People demanding climate change in Newfoundland and Labrador sent an email en masse to the premier asking him to declare a “climate emergency.” The same email went to the City of St. John’s.
The Parkway was a sea of humanity yesterday as a few thousand people marched from the Clocktower to Confederation Building. They do not like what’s happening with our planet, and fear that it will overheat with catastrophic results.
Alice Ferguson-O’Brien told VOCM’s Lunch Bunch with Andrew Hawthorn that climate emergency is real. Despite chants from the crowd calling on the premier to emerge, Dwight Ball did not show.
She says looking through the lens of it being an emergency would give decision-makers a different perspective.
Another organizer, Erin Lee, says the numbers exceeded their wildest expectations. She says they did a head count and came up with over 4,000. During initial planning, they were hoping to have 150.
St. John’s to Declare Climate Emergency
St. John’s Mayor Danny Breen says they are going to declare a climate emergency.
He attended yesterday’s march on Confederation Building as part of the Global Climate Strike.
Breen says he is seeking approval from council to join the Global Covenant of Mayors on Climate Change.
While much has been done, he says there is more work to do. Breen says these efforts are part of the city’s climate plan, which is still being developed.
Protesters Say their Voices Were Heard
Meanwhile, those in attendance at yesterday’s rally say they believe their voices were heard.
While many were pleased with the response, the sentiment was echoed that more still needs to be done.
One woman says she wishes the politicians who spoke had given more concrete answers to what they will do to address climate change. One man in attendance said he doesn’t know if they were loud enough, so they need to keep making noise and doing more to address climate change.
For one man in the crowd, however, the takeaway from the protest was the passion for change. He says the rally shows the majority of people want to see immediate action taken.
