Extinction Rebellion campaigners take to Chesterfield’s streets over climate change ‘catastrophe’

Activists from Extinction Rebellion’s Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire group slow-marched along Saltergate on Thursday with banners and drums.

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The protest was part of a nationwide day of campaigning, called ‘Inaction = Death’, by Extinction Rebellion groups.

In a statement, Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire Extinction Rebellion said: “The Government is failing in its commitments to reach net zero emissions by 2050, a woefully inadequate target.

“It is more interested in propping up a toxic, exploitative system that harms ordinary people and the most vulnerable in society.

“If we go above 1.5C warming, the science is terrifyingly clear: tens of millions of lives are at stake.

"The Government is failing on Covid 19 – don’t let it fail on climate.”

The group delivered a letter to Chesterfield MP Toby Perkins demanding ‘concentrated action in Parliament to stave off the environmental catastrophe’.

In its annual report to Parliament this week, the Committee on Climate Change said ‘urgent steps must be taken in the months ahead to initiate a green, resilient COVID-19 recovery’.

Lord Deben, the committee’s chair, said: “The UK is facing its biggest economic shock for a generation. Meanwhile, the global crisis of climate change is accelerating.”

A Government spokesperson said: “We agree with the committee that tackling climate change should be at the heart of our economic recovery.

“We were the first major economy to commit to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 and want to ensure that the UK has the most ambitious environmental programme of any country on earth.

“Our emissions have already fallen by 43 per cent since 1990, and we are investing to deliver more offshore wind power than any other country and reduce emissions from homes and industry.

“We believe that the actions we need to take to achieve our zero emissions target can help to deliver a stronger, cleaner, more sustainable and more resilient economy after this pandemic – and already there are over 460,000 UK jobs in low-carbon businesses and their supply chains.”

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