Cop 30 – I found a drum!!

Three travellers set off from Leicester FoE to Birmingham on Saturday 15^th November ’25 to take part in the Global Day of Action to join with allies in the climate movement across the country to stand up for a better future.

The UN talks are well underway at COP 30 – the gathering of World Leaders in Brazil to talk about Climate Change - so we are calling on the UK Government to :

Honour the UK’s pledge to protect forests and particularly the Amazon where the talks are taking place.

Demand justice for frontline communities and make polluters pay for a cleaner, fairer future.

End UK complicity in genocide and environmental ruin in Palestine.

We caught the train to Birmingham and went to our meeting place where we were greeted by a very friendly group of people from Birmingham Friends of the Earth sharing their morning activities with us which were banner making, chanting and ooh yes….  We were asked if we wanted to join a drumming workshop!

We were quickly strapped up with drums for a marching band, taught how to use them and shown how the ‘conductor’ controls the band with hand signals and a series of whistles.  Then we spent an enjoyable morning ‘playing’ on them or at least trying to follow what they were all doing. 

We shared an tasty lunch and were then asked if we wanted to march with the drummers!!  So, we did! 

It was great fun, one of the best things I’ve done for a long time – marching through the streets of Birmingham with a group of enthusiastic, like-minded people, joining in with a Global event, making our voices and drums heard.  Fantastic!

A big thank-you to Birmingham Friends of the Earth for making us so welcome – especially when we didn’t always keep up with the rhythm! 

Let’s hope we can ‘find a drum’ at another event!! 

#ThisWorldIsOurs #cop30

 

Melanie Wakley

Make Them Pay march in London

Four members of Leicester Friends of the Earth joined people from Nottingham and Leicester on a coach to London for the Make Them Pay march. It was organised by an alliance representing millions of workers, citizens and communities across Britain. The movement has three key demands: 

1. Tax the super-rich 
2. Protect workers, not billionaires 
3. Make polluters pay 

More than 80 organisations are part of this alliance, ranging from Oxfam to the Fire Brigade Union, Patriotic Millionaires to Global Justice Now.  

Climate justice and economic justice go hand-in-hand. For too long, the richest people and most polluting corporations have profited while fuelling the climate crisis – and ordinary people are being left to pay the price as climate impacts become more and more evident in our daily lives.

There were some great speakers in the rally at the end of the march, including Asad Rehman, the new CEO of Friends of the Earth. He pointed out that behind every private jet is a crumbling hospital and behind every rich oil executive is a climate disaster in a country that hasn't benefited from cheap fossil fuels. The problems we are facing are not caused by immigration: that's just the lie they are using to distract us. The problems are caused by greed. The few are screwing over the many and we can't let this continue. It's time to remember who really deserves our anger. It's time to tax the rich. 

Mass Climate Lobby

Two intrepid travellers cycled off to Leicester Station on Wednesday 9th July to catch the train to London for the Mass Climate Lobby….

We had a meeting booked for 1.15pm in Westminster to meet Shockat Adam the Independent MP for Leicester South. Our train (we had allowed extra time) broke down on the way which reminded us of one of the topics for our discussion – public transport. 

Getting through security in Westminster is a challenge in itself and then having all of our information to give to Shockat taken off us – as no paperwork is allowed, in case we throw it around apparently – was a bit of a shame but we finally managed to keep our appointment and were joined by another campaigner from Leicester South.

Shockat was very friendly and listened well – we had spoken to him before about the Big Climate Plan that we are asking for it to hit our UK climate targets and improve people’s quality of life. We told him that our communities deserve warmer homes, cheaper energy, cleaner air and better public transport and well-paid green jobs. We explained that millions of people in the UK are already suffering the impacts of extreme weather, sky high energy bills and rising inequality so the new Climate Plan which is being re-written at the moment and will be published in October needs to be bolder and fairer. We reminded him about the points we would like him to raise when handing in our petition which we had previously given to him.  Shockat said he would try to do this before Parliament closed for the summer recess as time is getting short.

Shockat then treated us to a guided tour of some of the rooms at Westminster and led us onto a veranda overlooking the Thames for a photo opportunity before thanking us for coming and giving him (albeit verbal only) the information about the Climate Lobby asks.

We then made our way to the National Friends of the Earth meeting rooms for the day and a well-earned cup of tea.

As the day was heating up it was then time for weary travellers to make their way to St Pancras and begin the very hot return journey.

A very productive day though – thank-you to Shockat Adam for meeting us and making us welcome.

Melanie Wakley

David Attenborough’s ‘Ocean’ – Take Action

A group of us from Friends of the Earth recently went to the cinema to see David Attenborough’s latest film ‘Ocean’ released on his 99^th birthday in May, and comes onto streaming services on World Oceans Day, June 8^th. Attenborough says that the ocean “Seems dark and distant, but the ocean is the lifeblood of our home”.  He says now he has nearly reached 100 years on our planet; he’s realised the ocean is the most fundamental part of it that requires protection.

