Thousands rally for action on climate change
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Vancouver Sun
Photograph by: Jenelle Schneider, Vancouver Sun
VANCOUVER — About 5,000 people, including a shouting, sign-waving group of Windermere secondary school students, demonstrated on the Cambie Bridge Saturday as part of the International Day of Climate Change.
They were among millions of people around the world who took part in weekend demonstrations demanding government action on climate change.
The demonstrations, which included more than 4,000 events registered in about 170 countries, precede December's UN summit on climate change in Copenhagen. Activists hope a deal can be reached on an international climate accord to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.
Vancouver's version — Bridge to a Cool Planet — began with the unveiling of a massive banner over the Cambie Bridge reading: "Canadians Care - Climate Action Now."
The rally included a parade from the bridge to Science World that disrupted traffic for many motorists. A number of the placards criticized Prime Minister Stephen Harper, charging he has effectively ignored Canada's obligations to reduce carbon emissions.
But Cassandra Ly, a Grade 11 student who led the charge for the Grade 8 to 12 students from Windermere, said she wasn't so much concerned about political messages as about what she and everyone else can do in their daily lives to help.
"Turning off a light or just putting on a sweater because the cold weather is coming helps," she said.
Ly and her fellow students are part of an extracurricular group that is changing the environmental ethos at their east Vancouver high school.
In the few years the group has existed, it has created a bike club that educates students how to maintain bikes, built a school garden and learned about the impact of food production, created a compost system, and organized zero-waste days at the school.
The group's sponsor teacher, Vagnar Castilho, who attended the rally, said he was pleased to see his students put what they learn into action. "It's very exciting our students are so proactive. We teach them a lot about stewardship," he said.
The students have also organized a Dec. 11 climate change conference that will host university professors, scientists and environmental activists and link via the Internet with Canadian delegates at the Copenhagen conference.
gwood@vancouversun.com
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun
http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Thousands+rally+action+climate+c…
VANCOUVER — About 5,000 people, including a shouting, sign-waving group of Windermere secondary school students, demonstrated on the Cambie Bridge Saturday as part of the International Day of Climate Change.
They were among millions of people around the world who took part in weekend demonstrations demanding government action on climate change.
The demonstrations, which included more than 4,000 events registered in about 170 countries, precede December's UN summit on climate change in Copenhagen. Activists hope a deal can be reached on an international climate accord to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.
Vancouver's version — Bridge to a Cool Planet — began with the unveiling of a massive banner over the Cambie Bridge reading: "Canadians Care - Climate Action Now."
The rally included a parade from the bridge to Science World that disrupted traffic for many motorists. A number of the placards criticized Prime Minister Stephen Harper, charging he has effectively ignored Canada's obligations to reduce carbon emissions.
But Cassandra Ly, a Grade 11 student who led the charge for the Grade 8 to 12 students from Windermere, said she wasn't so much concerned about political messages as about what she and everyone else can do in their daily lives to help.
"Turning off a light or just putting on a sweater because the cold weather is coming helps," she said.
Ly and her fellow students are part of an extracurricular group that is changing the environmental ethos at their east Vancouver high school.
In the few years the group has existed, it has created a bike club that educates students how to maintain bikes, built a school garden and learned about the impact of food production, created a compost system, and organized zero-waste days at the school.
The group's sponsor teacher, Vagnar Castilho, who attended the rally, said he was pleased to see his students put what they learn into action. "It's very exciting our students are so proactive. We teach them a lot about stewardship," he said.
The students have also organized a Dec. 11 climate change conference that will host university professors, scientists and environmental activists and link via the Internet with Canadian delegates at the Copenhagen conference.
gwood@vancouversun.com
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun
http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Thousands+rally+action+climate+c…