I had the privilege of being the co-MC for the Sydney Walk Against Warming rally on Saturday. And what an outstanding turnout. Around Australia, over 80,000 people took to the streets for an inspiring day of climate action.
The biggest crowd was in Melbourne, with up to 50,000 people turning out to raise their voices and be part of a human sign. Mark Wakeham, one of the Melbourne organisers, described it as “organised chaos on the streets” as the huge crowd formed a sign spelling out “Safe Climate – Do It!”.
I was inspired as I stood up on stage before a 15,000 plus Sydney crowd in Martin Place. There was every colour of the rainbow, all united in a common cause. Except, of course, for the handful of climate sceptics who kept on trying to sneak their way up onto the stage like mischevious children.
In Sydney, we made sure our message went directly to Copenhagen and the delegates at the climate summit. With one loud, clear voice, all 15,000 people shouted “Climate treaty now – don’t ditch Kyoto”. Then they gave three cheers for Tuvalu, the small Pacific nation that has become the moral conscience of the global climate talks.
[youtube]https://youtu.be/AKHutQJlpOk[/youtube]
With all the talk of concern over climate change dwindling, some people were expecting that the turnout on Saturday might have been smaller than last year. It was much, much bigger. Climate change isn’t an issue that is going to go away. Everyone is affected by it, and there are so many people from all sections of the community who are passionate for action.
The banners at the walk gave a glimpse of the cross-section of the community that are standing up for climate action. You could see clearly the signs from World Vision and other Christian groups, alongside Greenpeace, the Wilderness Society and the Nature Conservation Council. The LHMU , ASU and firefighters’ union were there, along with a number of other unions. And, of course, the many grassroots climate action groups that have been springing up across the country.
It was an inspiring day and a powerful reminder that Copenhagen is not the end. It’s just the beginning. The movement will just keep on growing until we rise to the challenge of our age and solve the climate crisis.
