Cornwall joins worldwide day of action to demand global climate justice

Campaigners are taking to the street of Penzance and Truro

Surfers Against Sewage
Author: Sarah YeomanPublished 6th Nov 2021

Cornwall is joining a worldwide day of action to demand global climate justice.

Campaigners are marching through the streets of Truro and Penzance today (6th November) on day six of the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow.

St Agnes based charity Surfers Against Sewage is supporting peaceful protests around the world as part of the Cop26 Coalition, who are behind the day of action.

They are joining forces with other organisations and movements to 'build power for system change and address the ocean and climate emergency'. The charity says it wants to gather all the ocean activists across the country to join them in calling for ocean and climate action now.

Chief Executive Hugo Tagholm told us: "We need to restore the sorts of habitats that can absorb carbon, lock it away, and make sure that we have a progressive approach to the amount of wild nature that we have both in our ocean and in our terrestrial habitats.

"If we create highly protected marine areas we can see our fish stocks rebounding, we can see whales returning to our coastlines, we can see pristine habitats re-gaining their hold in our ocean, and of course plastic pollution hasn't gone anywhere either."

What is happening in Truro?

In Truro, campaigners will be meeting at 1pm a Hendra Skate Park to assemble for a march, then meeting back at Hendra Skate Park at 3pm for a rally and speakers.

Organisers said: "We are living through a period of multiple breaking points - from climate to covid to racism. We know that these crises not only overlap, but share the same cause. While no one can escape the impacts of these crises, those who have done least to cause them suffer the most.

"Across the world, the poorest people and communities of colour are too often those bearing the brunt of the climate crisis. From coastal villages in Norfolk whose sea-defences are eroding faster than ever, to people living by the Niger Delta rivers blackened by oil spillage."

You can find out more here.

What is happening in Penzance?

Greenpeace are hosting a peaceful march in Penzance, and then travelling on to Truro.

The marchers will carry the Greenpeace banner and placards (all the way to Truro if you want). You can join them for the entire march or just part of the planned march.

SCHEDULE:

11:00 Meeting at Newlyn Fisherman Statue

11:15 Marching to Penzance Jubilee Pool

11:45 Watch Tides Reach 2050 (see below) at Jubilee Pool

12:30 Marching to Penzance Railway Station

12:50 Take the train to Truro (arrive at 13:27)

13:30 Joining up and marching with Falmouth Greenpeace local group from Hendra Skate Park TR1 3JD

15:00 Meeting back at Hendra Skate Park for a rally & speakers

15:34 Train option to come back to Penzance

You can find out more here.

The Penzance Synchro Swimmers will also be raising awareness of rising tides.

The synchronised sea swimmers will be “swimming” through the streets of Penzance to Jubilee Pool to raise awareness of the climate emergency on November 6th.

You can catch the swimmers’ first ever performance at “Tides Reach 2050”, a free community event taking place at Jubilee Pool at midday on 6th November.

Led by popular local performer Mary Woodvine, the “Out of Sink” synchronised swimming team plan to transport us to an underwater Penzance in 2050 by staging a ‘land swim’ from Newlyn Tidal Observatory to Penzance’s Jubilee Pool. ‘Swimming’ their way along the perimeter of the 2050 flood plain, they’ll pass the homes of three of the swimmers, St Mary’s C of E Primary School, and many other much-loved community facilities at risk of being flooded by 2050, including Jubilee Pool itself. The group will then perform their routine to the public in the water at Jubilee Pool.

Mary explains: “We’ve all seen the terrible events caused by climate change around the world. We created Tide’s Reach to raise awareness of the challenges both here and globally - and to create an opportunity for Penzance to come together to get involved in projects that are making a difference.”

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