The Labour Party will force a vote this week on declaring a national environment and climate change emergency, one of the central calls by protest group Extinction Rebellion.
The move comes following 11 days of protests by the environmentalist activist group that has raised new public awareness of the issues surrounding climate change. Speaking yesterday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn stated that he hopes a positive action from the British government will “trigger a wave of action from parliaments” around the globe.
“On Wednesday, the UK Parliament will have the chance to be the first in the world to declare an environment and climate emergency, which we hope will trigger a wave of action from parliaments and governments around the world”
Jeremy Corbyn
The move will seek a pledge from Britain to avoid a level over 1.5°C of warming, a pledge that would require a global reduction in emissions of almost half of 2010 levels by 2030.
During the campaign by Extinction Rebellion police made 1,130 arrests and pressed charged against 69 people. The amount of arrests has come in for heavy criticism, with violent and racist protests by the likes of the EDL having never achieved such levels of police action.
Despite the reaction of the establishment, Corbyn was largely sympathetic to the protests, saying that they have been “a massive and necessary wake-up call”. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg agreed, saying that “We can not solve an emergency without treating it like an emergency”.
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