MADAM - GlosCAN would like to thank everyone who took part in the Gloucestershire Climate March last Sunday, September 21 – the banner-makers, choir, musicians, artists, readers, helpers, speakers and the estimated 500 marchers themselves; and, of course, the police too for their assistance with traffic.

The number of people was inspiring, as was indeed the parallel event in New York with 400,000.

Little time now remains for a legally binding international deal on CO2 emissions and a chance to avert the 2º Celsius temperature rise agreed by all governments as the danger limit.

The situation is urgent and critical.

Rapid emissions reductions are now needed.

Next year is the UNFCCC Paris conference when the deal must be done.

We do not have to have climate change.

It is not inevitable.

We can stop it.

But if we miss this time slot to act, and we reach the tipping points, no amount of retrospective action will be able to undo the situation.

Business as usual will result in a catastrophic global temperature rise of between 4 ºCelsius and 6 º Celsius in the next 85 years.

We must find the will to prevent it.

We need now to give every support to our councillors, MPs and government to push a deal through.

They need to know that we are behind them.

Tell them. Speak to them. Vote for climate.

The UK needs to continue its leading role within Europe and at the international debating table – to support a deal to prevent these catastrophes, as Prince Charles also residing alongside us in Gloucestershire said last Monday on his new video release – see http://bit.ly/1Dyb0s5

Adrian Lawton

Gloucestershire Climate Action Network (GlosCAN)