Greenrock is holding a rally in Hamilton to demonstrate solidarity with Paris and promote international efforts to mitigate climate change.

More than 200,000 people will be taking part in a climate change march in the French capital on Monday and Tuesday next week, despite attempts to cancel it in the light of the terrorist attacks of Friday, November 13.

Greenrock is urging locals to join in with a rally from 12.30pm to 1pm outside City Hall tomorrow. The protest in Paris is designed to encourage governments to develop action plans to limit greenhouse gas emissions after 2020. Greenrock said in a statement: “While not everyone can attend Paris, we thought it was important to demonstrate our solidarity with Paris and the need to act now to mitigate climate change.

“This is an opportunity for Bermuda to demonstrate both our solidarity for Paris in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks there and to demonstrate our support for action to mitigate climate change.

“Global climate change driven by greenhouse gas emissions represents one of the great challenges of the 21st century.

“Greenrock believes that the world can do more to reduce the impact of climate change, and we believe Bermuda has a role to play in this too.

“Many residents may well be familiar with the saying ‘think global, act local’. This Friday, we ask that you think global, and act locally by joining us at City Hall to demonstrate your solidarity with those calling for urgent action on climate change.”

The press release states that Bermuda is at greater risk of the impacts of global climate change because of rising sea levels, its dependence on imported foodstuffs, its dependence on catching rain water, its vulnerability to hurricanes and its reliance on coral reefs to protect from wave erosion.

The statement continued: “Global climate change will have a negative impact on us on all of these. We may not be large contributors to global GHG emissions on an absolute level, but we are large per capita contributors and so have a responsibility to help lead the way in showing a low-GHG emission future.

“This rally is about demonstrating that belief and helping focus conversation on what Bermuda can, and should, be doing to reduce our GHG emissions.”

Representatives from the City of Hamilton, the Government and the Opposition will give short speeches on the issue.