The film shows some – and the only way to describe it is – shocking footage from inside a bottom-trawling net an industrial fishing vessel that drags a gigantic net across the sea floor, destroying everything in its path in order to catch a few fish for us to eat!  If you see the film, you can’t help but be shocked that this procedure is allowed to happen in the name of food production. The devastation left behind the nets is unbelievable and after watching the film you can’t help but want to take action.  As Attenborough puts it “If we save the sea, we save the planet” and the film showed how the sea can bounce back and the ocean floor can recover if left alone and the dredging stops.

On the 9^th June, 2025 the UN are holding an Ocean Conference which is the result of two decades of campaigning leading to two years ago world governments agreeing to the Global Ocean Treaty to put at least a third of the world’s oceans off limits to harmful human activity by 2030. For this to come into force and become law 60 countries have to sign the Treaty in their countries. Governments are aiming to put the Global Ocean Treaty in place at the Conference this June. Disappointingly, the UK government has not yet signed it even though they claim commitment to climate and nature. 

If you have watched the film – and if you haven’t hopefully you will soon - and I’m sure you will agree that we should sign the treaty and stop this barbaric practice as soon as possible.  If you would like to add your voice now you can click on the link and demand that David Lammy signs the Global Ocean Treaty into UK law before the conference begins on 9^th June.

Thank-you for helping to save the oceans. 😊

Melanie Wakley

Planet Over Profit campaign launch

We held a campaign launch event for our Planet Before Profit campaign, in Leicester’s Town Hall Square, as part of a national launch of this campaign.  We are calling for a new law to make it much easier to hold companies accountable for environmental damage and human rights abuses caused by their activities, both directly and within their supply chains.  Amongst those attending was Abigail, the Leicester Friends of the Earth orangutan. 

Friends of the Earth are part of a coalition of organizations campaigning for a new UK Business Human Rights and Environment Act, which would require companies to exercise “due diligence” in identifying and preventing both environmental damage and human rights abuses in their supply chains.  This would include things like deforestation, pollution and climate impacts, and things like land grabbing from indigenous communities and forced labour. 

In line with a recommendation by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights the proposed legislation would be based on the UK’s existing Bribery Act.  It would require companies and public bodies to carry out thorough checks on their supply chain, to identify risks and establish measures to prevent harm.  It would incorporate tough sanctions for failing to do this and allow companies to be held accountable in both civil and criminal courts.  It would also give affected communities a right to seek redress and require companies to engage with potentially affected communities.

Malcolm Hunter explains:

“Unrestrained pursuit of profit is driving widespread environmental destruction and human rights abuses world-wide. Many UK companies are contributing towards this, and this proposed legislation is designed to make them act in much more socially responsible ways and allow them to be held to account if they don’t.  Many other countries have already introduced similar legislation, or are in the process of doing so, but the UK currently lags behind and needs to catch up”.

Meeting Shockat Adam MP about the Climate Plan

As part of our work on the Big Climate Plan campaign, we met Shockat Adam, the independent MP for Leicester South, to ask him to demonstrate his commitment to fair climate action. 

We explained that the government's new climate plan must set out how we will meet the UK's international commitment to cut carbon emissions by over two thirds by 2030. We're currently dangerously off track so we need to take urgent action. The plan therefore needs to be ambitious but we think it also needs to make sure that everyone can have lower energy bills, warm homes, clean air, better public transport and well paid green jobs. 

Many of the people hit hardest by the impacts of climate change, in the UK and worldwide, are those who have done the least to cause the problem. Fair climate action can bring benefits for everyone, not only those who can afford to buy a Tesla. With the backlash against net-zero in some quarters, it's vital that the government's plan is fair and seen to be fair. If it isn't, it risks being weaponised by climate sceptics and those seeking to delay climate action.

This week, Friends of the Earth published a new fairness focussed research report, highlighting the impact of climate policies on ordinary people. We gave Shockat a copy of the report and the petition that we had collected showing local support for fair climate action: 160 postcards and 227 digital signatures. We also presented him with the brainstorm of ideas for climate action, which people have been contributing to at our recent stalls. 

We discussed how fair climate action could make a difference locally, in improving cold and mouldy homes, reducing air pollution that affects the most deprived parts of Leicester most severely and in improving everyone's access to public transport. Shockat has agreed to present our petition to the Prime Minister and also to write to him to express his support for fair climate action. We were gratified to hear that he is very interested in these issues. 

Now all we can do is to wait and see what the new climate plan will bring! As this effectively marked the end of our work on this campaign, we went to the Phoenix for dinner to celebrate. Local groups across the UK are talking to their MPs about the need for fair climate action; we hope that together we will make a difference.

Calling for a Big Climate Plan on High Street

With one week to go until we meet one of our local MPs to talk about the Big Climate Plan, we had another stall to collect people's ideas for climate action and postcards to pass on to the prime minister. This time we were in the centre of Leicester, part way up High Street.

Street campaigning can be a challenge because people can be reluctant to stop and talk (especially if they think you're asking for money) and explaining campaigns very quickly is not always easy. We collected fewer postcards than the week before, perhaps because the weather was a lot colder. We noticed that people are feeling very disillusioned with the current government and are therefore unwilling to engage in anything 'political'. But we kept ourselves entertained with a friendly rivalry as to who was collecting the most signatures! Bruce beat everyone else hands down - we think it must have been his bobble hat. People gave us some odd excuses for not stopping to talk - the strangest being "I'm already married"! We're not sure what they thought we were asking!

