As world leaders gather in Glasgow for COP26, Chris Church of Oxford Friends of the Earth says why thousands of people are today marching through Oxford for action on nature and climate

Today thousands of Oxfordshire people will be joining the climate march and rally in Oxford, while hundreds of thousands will be joining the events in Glasgow, London and many other British cities.

Those people will be marching to send the strongest possible message to our political leaders that things must change now. No more delays, no more ‘yes, but…’ - we need concerted action by governments to be agreed (and properly funded) at the UN COP26 Glasgow summit.

Simply marching down Cowley Road might not seem to have much impact. Tackling a global issue like the climate crisis may push the limits of local action. But the march will end in Broad Street - quite close to a small shop where in 1942 a small group of Oxford volunteers started to raise funds to help victims of famine. That tiny initiative grew into Oxfam – one of the world’s largest humanitarian organisations.

So what can we do right now? Firstly, there’s one simple thing. if we accept the science of climate change - and much of the key research has been done here in Oxford - then we must also accept the need to act and to change. That action needs to happen everywhere – from the governments and large corporations down to our local councils and communities.

And we shouldn’t just wait for it to happen.

We can push for the changes we need to see. How we do that may vary – from loud protests to lobbying and discussions with MPs and councillors – but we can all be involved. MPs do keep track of what we are worried about – every email shows that someone cares enough to contact them. We have seen the government back off on unpopular issues ranging from the Expressway fiasco to the recently abandoned plans for changes to the planning system.

Oxford Mail: Oxford4Nature march from Broad Street to town hall to demand climate action.

Our influence may be limited but we have much more than many people across the world. We should make the most of that, and look to do more than just play our part. Oxfordshire has many organisations creating solutions to the climate crisis, from building zero carbon homes in Southmoor and the great work of the Low Carbon Hub to high-tech innovation and new energy sources at Harwell and Culham. Alongside that we have new plans such as the Oxfordshire 2050 and the imminent Local Transport and Connectivity plans which are all making zero carbon commitments - at least on paper.

Our government and our local councils have set ‘zero carbon’ targets for the UK and the county. They cannot easily impose this on us and they cannot do it without us. As citizens concerned about the climate crisis or simply people concerned for our children’ futures we need to accept the need for change, to push for it, and act to help create the changes we want to see.

We all have a role to play. Regardless of what happens at COP26, Oxford Friends of the Earth will continue to push for local and national solutions – we invite everyone in Oxfordshire to do the same.