Durban and London: The 99 per cent demanding climate justice

Pascoe Sabido

07 December 2011

Last Saturday, thousands of ordinary people from social movements around the world descended on Durban, South Africa, to ask governments at the UN talks for climate justice now.

Over 10,000 marched through central Durban holding banners with messages like "keep the coal in the hole" and "don't incinerate Africa". Friends of the Earth International's own huge flags read "No to carbon trading, no profiting from pollution" and "99% Demand Climate Justice", echoing the Occupy movement's call for solutions that work for 99 per cent of the population, and not just for the privileged one per cent, who have contributed the most to the economic and environmental crises that we now face.

Local school children, union members and community groups joined the march, alongside the Rural Women's Assembly, and campaigners from the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance. The lively procession stopped at Speaker's Corner to hear Friends of the Earth International Chair Nnimmo Bassey tell us that we were standing on a crime scene: countries refusing to increase their emissions targets were killing Africa through climate change.  

Back in the UK crowds gathered outside St Paul's cathedral, joining forces with Occupy London for a 'day of action' in support of the Durban climate march. Colleagues tell me the atmosphere was buzzing. There were guest speakers and workshops, and a creative space for banner making - the slogans revealing the inseparable nature of economic and climate justice, and anger towards the companies investing in fossil fuels who are blocking progressive, fair solutions at the Durban talks.

Taking the banners with them, hundreds of ordinary people marched to some of the worst climate criminals with offices in London - including agricultural giant Cargill, the Royal Bank of Scotland, Npower, and the London Stock Exchange - and then joined up with the Campaign against Climate Change rally to Parliament for the big finale.

Climate marches like these were organised by Occupy movements in cities around the world that day. With the messages on our placards, and in our heads and our hearts, we were the 99 per cent calling for climate justice - a fair and sustainable future that works for the whole planet. Together our call was louder. Let's hope that the decision makers in Durban heard us.