Calling for a Big Climate Plan on Queens Road

We spent a couple of hours on Queens Road today, talking to passers-by about the Big Climate Plan campaign. National Friends of the Earth took the government to court last year for having an inadequate climate plan. They won the case and the government is now re-writing their plan, which they have to publish by 2nd May. Alongside Friends of the Earth groups across the country, we are calling on them to develop a new climate plan that is bolder and fairer. Millions of people in the UK are already suffering the impacts of extreme weather, sky high energy bills and rising inequality Our communities deserve warmer homes, cheaper energy, cleaner air, better public transport and well-paid green jobs.

Eight members of Leicester Friends of the Earth spoke to people on Queens Road, asking them to sign a postcard to the Prime Minister and collecting their ideas of what climate action we would like to see. It was a beautiful, sunny spring day and many people stopped to talk and share their ideas. If you were one of them, thank you! If you haven't had chance to sign a postcard, you can sign our digital petition instead. We're hoping to deliver the postcards and the petition to local MPs later this month, for them to pass on to the Prime Minister on our behalf. 

Our questions to Leicester's General Election candidates

As the General Election approaches, we've put together a survey to ask Leicester's candidates three questions about key environmental issues. If you're still undecided about who to vote for and if you care about the environment, their answers might help! Here are our questions and the answers we've received so far:

1. The High Court has ruled the government's existing climate plans are unlawful and ordered the government to write a new one. How will you ensure the new climate plan delivers action that shares the costs and benefits fairly?

Rahoul Naik, One Leicester (Leicester West)

"I think the ruling from the High Court earlier this year shows how inadequate the Government's proposals and thinking around advancing to net-zero and reducing carbon emissions are and continue to be. It has been disappointing to see the Labour Party's position change too often with investment reduction in the billions. If elected, I will work with parties across the government to fight for a climate plan that is realistic, progressive and focussed on delivering for the country. We must ensure that any climate plan puts people first. That means, focussing on reducing energy bills, increasing infrastructure for electric vehicles, continued incentives for transition to air source heat pumps and solar panels. There is a lot we can do and learn from our European neighbours, there just has not been the political will to do so. This has to be led for the people, brokering relationships with businesses but ultimately for the sake of the planet."

Mags Lewis, Green Party (Leicester East)

"By working with legislators, climate experts and groups, to ensure rhetoric and ambitions regarding climate degradation are underpinned by law and enforced."

Aasiya Bora, Green Party (Leicester West)

"Our Climate plan will:  

- Introduce a new Rights of Nature Act, giving Nature rights itself. 

- End the scandal of sewage pouring into our rivers, including our beloved River Soar; water companies will be back in public ownership.

- Extend people’s access to green space and waterways close to where they live with a new English Right to Roam Act.

- Set aside 30% of our land and seas by 2030 in which nature will receive the highest priority and protection.

Our wealth tax on those with assets of £10 million or more will help to pay for it. We want grant funding for businesses to decarbonise annually. These would be targeted at small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), which account for around half of the UK’s private sector emissions.

A Green government would additionally set up regional mutual banks to help drive investment in initiatives which create local jobs in the green economy."

2. Leicester has very high levels of poverty. This has worsened due to rising energy prices. Home insulation reduces the energy needed to heat a home, and therefore a household’s energy costs. It also reduces the carbon emissions causing climate change. If you are elected as an MP, will you support a government funded, nationwide, street by street, home insulation programme? What will you do to work for this and ensure that your constituents benefit from such an insulation programme? (This question comes from our partners, Climate Action Leicester and Leicestershire.)

Rahoul Naik, One Leicester (Leicester West)

"I think it is a great travesty that so many people are living in poverty in Leicester and particularly in Leicester West. Many of these people work, but are in such low paid jobs that they are unable to make ends meet. There is a strong case for the link between carbon emission reduction and ending poverty in the UK. Home insulation is part of that solution and I would definitely back a funded nationwide plan that would bring the benefits of lower carbon emissions, warmer homes and lower bills to all in the UK. I would be a leading voice in the fight for this in Parliament and ensure that Leicester West is used as a beacon of hope for this programme and get the ball rolling further right here in Leicester."

Mags Lewis, Green Party (Leicester East)

"Yes, this is party policy. We will also end the two child benefit cap, lifting thousands of Leicester children out of poverty."

Aasiya Bora, Green Party (Leicester West)

"Elected Greens will push for a local-authority-led, street-by-street retrofit programme to insulate our homes, provide clean heat and start to adapt our buildings to more extreme climate conditions. This would mean investment to: - insulate homes to an EPC B standard or above as part of a ten-year programme. - insulate other buildings to a high standard - provide low-carbon heating systems (e.g. heat pumps) for homes and other buildings."

3. France has banned the use of pesticides in public spaces, to protect people and biodiversity. Would you support a ban on urban pesticide use in the UK, to make our parks and green spaces safe for people and more wildlife-friendly?

