Climate change protesters pitched their tents alongside the River Trent and intend to stay there until next month, unless the council declares a climate emergency. The protest comes as the run-up to county council elections begins.
The peaceful protesters set up camp on Saturday and have stated three demands, which they want the council to meet.
They are demanding that the council immediately declare a climate emergency; stop investing pension funds in fossil fuels; refuse to approve the proposed incinerator at Ratcliffe-on-Soar, and support the Climate and Ecological Emergency (CEE) Bill.
“The climate is changing rapidly, and if we don’t do something now, my kids and my grandkids are going to face really severe living conditions.”
David Emminson, Extinction Rebellion supporter
Local MP, Nadia Whittome, was co-sponsor of the proposed CCE Bill. If it is passed, it will put into law ambitious conservation, which will help meet government climate change targets. In addition, the bill would set up legally binding Citizens’ Assemblies, which would democratically tackle climate change.
The climate camp says they will not move until May 2nd in the run-up to elections unless the council declares a climate emergency beforehand.
Extinction Rebellion supporter, David Emminson says, “The climate is changing rapidly, and if we don’t do something now, my kids and my grandkids are going to face really severe living conditions.
“I think the County Council, with the elections coming up on May 6th, needs to take these issues much more seriously than they have in the past few years.”
Extinction Rebellion maintains that it does not support any political party. Instead, it aims to look at the wider picture. It believes climate change has the potential to impact all Nottinghamshire residents, regardless of their political views.
“If we don’t have drastic action now, everything is going to start to break down”, said Dorry Lake, an Extinction Rebellion supporter.
“When the pandemic began, I was really struck; we had all this crisis about toilet rolls. We haven’t had a crisis yet about food. But we only need one harvest to fail, which will happen”.
The climate camp is planned to stay in place next to Trent Bridge until Sunday. Extinction Rebellion are determined to stand their ground and feel it is worth breaking the law in order to see change.
Nottinghamshire County Council has been approached for comment but is yet to reply.
