Extinction Rebellion forms Chesterfield branch

Members of the newly-formed Extinction Rebellion Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire group handed out leaflets in during a 'funeral march' through the town on Wednesday, July 17. The group will be holding a talk titled 'Climate Change: Heading for Extinction (And what to do about it)' at The Saints Centre, St Mary's Gate, on Monday July 22, at 7pm.The group's co-ordinator Brian Lever said: "While climate change is a global tragedy, local action is a vital and necessary part of the solution."The people of Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire must do their part to force local and national government to tell the truth about climate change, act now to stop greenhouse gas emissions and create a Citizens' Assembly to guarantee climate justice."He added: "While politicians are obsessing over Brexit and their own internal power struggles, the planet is burning up in front of our eyes."We invite all members of the community to join us on July 22 for an inspirational talk, not just explaining how catastrophic climate change is but letting you know what you can do about it."In April, Extinction Rebellion occupied Oxford Circus, Marble Arch, Waterloo Bridge and the area around Parliament Square in London, dragging the issue of climate change into the media and the House of Commons. Over the course of 11 days of demonstrations in the capital, a total of 1,130 people were arrested.It has three key demands of the Government:

'Tell the truth by declaring a climate and ecological emergency, working with other institutions to communicate the urgency for change.'

'Act now to halt biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025.'

'Create and be led by the decisions of a Citizens' Assembly on climate and ecological justice.'

For further information on Extinction Rebellion Chesterfield & North East Derbyshire, visit its Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/XRChesterfieldandNEDerbyshire