Children stage die-in outside of Scottish Parliament building

Children and their parents pretend to die outside of the Scottish Parliament building after hearing yesterday’s Climate Bill amendment targets.

Labhaoise Torrance, 12, noted “We’re here because 2045 is too late to save us. Our government needs to do better”

Today, children from across Scotland have travelled to Edinburgh to take part in a die-in outside of the Scottish Parliament along with their families and supporters. At noon the young people aged from 2 ½ to 12 and adults laid down and played dead for 15 minutes to the sound of a mournful violin.

The die-in comes in response to the ongoing Scottish Climate Bill amendments which have committed to net-zero emissions by 2045 and are part of a wider Extinction Rebellion protest concerning the Scottish Climate Bill. Scientists have shown that this target gives us a 50% chance of staying below 1.5c global warming as recommended by the UN backed Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The event was organised by the Wee Rebellion, a climate change protest group for young people in Glasgow associated with Extinction Rebellion.  The group have also staged die-ins before, the most recent in Glasgow at Kelvingrove in April where 300 young people and families lay down under Dippy, the famous copy of a diplodocus skeleton.

Lida, 12, said “The politicians aren’t listening to the people and they are not listening to scientists. I am worried about my future”

Zavo, 7, added “The date the government have chosen for Scotland to be carbon zero is bad. We’re doing a die in because if they see us they might change their minds”

Aoibhlin Torrance, 7, said “They said they would do something about it but they’re not really doing anything”

The Wee Rebellion will continue its environmental protests until local and central governments tell the truth and act on the climate emergency, commit to zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 and establish Climate Citizens Assemblies to oversee the changes, as part of creating a democracy fit for purpose.

Jessica Cowell, Student, 28 added: “The Climate Bill amendments so far have been a spectacular failure by the Scottish Government. They have let us down and the rhetoric that they are world leading is dangerous and insulting. Net zero reduction by 2045 gives us a 50% of staying below 1.5 global warming which is not good enough. The science tells us that the world hasn’t been this hot in 5000 years, the arctic ice caps are melting 70 years earlier than expected, 1 million species around the world are at risk of extinction. It is heartbreaking to see children so scared and fearful about the world they will be living in and it heartbreaking to learn that the Scottish Government are not listening to the thousands of Scottish school strikers”