It isn’t often that Britons get to meet their MPs in person – typically only when they’re on the campaign trail. But a revolutionary event taking place today aims to bring people and parliamentarians together, to increase the pressure on the latter to act to resolve the climate crisis.
Billed as the country’s “largest mass lobby for the environment”, the Time Is Now event will see thousands of people from across the UK descending on Westminster to meet their political representatives and encourage them to focus on saving the planet. It will be a timely reminder that issues of more importance face the country than the Brexit mess they have dug themselves into and who will be the next prime minister to wield the spade.
The three-hour event has been organised by the Climate Coalition, a group of more than 130 organisations, including Meat Free Monday, the National Trust and the RSPB, and will kick off at 1pm. Over 16,000 people have signed up to come to Westminster to lobby for a better, greener world.
Particular spots – colour-coded by region and town – will be set out for people to have a face-to-face chat with their constituency MP, to find out what they are doing to help in the fight against climate change – and to urge them to do more, and to do it quicker. Invitations have been sent out, but it remains to be seen which politicians will attend.
To hammer home the message that it’s high time we woke up to the existential crisis facing our planet, at 2pm demonstrators will set off hundreds of alarm clocks.
The Climate Coalition said: “At a time when political parties are becoming increasingly divided, we need to ensure the government doesn’t lose momentum on tackling climate change and the big issues affecting our environment. Let’s show that, regardless of political differences, we want them to act now.
“Talking to our MPs is the main focus of the day. Let’s make sure we use this opportunity to tell them they need to take action to end our contribution to climate change and start building a cleaner, healthier and safer world for nature and people.”