financial assistance to the developing world, the injustice that climate change has already inflicted on the worlds poorest will be further exacerbated. We in the developed world must pay our climate debt and must take decisive action, now. Further suffering because of excessive consumption and failure to respect environmental limits is quite simply unacceptable.”

The climate summit in Copenhagen marks the culmination of several years of Friends of the Earth Scotland campaigning for a strong climate law in Scotland, and subsequently for climate justice.

The “Big Ask” campaign helped shape the outcome of the world-leading Scottish Climate Change Law in 2009, leading the way for Europe and the rest of the world.

Climate justice is a call for developed countries to live up to their historical responsibility for causing climate change and cut domestic emissions, as well as helping developing countries to grow cleanly and adapt to climate change.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Per Fischer, Press Office, Friends of the Earth Scotland
T: 0131 243 2715

Notes to editors

Friends of the Earth Scotland would like to thank Virgin Trains, who supported the journey with one free return ticket. Thanks also goes to Eurostar, who provided a limited number of cut-price tickets for Friends of the Earth, Campaign Against Climate Change and Christian Aid to help their supporters travel to Copenhagen and join thousands of peaceful protestors to demand a strong and fair global agreement to tackle climate change.

The Flood for climate justice takes place on Saturday 12 December 2009. Friends of the Earth International will flood through the streets of Copenhagen to demand climate justice. During the crucial UN climate conference we will join with activists from around the world to raise our voice for fair and just solutions to the climate crisis.

From 7 – 18 December the UN climate conference (COP-15) will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark. Governments from around the world will meet to discuss efforts to tackle global warming. We’re inviting people to come to Copenhagen to help build pressure on governments to find fair solutions to the climate crisis

Friends of the Earth Scotland is the country’s leading independent environmental campaigning organisation, and is the only organisation in Scotland that is working for environmental justice, campaigning for the planet and its people. www.foe-scotland.org.uk