Extinction Rebellion to host hustings

Climate to be debated at general election debate.

Environmental pressure group Extinction Rebellion Birmingham will host a climate hustings to ask election candidates about their plans for tackling climate breakdown on Thursday 5th December at 6:30pm at George Fox Room, Priory Rooms, 40 Bull St, Birmingham, B4 6AF. his debate follows a week where XR activists have stated they intend to continue nonviolent civil disobedience (BBC Sunday politics 1.12.19) and Boris Johnson was emptied chaired on the Channel 4 Climate Debate.

Birmingham’s Climate Debate will offer an opportunity for candidates from all political parties to answer questions from ordinary people and activists about their manifestoes for the climate emergency. Research in Nature has shown the world is on track for 3–4 centigrade, with tipping points leading to unstoppable global heating. In the West Midlands and Birmingham key environment and climate emergency issues include: the viability of HS2, current and future flooding in the region and the effectiveness of Birmingham City Council’s environmental policy.

Alannah Travers, from Extinction Rebellion says: “This is the first climate election – and our future depends on it. Last Thursday many of us gathered together to watch the first ever leader’s debate dedicated to the climate crisis, following the harrowing news that we may have already crossed a series of climate tipping points. Hunger strikers here in the UK are on their 14th day without food and this week EU Parliament declared a climate and environmental emergency. The crisis is at the forefront of the public’s mind and it’s time political leaders rise to this enormous challenge.”

Extinction Rebellion UK is running a series of actions as The 12 Days of Crisis. Activists around the country will be ramping up the pressure to ensure their candidates sign up to the Three Demands Bill – a draft Private Member’s Bill to be introduced to Parliament.

As our current democratic and first past the post voting system is neither truly representative nor participatory, this election is a vitally important step in the journey to mitigate the Climate and Ecological Emergency.

Last week, the Election Rebellion launched a new micro-site highlighting just how vulnerable all of us are to this crisis.

The UN says, “By 2025, 1.8 billion people will live in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity”. As climate-induced instability spreads across borders and continents, we’re only one bad season away from empty supermarket shelves due to an ever increasing cycle of extreme weather from drought to floods.