Rahoul Naik, One Leicester (Leicester West)

"Yes, I would support a ban on urban pesticide use and I'm sure, like in France, it would be a success and this could be extended further than just public spaces. We have a biodiversity crisis in the UK with many regions working on Nature Recovery Strategies as we have seen a serious decline in UK species and a upward trend of nature loss. I think we have to look strategically at how we can improve and increase biodiversity again in the UK and it starts with game-changing policies like the ban on pesticide use in public spaces."

Mags Lewis, Green Party (Leicester East)

"Yes, as it causes health issues for humans animals and wildlife flora and fauna- our bees are precious!"

Aasiya Bora, Green Party (Leicester West)

"The Green Party wants an immediate end to the emergency authorisation of bee-killing pesticides. Leicester West has many many gardens and school grounds which have been paved over which aren't even being used for car parking. A pilot guided education programme on the importance of bee friendly bushes and cultivating green spaces in our urban areas will help with creating more habitats for our bees."

Now We Rise - COP28 March

On Saturday 9^th December, we stood with XR Leicester, Leicester Animal Rights, Green Guardians Leicester and Climate Action Leicester for a march through the streets of Leicester to mark the International Day of Action for Climate Justice.

Speeches were made at Leicester’s Clock Tower and then we marched to the Town Hall Square where an aerial picture was taken. People were dressed in black to represent an oil slick as they asked world leaders meeting at COP28 in Dubai to stop drilling for new oil: ‘Rosebank Oil Wells’ has recently been approved. We don’t need to drill for new oil we have enough for our needs already.

Thousands of people across the world rose up on Saturday; people from 4 continents, 50 countries, 300 locations – standing together to raise awareness of the need for action to stop global temperatures increasing more than 1.5 C.

Melanie Wakley from FoE said “We want promises that mean something. Promises that stand for a reality of things we can achieve to save our planet from environmental disaster and promises that are made and are kept, not watered down once everyone goes home from Dubai.”

The march ended with the chant from XR Leicester “We want action! Action for the Climate! Action for Nature! We want Climate Justice! The people have spoken – Now We Rise!”

Melanie Wakley

#NowWeRise

Climate Emergency Action Plan consultation - respond now!

Leicester City Council are currently consulting on their new Climate Emergency Action Plan, which will cover the next five years until 2028. The consultation is open until Sunday 28^th January 2024 and you can read the consultation documents here. We are writing a detailed response from Leicester Friends of the Earth but it will have more impact if as many people and organisations as possible respond to the consultation. You can complete a survey at the link above or simply send an email to sustainability@leicester.gov.uk with your thoughts.

Here are our suggestions for the key points to include:

------------------------------------------------------------

Although there are many good actions included in the new plan, there are also too many points without any defined targets, so that there is no way of measuring whether the Council is making progress towards reaching net zero by 2030. There are also too many ‘actions’ listed which are in fact only plans to make plans. These are not actions and should not be listed as such.

The Council

The Council recognises that the most impactful actions they could take to reduce the carbon emissions of their own buildings are to retrofit insulation, install heat pumps and connect more buildings to the district heating networks. However, insulation and connections to district heating are not mentioned in the actions listed in this section. There is only a plan to make a plan! Why not start trying to fund those projects immediately, while creating the roadmap? When we are facing a climate emergency, we haven’t got two years to waste in only writing the plan.

Housing

The ongoing programme of insulating council homes is good but nowhere near ambitious enough. There needs to be a target to retrofit all council owned and managed homes, as well as a target to get all homes in the private rented sector up to standard. We would also like to understand what more will be done to encourage privately owned homes to retrofit, as they make up a significant proportion of the city’s housing stock.   

Business, public services and community

The tree planting and Tiny Forests projects happening on school grounds are excellent but they could be more ambitious; aiming to plant five more Tiny Forests by 2028 is only one per year! Could the Council aim to plant a Tiny Forest at every school that has sufficient green space within the next 5 years? That would be a significant number of trees and ensure that most children in Leicester had access to a Tiny Forest.

Transport

To make active travel more attractive we need to find ways of reducing traffic levels, so that it is safer to walk and cycle. One of the key factors driving increases in road traffic is light goods vehicles, driven by online shopping.  This is recognised in government statistics but not addressed in this plan (apart from with a plan to make a plan!). More urgent action is needed. For example, the Council could work with online retailers to install more parcel lockers around the city so that deliveries could be dropped at one point for people to collect.

Land and infrastructure

The glyphosate reduction trials in city parks are welcome but we would like to see this expanded. It is possible to manage parks and green spaces without using any chemical pesticides (herbicides, insecticides etc). Other local authorities are also managing their streets without using chemical pesticides and we would like to see the Council follow this best practice and phase out the use of all pesticides in the next five years.

Consumption and waste

The Council state that food waste is being separated from other household waste. How is this done? And is it as effective as a separate food waste collection would be? We are concerned that this is not the most effective way to manage household waste.

It is good to see that the Council intends to increase the choice of meals in schools, to address the climate impact of food. This should apply to all institutional settings, including hospitals, care homes and prisons, not only schools. Vegan options of similar nutritional value to other meal options should be made available for every meal.

