Southwest gathering demands tough stance on climate change

CTV Calgary: Climate Action Rally Dozens gathered in Sunalta in Sunday as part of a worldwide climate change awareness movement that coincides with the Paris summit.

Dozens of Calgarians congregated in Royal Sunalta Park on Sunday in a show of solidarity with their peers across the province, the nation and the globe standing against global warming.

The Climate Action rallies held around the world coincided with the Paris Climate Change Conference.

“We want to send a clear message to our national leaders, our provincial leaders, our governments, about the importance of taking strong climate action in the context of the Paris summit that’s going on right now,” said Kass Forman of the Alberta Green Economy Network. “Showing them that there’s broad based support across all levels of society for strong action on climate change.”

The rally comes on the heels of the Notley government’s announcement on plans to reduce coal use and methane emissions while imposing a carbon tax to reduce air pollution.

“I think that the present government has taken some very positive steps. We are glad to see that things are moving forward,” said Froman."It’s the beginning, not the end, of a process.”

“People need to realize that the environment is a pressing concern in economic terms, in health terms. It’s not something that’s just going to affect people 50 years from now. It’s a very serious issue that must be on the forefront of our political agenda.”

Sunday’s rally included songs performed by First Nations members, speakers addressing the crowd and booths providing information on reducing environmental footprints.