Climate change protest delivers letter to MP

Extinction Rebellion groups took to the streets of Sleaford, as well as Lincoln, Louth and Bourne, to highlight what they say is the Government’s “woeful inaction on tackling climate change”.

The protest is part of a nationwide response by Extinction Rebellion to the report of the Government’s own Committee on Climate Change, which was published on Thursday. It is claimed by the group that the Government has made negligible progress towards meeting the legal target of reducing the UK’s carbon emissions to net zero by 2050.

The protesters, strictly maintaining social distance and wearing masks and gloves, gathered at Handley Monument before delivering a strongly worded letter to their local MP asking her to engage with them on this “monumental issue”.

Tim Grigg, from Heckington was among the 13 from Extinction Rebellion Sleaford and Sleaford Climate Action Network, who assembled.

He said: “We chatted to passers-by about our protest. We then moved to White Hart Mews, where I read out the letter to Dr Caroline Johnson, calling for a green recovery from the Covid pandemic, and an acceleration in the UK’s target to achieve net zero carbon emissions. We all signed this, and stuck it to the office door.

“We have a unique chance to build back better, a greener, fairer economy, and we must grasp this opportunity for the sake of all life on our planet. To go back to business as usual would be criminal.

“The vast majority want and will embrace the changes, in the belief that we will be creating a thriving planet in tune with nature for future generations.”