Friends back climate assembly
Assembly brings seeks to involve as many people and groups as possible and a range of perspectives and approaches.
Quakers helped launch a West Midlands climate assembly this month in preparation for the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26). The event on 20 July was organised by councillor Olly Armstrong and Climate Action Network West Midlands (CANWM) to ‘involve as many people and groups as possible’.
Chris Martin, co-clerk of Central England Quakers (CEQ) Climate Emergency Action, told the Friend that the assembly was ‘impressive’ due to ‘the range of perspectives and approaches that were brought together and not just the “usual suspects”. The Assembly plans to meet again to continue to create a space where the different groups can come together with a real focus on the critically important COP26 conference.’
The member of Cotteridge Meeting said that although the group recognises that ‘much activity is already taking place in the Midlands –walks to Glasgow, youth strikers, just transition etc’, this assembly ‘fills the gap… seeing how the activity is going to influence decision-makers and make a difference at Glasgow in November’.
Stourbridge Quaker Ginnie Wollaston was on the organising group, while around ten Quakers were among the roughly seventy people who took part. The assembly was billed to ‘connect with and beyond the climate movement, joining up with trade unions, faith groups, housing campaigners, anti-racist activists, LGBTQ campaigners, local community organisers and more’.
According to Chris Martin: ‘Climate justice activists in the West Midlands are a bit like the England football squad. We work together as a well-oiled team with different members taking the lead on different aspects, but liaising all the time to make sure that we don’t duplicate or overlap. Quakers… tend to take the lead on interfaith work and with Birmingham City Council. CANWM is strong on network-building, Friends of the Earth on connecting with the natural world. We find this is a better approach than everybody falling in behind a single campaign… As Quakers we are asked to bring our weight and credibility to campaigns.’
Councillor Olly Armstrong is one of the founders of Breathe, which addresses racial and environmental injustice and the impacts of climate change on communities of colour and the world. Chris Martin said the councillor is ‘working to ensure that COP26 Coalition’s work is truly inclusive’.
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