Hundreds of Sarnia-Lambton residents gathered under the Blue Water Bridge Friday afternoon to join the global fight for climate action.
Climate Action Sarnia-Lambton hosted a Global Climate Strike in solidarity with strikes around the world, including a rally across the St. Clair River in Port Huron.
Paul Stebbins, one of about 25 members in the group established back in March, said the goal of the rally was to raise awareness and call on governments to take immediate and effective action on climate change.
"I think governments need to be honest and tell the truth about the urgency of climate change and the ecological crisis, and be clear that climate change will affect everybody and that everybody has a role to play in dealing with the challenge, and this will probably involve some sacrifice as we transition our economy to sustainability ," he said. "It would be nice if they eliminated fossil fuel subsidies, and if they could establish a fund or a program for transitioning affected workers away from fossil fuels and related businesses, and invest in adaptation products in communities across the country dealing with the worsening impact of the extreme weather."
Stebbins also said governments need to establish clear targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions that are, at the very least, in line with the Paris Agreement target of 1.5 C.
He said Climate Action Sarnia-Lambton is a group dedicated to exploring solutions to the climate crisis using impact actions to get things going. He said they've made significant progress since being founded earlier in the year.
"We held a rally on May 24, we worked with Sarnia council in terms of the city declaring a climate emergency in June, and now we're also hosting the 100 Debates event that's going on October 3, and that's that national debate across Canada where 100 cities are all going to debate the same questions with the federal candidates."
Stebbins said the rally gave attendees the opportunity to come away with a better understanding of the climate crisis, and to share their climate change concerns and connect with others.
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