Local Greens push for strong Copenhagen deal at London Climate Demo

6th December2009

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More than 20 members of Sheffield Green Party joined hundreds of other
protestors from South Yorkshire in London on Saturday 5th December to take part in "The Wave", a national demonstration in London calling for tough action on climate change from the Government and world leaders at the Copenhagen summit next week.

The Wave event, organised by the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition, is said to be the biggest climate demonstration ever in the UK. Demonstrators dressed in blue marched through London then encircled the Houses of Parliament to demand a fair international deal to stop global warming exceeding the critical threshold of 2°C, which may take the planet over a "tipping point" leading to runaway climate change .

Green Party leader Caroline Lucas, who was one of the main speakers at the Wave, said strong and urgent political leadership was needed to address climate change. She said, "An average global temperature rise of more than 2°C will lead to more extreme weather conditions, food and water shortages and serious health issues, according to climate change experts. To have a good chance of keeping global warming below the 2°C level, industrialised countries must agree to taking rapid and ambitious action and the Copenhagen summit offers our best hope of securing an international deal.

Sheffield Green Party candidate for Central Ward, Rob Unwin, added, "The Greens are calling for the European Union to commit to at least 40 per cent emissions reductions by 2020. The UK, in particular, has vast amounts of untapped renewable energy like wind, tidal and solar power that we could be exploiting far more with the right investment and support for development. Green industry could also provide a large number of new jobs, which would be a great opportunity for an industrial city like Sheffield.

"It was great to see so many people from Sheffield and the rest of South
Yorkshire calling for strong leadership at Copenhagen to ensure that the global community takes the necessary steps to prevent disaster".

ENDS