Students Gather to Highlight Impact of Climate Change

The National Union of Students (NUS) were behind a successful day of action event on Thursday 17 November, which allowed students to highlight the devastating impacts of climate change on everyday life.

Many universities and colleges across the UK took part in the event which sought to focus attention on the effects and causes of climate change and emphasised the need for urgent action. One of the parties involved was Cambridge University Student’s Union who held a panel debate on the topic spotlighting the potential impacts on our health, education and the overall global economy.

Dressed for the Beach

As part of a “warm up” session to the main debate, students paid little attention to the season and wore beach ware attire including shirtsleeves and sunglasses for a demonstration outside King’s College in London. The successful NUS day of action was supported by the Campaign Against Climate Change and Friends of the Earth and alongside the NUS, urged all students to participate in the National Climate March, which is to be held in London on Saturday 3rd December 2005.

The Climate March is part of the International Day of Climate Protest with demonstrations happening cross the world. The event organised for the 3rd of December is mid-way through the hugely important first Meeting of the Parties (MOP) of the Kyoto Protocol in Montreal, Canada.

Crucial Times

NUS Environmental Campaign convenor Flick Cox commented: “Climate change is the most important issue our generation will face. Our day of action aimed to engage students in the campaign against environmental damage and encourage them to take part in the national demonstration next month.”

Phil Thornhill, a spokesperson for the Campaign against Climate Change said: “This decade could be the last one in which humanity still has time to prevent the catastrophic destabilisation of global climate.” He also highlighted the enthusiasm shown by students who would see more of the fall-out from unchecked climate change than most of us and staging the action day event which will be Britain’s biggest ever demonstration on climate change.

Director of Friends of the Earth Tony Juniper added: “Tony Blair has said climate change is the world’s greatest environmental challenge, but his Government is simply not doing enough about it. We hope students will join the Climate March on 3 December to show they feel strongly about the need for urgent action on climate change.”

For more information on the cause and the action day March, please click here.

Kavita Trivedi

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