Warm Homes Coalition

We have joined the WarmHomesLeics coalition, led by Climate Action Leicester and Leicestershire, along with other groups including The Race Equality Centre, Loughborough Climate Vigil and Muslim Green Guardians. This is part of a national campaign calling on the government to do the following:

• Roll out a street-by-street insulation programme
• Provide targeted financial help for people in fuel poverty
• Act to switch the UK to cheap, home-grown renewable energy
• Stop providing support for the fossil fuel industry

Find out more about how you can get involved here. 

March for the Earth - Earth Day

When in London can you see people dressed as parrots, giraffes, lions, tigers mixed in with foxes, and badgers all marching through the streets accompanied by birdsong being played on phones?

On Earth Day of course! Leicester Friends of the Earth joined thousands of people on the peaceful march through the streets of London on Earth Day (April 22^nd 2023) to raise awareness of the plight of nature due to global warming. 

It was a wonderful day, the sun shone, we met old and new friends, sang songs and listened to a speech by Chris Packham. We also took part in a ‘die-in’ where everyone lay down in the road looking at the sky, listening to the birdsong, left with their own thoughts about what we want for the planet – it was very emotive.

But although it was a wonderful day my daughter Hannah captured it all when she said - she looks forward to the day when we don’t have to march for nature – when everyone cares and fights to save the planet.

Peat Conservation

This might be of interest to anyone teaching about climate change in schools. Having taught this to a Year 9 class it was surprising how little they knew about peat.

The lesson began telling students that a peat bog is a carbon sink – meaning it stores carbon. It is made up of partly rotted organic material which builds up and becomes peat. Peat bogs are helping to counter climate change in that they soak up the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Bogs are also very important for biodiversity. Peat is a fossil fuel and traditionally has been used as a fuel and is now used on a commercial scale by garden centres selling bags of compost with peat in and also in plants potted up in peat-based compost for selling.

There are many other abuses of peat bogs such as overgrazing, people walking on them and inappropriate burning which causes destruction of plant species and peat structure. Also, when peat is cut for commercial use, it dries out – when it dries it releases the carbon stored back into the atmosphere.

There is a very good slideshow which can be used to educate children or adults. If this is shown in school it might also help schools to realise why they should be using peat free compost themselves in any school planting projects which they might be doing.

In school we then made posters asking people to use peat free compost and put them up in our school windows.

It is a good time of year (as the growing season approaches) to be raising awareness of the value of leaving peat in the ground and demanding that Garden Centre’s only sell peat free compost.

If we don’t buy it – they can’t sell it!

Climate finance and developing countries

This is a summary of issues raised in various online reports and COP 26 decisions.

We know that getting climate justice for the nations most affected by climate change, who have contributed little or nothing in emissions, is a huge priority.   The most affected areas include Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands threatened by rising sea levels, parts of sub Saharan Africa and the Arctic and the Caribbean.

The pledge from Copenhagen 2009 to provide $100 billion a year starting 2020-25 has not yet been delivered – figures from 2019 show that poor countries were given $80 billion according to the OECD.

The two main distinctions are between money for projects aimed at mitigating green house gasses, such as developing alternative energy generation using solar panels, hydro and wind farms etc., and projects designed for adaptation, such as early warning systems for extreme weather events, air conditioning to counter extreme heat, resettlement of communities away from coastal areas and changing agricultural practices to crops more resistant to drought. Examples from the November Geographical magazine include creating mangrove seawalls in Indonesia, building amphibious rather than stilted houses in Vietnam and planting salt tolerant crops in Bangladesh.

Both approaches are valid but the key issue for developing countries is that only about 20% of the $80 billion funding allocated is for adaptation projects – Global North countries preferring to sell the type of material on which they can make a profit.

Global South countries are lobbying for the financial allocation between mitigation and adaptation to be 50:50, rather than the skewed distribution at present.

Another problem is the status of the finance provided. In 2019, 71% of the public climate finance took the form of loans rather than grants. This can suck poorer countries into a cycle of debt. They have to borrow money at punishing rates of interest to repair the effects of hurricanes and cyclones and, if they use their loan to pay for a project that gets destroyed in the next extreme weather event, they are left with a debt and no tangible benefit.

Small island states and the least developed countries are now lobbying for a new stream of funding for loss and damage, in addition to mitigation and adaptation projects. Historically, the Global North has been extremely reluctant to buy into this and resists any notion of funding being compensation or restitution.

Antigua, Barbuda and Tuvalu have announced a commission to explore if there might be legal grounds for loss and damage funding from polluting countries. 

COP 26 Decisions

Many developing countries were left very disappointed by the decisions made on issues which were critical for them. It would seem that the conference was a debate between Global North countries about how far they were prepared to go to reduce emissions, having accepted to some extent there was some urgency required to keep within 1.5 degrees Celsius. Some of the developing country decisions appear to be a holding operation to be considered at another day. 

Climate funding

There were new pledges from US, UK, Germany, Japan and others of climate funding which it is estimated would finally achieve $1 billion by at least 2025 or perhaps a little earlier if other funding could be brought in. Some experts are saying that funding in trillions would be more realistic.

