International Earth Day set to be celebrated at rally in Inverness with serious message on climate change and loss of biodiversity
A celebration and protest march to mark international Earth Day will take place in Inverness next weekend.
Organised by the environmental protestors Extinction Rebellion Highlands and Islands, the gathering will start at the Town House at 1pm on Saturday April 22 and make its way to Falcon Square where there will be speakers and music.
Earth Day, first marked on April 22, 1970, now sees an estimated one billion people from 193 countries taking part in coordinated action.
It seeks to demonstrate the strength of global support for environmental protection, with the official theme for 2023 being Invest In Our Planet.
This year, a group of Highlanders from XR Highlands and Islands and Moray will also travel to London for a four-day event with workshops, marches and celebrations to voice concerns about climate change and wildlife loss.
Ruth Dunster, of XR Highlands and Islands, said “For the Inverness event, we will be coming together from XR, Critical Mass Cyclists, Inverness Quakers and more, and we hope to see a good crowd on the day.
“Everybody is welcome. We will also have an amazing dance routine courtesy of Inverness’s own TruUnity Dance.
“There will be a serious note to our urgent concerns about climate change and the loss of biodiversity, but we also want to celebrate planet earth, so we are encouraging people to come in bright colours, plant or animal costumes, skeletons or whatever else.
“It doesn’t take a PhD to understand that the UK is the most nature-depleted country in Europe.
“Anyone over 50 will remember how, if you took a run out in the car in summer you would have to stop and wash all the dead bugs off the windscreen – those creatures simply don’t exist in these numbers any more.
“So we want to send a clear message to Highland Council, Holyrood and Westminster too, that we care about our Environment. We won’t last long as a species without it.”
The organisers are still looking for singers to help out For further information contact: xrinverness@protonmail.com.
