By Sigurd Reimers
The past year we have rallied, marched and lobbied around the issues of free speech and the power of the far right, on one occasion with half a million other protesters in London.
This autumn we are planning to be involved in a number of international events that could be of interest to our fellow-European Climate Grandparents. Read and be inspired…
Rosebank: The UK Government is under pressure to permit more oil exploration in the North Sea by Norwegian Equinor and Shell. We have been protesting against this all year together with other environmental groups, sometimes on the streets, and sometimes through lobbying our Members of Parliament. We are in touch with our friends across the North Sea, Norwegian Besteforeldrenes Klimaaksjon.
TAFF, The Second Conference on Transitioning away from fossil fuels will be taking place in early 2027, chaired by Tuvalu and Ireland. This was set up as an alternative/addition to the existing COP process, which has for 31 years stumbled on the question of moving away from fossil fuels, influenced by the major oil companies. Together with EGC, we have lobbied around this, and had a delegate present at the First TAFF Conference in Santa Marta, Colombia, in April this year. We are working with Irish colleagues to have a presence next year, bringing in a “grandparent angle” on the problem of fossil fuels.
COP31 takes place in Turkey/Türkiye in November, and the traditional day for public protest is the middle Saturday, this year 14th November. We’ll be there, in London, possibly in other cities, together with other groups!
International Day of Elderly People 1st October. This day is sponsored by the United Nations, and we are planning a colourful event in London, in order to draw attention to the responsibilities and status of elderly people (20% of the population and increasing) in relation to climate and nature.