Ipswich joins climate campaign

SUFFOLK climate change campaigners have joined in an international protest demanding urgent change to save the world from the impact of global warming.

Across the world at 12:18pm yesterday, people gathered to ring their mobile telephone alarms and to send messages to the leaders of all nations

The want stalled negotiations on concerted action to cut greenhouse emissions to be kick-started this week at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

The action was supported by a broad coalition of major environmental and anti-poverty organisations as well as faith, civic and youth networks - called the TCKTCKTCK campaign for what has been described as the ticking-clock urgency of climate change.

Without agreement, the communiqu� due to be approved at an international conference in Copenhagen on December 18 - 12:18 - will not be signed.

Just eight people took part in the Suffolk protest, staged outside the county council's headquarters in Ipswich. Jeannie Buckingham, who organised the event at the last minute, was not downhearted at the turnout.

She said: “It was a late move on my part after learning about the worldwide protests.

“It matters that Ipswich and Suffolk are seen to be showing an interest at the global catastrophe of climate change. There are huge levels of public concern over this matter.

“We need urgent change by governments, corporations and individuals. We need a deal in Copenhagen that will avert climate catastrophe and kick start a new and green economy.”

Films and photographs from each of the worldwide events will be e-mailed to New York and shown to world leaders and the United States premiere of the climate film Age of Stupid.

After their mobile phone alarms sounded, the Ipswich protest group sent messages to Downing Street and Cabinet ministers Lord Mandelson, Ed Miliband and David Miliband.