There was a recommendation, rather than a requirement, that developed countries should double their collective provision for adaptation projects by 2025, but this would still fall short of the 50:50 provision requested by Global South countries and there was no detail concerning time scales and transparency.

There was a mention of the impact of debt levels carried by poorer countries for the first time but no indication of how this could be reduced. It does provide a marker for future discussion, however.

There was some recommendation about making funds available as grants but also recommendations about making cheap loans which still allowed wide discretion on the part of funders.

Jubilee Debt Campaign claims, however, looking at the small print, that some countries may pay their contributions out of their existing aid budget instead of making new money available which is in the spirit of the funding. This could include the UK.

Loss and Damage Funding

This was a very important issue for frontline island nations and others which was effectively sidelined, with the promise that a “dialogue on loss and damage would begin next year in Egypt.”

To their great credit, Scotland has promised £2 million to a special Loss and Damage Fund, managing this way to provide UK money, but circumventing Boris and the Treasury who have made no such pledge. Wallonia – an area of Belgium has also pledged 1 million euros.

There will be a huge head of steam on this issue by next year, particularly after another year of global warming induced weather events, so we will wait to see what transpires.

Indigenous People Support

Five countries, including the US and UK, and global charities have promised $1.7 billion to support indigenous people and the conservation of their land. How this gets to the grassroots in an effective way will need scrutiny.

Deforestation

A group of countries have pledged £14 billion by 2030 to halt and reverse global deforestation by restoring degraded land, managing wildfires and supporting indigenous people. This has included Brazil's president, who will need detailed supervision on this!

 

The introduction of an annual review of emissions pledges at COPs means we are now in continuous campaigning mode on this issue, which should increase important pressure.

By Alison Skinner

Stand up for Climate Justice – International Day of Action on COP26

As the COP26 UN climate talks are happening in Glasgow, people across the world stood up to call for climate justice on Saturday 6^th October. In Leicester, we worked with Climate Action Leicester and Leicestershire, Green Guardians, The Race Equality Centre and the City Retreat to run an afternoon of action. 

We started at the Clock Tower at 2:30 pm, where 170 people joined a silent vigil for climate justice. We wore black or white and held placards highlighting how the climate crisis is already affecting people around the world. Passers-by stopped to read the placards and take photos or film us. 

At 3:30 pm, we walked together down High Street, holding up banners and placards, and congregated in Jubilee Square. There, we formed ourselves into the shape of an eye and a photographer took an aerial photo of us from the balcony of the Villare Hotel. This was sent to Boris Johnson with the message: ‘Leicester is watching you. We want real action for climate justice at COP26. 

We then moved onto the City Retreat on Churchgate to share plant-based food, swap pre-loved clothes and write postcards to our MPs asking them to act on climate change. 

Here are some quotes from the organisers about why we need climate justice: 

“The richest countries in the world today are not those with the most valuable natural resources, but those that ruthlessly plundered the resources of others. Too often, it is Black and brown communities who have contributed least to the climate breakdown and yet end up suffering most. For either the climate action or racial justice movement to fully succeed, they must be treated as inextricably linked. This is why The Race Equality Centre, as the only Race Equality specific organisation in Leicester, must draw attention to the issue that Climate Justice is Racial Justice and bring together the voices of our communities to support the fight for the preservation of our planet.”

Anamaria Garcia, The Race Equality Centre 

“Climate justice means requiring that the countries and companies which have contributed the most to climate change now contribute the most to dealing with it. The wealthy UK has been a key carbon emitter and has profited in the process. Fossil fuel companies have known they are causing climate change for decades but have deliberately blocked action to reduce carbon emissions. The UK must pay a fair share to help the countries, communities and people worst affected to cope with the climate crisis and develop sustainably – and work to ensure that fossil fuel companies and other major carbon polluters are required to do the same.”

Zina Zelter, Climate Action Leicester and Leicestershire 

“Our actions, habits, and lifestyles are devastating the planet we all share and everyday bringing us closer to a global catastrophe. Already, numerous species, natural habitats, and millions of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable populations are at a crisis point.

The City Retreat is committed to this important cause and believe the International Day of Action for Climate Justice is an important way of holding governments and multinational corporations to account for meaningful action, while also highlighting what individuals and communities can and must do to make a difference. This is a responsibility on all of us and one we cannot afford to ignore, especially in the world’s wealthiest countries where we exert the greatest carbon footprint while the poorest pay the price for our lifestyles with their lives.”

Shaykh Shafi Chowdhury, City Retreat 

“The Global North has a duty to bring clean renewable energy to the countries, people and communities which have provided our raw materials for so long. The switch to renewable energy must include the Global South, not increase human rights abuses, exploitation and environmental destruction. This means stopping human rights abuses in energy supply chains, setting legally binding targets on reducing resource use, ending the wasteful use of energy and ensuring that everyone in every country has access to clean energy.”

Hannah Wakley, Leicester Friends of the Earth

Community Responses to Climate Change at the City Retreat

On Sunday 26^th September, to mark the end of Great Big Green Week, we attended ‘Community Responses to Climate Change’ at the City Retreat on Churchgate. The event was a collaboration between The Race Equality Centre, the City Retreat, Leicester Friends of the Earth and Green Guardians. The aim was to bring together people from different communities in Leicester, to share faith perspectives on looking after the natural world and to start talking about how we can work together. The talks were recorded and you can watch them on Facebook. 

