Extinction Rebellion Marlborough and Devizes grouped together earlier today (Saturday 18 December) to stage a protest on Marlborough’s High Street.
And rather than engage in some traffic-stopping activity they embarked on a positive protest and snaked their way along the High Street so that people could read their banners and placards and understand what they were protesting about and why.
Their message was simple: make people aware of the dangers of climate change, bought home to many by the recent devastating tornados in several American states and the numerous ‘extreme weather events’ experienced in Europe and many other areas of the World so far this year.
Organiser Jo Ripley was keen to get the message of the UN General Secretary across: “The alarm bells are deafening, and the evidence is irrefutable: greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel burning and deforestation are choking our planet and putting billions of people at immediate risk”.
Last month’s COP-26 in Glasgow bought this home to many, but today’s XR Group message was that it’s also not too late for us each to do something, even in small ways, and even whilst we are all dealing with the issues of COVID and the latest variants. COVID is important, it’s immediate and affects us on a daily basis, but Climate Change is just as important, albeit over a longer period and while not affecting us all right now, it will likely change the lives of the next generation and beyond.
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