The Stirling Climate Festival that started on October 11 ended with a Closing Ceremony at The Albert Hall on Sunday the 17.
The ceremony took place at 7pm – Lewis Forsyth, the founder of the festival, led the viewers through the points on the agenda. He made important points about the reasons that this festival has been planned and brought to life. An introduction video summarised the happenings during the last week.
The event had many vital speakers voice their opinion on the climate crisis.
Alyn Smith, Scottish National Party MP, held a speech about the importance of engagement. “Activism does matter”, argued Smith. “There has to be a Glasgow Agreement with teeth”, he added about the UN Climate Summit (COP26) that will take place in Glasgow starting from the end of October 2021. He quoted a Chinese proverb in saying: “The best plant to plant a seed was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
Nicholas Dearden, the director of Global Justice Now, joined the conference through Zoom and talked about the “capitalistic powers that have to be held accountable.” “We have to challenge the interest of the most powerful in the world”, Dearden pointed out. He followed up by adding that democracy would have to be rebuild itself against big businesses.
Additionally, the Musical Society of the University of Stirling performed seven songs that linked to the themes of activism and nature. Charli Morachnick, a 23-year-old postgraduate, presented a piece of spoken word that addressed the individuals’ guilt and the governments responsibility in the battle against climate change.
You can find more information on the Stirling Climate Festival website.
Feature image credit: Stirling Climate Festival
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