Extinction Rebellion Up the Pressure on the Scottish Climate Bill
June 04, 2019
Extinction Rebellion Scotland to establish Holyrood Rebel Camp to demand legally binding action against the climate emergency.
4 June 2019 | Edinburgh, Scotland
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Extinction Rebellion will unite protesters from across the UK by staging a non-violent protest camp outside of Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh between the 16th – 20th of June to demand an effective Climate Bill is passed by the Scottish Government.
The Holyrood Rebel Camp will demand MSPs amend the bill to target net zero carbon emissions by 2025 and create a Climate Citizens’ Assembly to oversee policy changes. The Holyrood Rebel Camp will be fun and peaceful, including outreach, talks, workshops and performances to communicate the scale and urgency of the climate emergency. Open invitations will be extended to politicians, unions, NGOs and other groups to engage in democratic discussions with the public. The group also say they will stage actions of civil disobedience to put more pressure on the Scottish Parliament to respond to their demands.
Why is it so important to ensure effective legislation, and does it really have to be right now?
Climate breakdown is happening now, with more frequent and severe extreme weather events such as droughts, dry spells, flooding and hurricanes as well as rising sea levels. If we continue on the current course, the impacts will rapidly become catastrophic, leading to the collapse of society and the natural world.
Ecological collapse is already happening, with more than 26,000 species threatened with extinction; that is 41% of all amphibians, 34% of all conifers, 33% of reef-building corals, 31% of sharks and rays, 25% of all mammals, and 13% of all birds.
The combined effects of ambient (outdoor) and household air pollution cause about 7.0 million premature deaths every year.
Jess, 28, MSc Student: “The Scottish Climate Bill proposal of net zero GHG emissions by 2045 is woefully inadequate. In recent years we have seen turbulent changes in Scotland’s climate; including the drying up of rivers that are essential for wildlife and human activity such as the Spey. The Bill relies on unproven techno-fixes that allow for continued North Sea oil extraction and huge investment into high carbon transport. The chief executive of Scottish Natural Heritage has stressed the disastrous effects on the landscape, our lives and on wildlife across Scotland if the government doesn’t act accordingly and set their targets far lower than proposed.”
Sam, 37, Energy researcher “The current Climate Bill may be world leading compared to other other countries, but it still does not confront the scale or the urgency of the crisis. It is based on recommendations from the Committee on Climate Change, which assume vast amounts of “negative emissions” in the future from unproven technologies. This hides the scale of the cuts needed now, and allows politicians to avoid making difficult decisions. We have declared a climate emergency, but we’re still kicking the can down the road. Nothing less than our survival is at stake. We need to act like the truth is real”
Myke Hall, 32, Writer/Activist “Scotland’s environmental politics are not bold or progressive. The Parliament’s pension fund is invested in fossil fuel companies. They are financially supporting ecocidal multinationals, instead of investing ethically in the Scottish economy. This disgraceful hypocrisy can’t be allowed to continue!”
Ends.
About Extinction Rebellion Scotland
Extinction Rebellion Scotland is a non-violent direct-action movement formed in response to the climate emergency, allied with the global climate justice movement.
Our demands, issued as a Declaration of Rebellion to the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government on 24th November 2018 are as follows;
- That the Scottish Government tell the truth about the climate and wider ecological emergency, acknowledge and reverse any policies that help drive the climate crisis, and commit to enabling a rapid and just transition to a sustainable and fair society.
- That the Scottish Government enact legally binding policy measures to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2025, including by replacing a system based on accelerating consumption with one based on ensuring the wellbeing of all.
- The creation of a Scottish Citizens’ Assembly to oversee the changes, as part of creating a democracy fit for purpose and a society that cares for all.
Read more about Extinction Rebellion here.