The American poet Gil Scott Heron once said ‘If you don’t fight for something you’ll go for anything.’  And some things you do need to fight for with every fibre of your body; sometimes you need to get out on the street and protest.  That is what  about 3,000 people did in Bristol this Sunday in the rain and the howling wind…. yeah, they were that passionate.

What was it all about then?

Yesterday talks in Paris started to discuss climate change and what action needed to be taken to combat runaway climate change… that is trying to stop global temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees C above pre-industrial temperatures.  When the earth warms about 2°C above pre-industrial times, scientists say there will be dangerous and unpredictable impacts on our climate system. And we’re already half way to that danger point.

The Bristol march was one of many in 175 countries with more that 600,000 people taking part globally and calling for a strong deal in Paris for a swift transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

There does seem to be a greater urgency about these talks; a growing consensus that ‘something must be done’ but will that be enough to realise an effective agreement to limit carbon dioxide emissions?

Well if the politicians cannot do it maybe the grassroots organisations can and taking matters into their own hands.  Transition is one of those organisations building just and sustainable communities that serve the real needs of everyone.

Follow the transition network at the Paris climate change talks…https://www.transitionnetwork.org/cop21  and find out more pratical transition solutions at https://cop21.transitionnetwork.org/