Greta Thunberg has today [Saturday 22 February] announced she will be visiting Bristol on Friday 28 February to join a Youth Strike 4 Climate demo.
Councillor Carla Denyer started the national movement on Climate Emergencies in the UK by proposing the first one in Bristol.
She said: “Greta Thunberg and the millions of climate strikers she inspired have played such a crucial role in forcing climate change up the agenda and ensuring that politicians and other leaders cannot be seen to be ignoring the issue.
“We are delighted that Greta has decided to visit Bristol, particularly as were the first council in the UK to declare a Climate Emergency following a motion put forward by the Green Party.”
The voices of youth climate activists have been particularly powerful in Bristol recently, as Bristol Youth Strike 4 Climate were at the frontline of the campaign against Bristol Airport expansion, alongside Extinction Rebellion, the Green Party and others. Despite the Labour Mayor and the Conservative Metro Mayor backing the airport expansion, the campaign was successful, and North Somerset councillors voted it down by 18 votes to seven.
Carla continued: “However, we all know that there is so much more to do, which is why it is vital activists such as Greta Thunberg continue holding policy makers to account and we continue to elect Greens who are able to make a difference in councils up and down the country.”
Sandy Hore-Ruthven, the Green Party mayor candidate for Bristol, said: “Greta is calling for our leaders to make decisions for the future, instead of repeating the mistakes of old.
“Building new roads and expanding our airports is thinking from the last century. Instead we should be implementing policies to tackle climate change and make our city a fairer place.
“We have the chance to listen to the next generation and elect Green leadership in the city on 7th May.”