On Saturday, I spoke at the Climate Action Newcastle rally. My theme was ‘reasons to be cheerful’, and I tried to break from the doom and gloom narrative to look at some stats behind the headlines – the flatlining/dip in China’s carbon emissions, the boom in renewables/clean technology and the continued public support for Net Zero despite the deluge of misinformation in mainstream and social media. I urged everyone to do what they can – changing personal behaviour, influencing friends, neighbours, colleagues and employers, and to write to local politicians as they’re more likely to get correspondence from those against change.

If I had one gripe, it was the Palestinian flags flying above us. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sympathetic to the Palestinian cause and abhor Israel’s devastation of Gaza, but this was a climate march and I thought it should look like one. To me, we should be saying “Whatever your view on Palestine, and wherever you are on the political spectrum, we need you to take action on climate.”

This aside, I thoroughly enjoyed the wonderful marching band and the striking visual impact of the red rebel brigade (above), both of whom engaged and entertained the public. I spoke to many interesting people (including someone who went to the same Belfast primary and secondary school as me) and, over tea and biscuits later, caught up on some important local climate issues. It was a great morning.