Anamaria Garcia from The Race Equality Centre, who had the idea to bring together the four organisations for the event, welcomed everyone before introducing the speakers. She explained that The Race Equality Centre want to be involved in conversations about climate change because they work with newly arrived people in the city, many of whom are now refugees because of the devastating impacts of climate change in their home countries. 

Sheikh Shafi Chowdhury, the imam based at the City Retreat, spoke first from the Muslim perspective. He explained that Muslims believe the Earth was given to us as a gift from Allah so it should be treated with sanctity. The Koran says that even on the last day of the world, when the angels are sounding their trumpets, if you have a seed in your hand you should plant it, because God loves creation. He also said that faith has many branches but the lowest branch, or the very least of faith, is to do no harm. If there is broken glass or plastic waste on the pavement, we should remove it. Faith starts with caring for our environment. He finished by saying that we may all be different but the one thing we share is the planet and we have a duty to our children’s children, and those who are already dealing with the worst impacts of climate change, to act on this issue. 

The second speaker was George Ballentyne, a member of the Baha’i community. He explained that he grew up in Glasgow, where the international climate talks will be taking place in November, and he carries the shame of his home city’s past links to slavery. He shared some quotes from Baha’i writings, including:

           The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens.

And he said that we cannot talk about climate change without talking about justice. Those who are suffering the most are those who have the least and are the least able to cope. Racism is at the heart of the climate crisis. He recommended that we all read The Good Ally by Nova Reid, for more information about tackling racism. 

Chris Morley spoke from the Quaker perspective. She explained that her faith has Christian roots, with an emphasis on peace, justice, equality and sustainability. Quakers believe there is that of God in everyone, which drives them to take action to address injustice and many become activists on environmental issues, or in championing the rights of refugees. 

Raj Purohit from Hindu Climate Action pointed out that, whether people pray in a mosque, a mandir or a church, they all pray on the floor, in contact with the Earth. He described the Hindu concept of ahimsa, which means not causing harm to any species. This leads many Hindus to adopt a vegetarian or vegan diet. He said that greed has led to us taking without giving back and we should all start to ask ourselves, ‘What will I give back to Mother Earth?’ The conversation has to start in ourselves and at home.

Uri Gordon, a Hebrew educator and member of the Jewish community, began by saying that it was clear how much all the faiths have in common: they all have an ethical imperative to protect life and pursue justice. No religion puts humans in a position of mastery over nature. He urged that, at this stage in the climate crisis, faith communities should dedicate the same resource to addressing climate change as they do to solving world hunger. We need to accept that the economy will have to shrink and the military be reduced. We need to work collectively, rather than as individual consumers. Uri finished by urging everyone to ensure that the event becomes a launch pad for a continuing conversation. 

Anne Scott from Christian organisation, Greenlight, was the final faith speaker. She explained that the bible says that God created the world and was pleased with his creation. He made humans in his image to care for creation and for a while, in the Garden of Eden, humans lived in complete relationship with God and with creation. However, after the fall, the relationship between humans, God and creation was broken and part of the work of Christians in restoring their relationship to God must also be in restoring their relationship with creation. 

There followed some speakers from environmental groups in Leicester. Hannah and Bruce Wakley from Leicester Friends of the Earth presented on the causes and consequences of climate change and some of the work that we have been doing. (If you’re reading this blog, you probably already know a lot about this so I won’t repeat the details here! We used photos from the Climate Visuals library in our presentation, which I highly recommend as a useful resource for all climate activists.) 

Erfana Bora spoke about Green Guardians, a Muslim environmental group that was formed during lockdown last year. They aim to add their voices to the clamour calling for change in our homes and lives and holding corporations and governments to account. They have been making use of social media to spread their message, with campaigns like the 30-day green challenge during Ramadan. They have also organised some litter picks in Spinney Hills Park, which inspired gratitude and a positive response from local people. 

Alison Skinner from Global Justice Leicester was the final speaker. She explained the organisation’s current campaign, which aims to stop corporate courts blocking action on climate change. Mechanisms in trade deals currently enable corporations to block climate action. You can sign the campaign’s petition on their website.   

Before we all went downstairs to share food and look at the stalls, Sheikh Shafi closed by saying that this event will serve as the beginning of a conversation that is long overdue. 

Altogether, it was an informative and inspiring afternoon! We were very grateful to be a part of it. We are already starting to talk about how we can continue to work together, so watch this space…

  

Leicester has its eye on climate talks

We launched Great Big Green Week with a street stall. Leicester Friends of the Earth volunteers had a lot of interesting conversations with passersby about COP26, the climate talks happening in Glasgow in November. Many people made a green heart pledge to act on climate change in their own lives, with pledges to walk and cycle more or eat less meat being particularly popular. The green hearts will be displayed along with pledges collected by the City Council. 

We also collected photos of people in our new giant photo frame that carries a message to world leaders at the climate talks: ‘Leicester has its eye on you’. The photos have been shared on Facebook and Twitter to call for action at the United Nations talks. A giant eyeball came along to the stall as well and posed for photos with passers-by.

Ordinary people are acting on climate change and we want to remind world leaders that they need to take action too. We are asking the UK government to end support for fossil fuels at home and abroad and help us transition to a sustainable future.

A passing Storm Trooper stopped by to support our campaign. Even the Dark Side recognises that we need to act on climate change!

Great Big Green Week - climate pledges

Community groups in Leicester are taking part in a nationwide campaign this September to highlight the need for urgent action on climate and nature ahead of COP26, the United Nations climate talks, happening later this year in Glasgow. Taking place between 18-26 September, the campaign known as the Great Big Green Week will see thousands of people across the UK organising events. The campaign aims to draw attention to climate change and destruction of the natural world, while also making a connection with these issues in local communities and showcasing actions to tackle climate change.  

We will be launching Great Big Green Week with a street stall in Gallowtree Gate tomorrow (Saturday 18^th September), between 11 am and 1 pm. We have been working with the City Council to develop a list of pledges that individuals and businesses can make to take action on climate change. Individuals will be invited to write their pledge on a green heart, which will then be displayed along with pledges collected by the City Council. We will be writing to businesses to invite them to make a pledge and these will be published here on their blog. When people have made a pledge, they will be able to have their photo taken in the group’s giant photo frame that carries a message to world leaders at the climate talks: ‘Leicester has its eye on you’. The photos will be shared on social media to call for action at the United Nations talks.

If you can't come to any Great Big Green Week events, you can still make a pledge! Here is our list of ideas.

Pledge ideas for individuals 

Transport

·       Find alternatives to driving your children to school or driving to work and try them out for a couple of weeks.

·       Avoid flying for a year.

·       Change to an electric car. 

Waste

·       Repair an item of clothing so that you can keep wearing it.

·       Buy second-hand clothing and electronics instead of new for a year.

·       Use a refillable water bottle and a reusable travel coffee mug.

·       Sign up for a vegetable box scheme to eat seasonally and reduce plastic.

·       Write a shopping list and only buy items on the list, to avoid food waste.

Power

·       Install loft insulation, draught-proofing or cavity wall insulation.

·       Turn the heating down by 2 degrees and wear another jumper.

·       Install solar panels on your house.

·       Get a heat pump.

·       Switch to a green energy supplier, such as Good Energy or Ecotricity.

Nature

·       Create a pond in your garden.

·       Leave part of your lawn to grow long to create an insect paradise.

·       Grow wildflowers to feed the bees.

·       Plant a fruit tree.

·       Stop using pesticides in your garden.

·       Switch to peat-free compost or get a compost bin and make your own.

·       Eat plant-based meals for one day each week.

·       Try going vegan for a month and learn new plant-based recipes.

And then talk to a friend about what you are doing!

Pledge ideas for businesses 

Transport

·       Install showers and secure bike parking at our office(s) to encourage cycling to work, removing parking spaces if necessary.

·       Initiate a Bike 2 Work scheme, see https://bike2workscheme.co.uk/tax-free/bikes.

·       Develop a ride sharing website for our employees.

·       Part fund public transport use for commuting, e.g., season tickets.

·       Make company car fleets all electric by <date>.

·       Make local delivery light goods vehicles electric by <date>.

·       Provide EV charging points for our company car park and investigate benefits of allowing public use too.

·       Make more use of video conferencing to reduce travel, especially flying.

·       Enable remote working for x% of employees, to save travelling.

·       Support the city council workplace parking levy proposals.

·       Purchase and use e-cargo bikes for short distance sustainable deliveries.

Waste

·       Replace plastic water bottle selling with office water filters/chillers run off the mains.

·       Provide branded refillable water bottles for our employees – good advertising!

·       Ensure no plastic is used in the wrappings of in-house refreshments.

·       Commit to using x% less paper and rely more on electronic storage.

·       Remove plastic from any packaging we use.

·       Upgrade or repair computing equipment and office furniture rather than buying new.

·       Talk to waste carrier to make sure materials are being recycled and discuss how to increase recycling rate.

Power

·       Replace lighting with LEDs to reduce energy use.

·       Switch to using 100% renewable electricity.

·       Commit to reducing our power use by x% through the installation of insulation.

·       When buying new equipment or machinery (e.g., computers, compressors), choose the most energy efficient options available.

·       Train staff on energy efficiency using the Carbon Literacy training scheme.

·       Develop a heat reuse scheme to cut power consumption, e.g., reuse waste heat from computer or production areas to heat offices.

·       Install solar panels.

·       Exploit government schemes for heat pumps to replace our gas/oil central heating.

Nature

Install green roofs, biodiverse roofs or green walls where possible – see Living roofs | Brown roofs | Biodiverse roofs | Ecology | P&P (green-roofs.co.uk)  

·       Let outside areas run wild, allowing natural processes to guide habitat management.

·       Work with NatureSpot to identify and record wildlife on our land.

·       Set up bird feeding stations and nest boxes/bat boxes in suitable outside areas.

·       Install natural flood management (such as ponds, areas of rough grassland) to slow the flow of water.

·       Reduce or eliminate the use of pesticides on all land that we manage.