DAY 4
Today was full on busy at the Salvation Army. Nourish Scotland had events all day. I managed to go into one, which was on how to join the dots between local growing food on farms, city based nutritious food projects and the policies of local and national government. It was run by the Landworker’s Alliance /https://landworkersalliance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/LWA-Scotland-Manifesto-website-1.pdf
Local projects include turning urban spaces over to growing. An example was given of a school in Barnet which turned over some of its land to growing food, which was used for school lunches, and the students were also ale to learn how to grow. Of course, in many city schools there isn’t that kind of space but a good idea. Working with government would include encouraging local authorities to procure food (eg for school lunches) from farms near to the city and from organic sources.
In the evening we went to a vigil in Glasgow Cathedral, a majestic Medieval building. The vigil was led by John Bell and Jo Love, who took us all to the north, south, east and west of the cathedral. At each stop on our mini pilgrimage we shared conversation with others about countries in that region which are on our hearts because of climate change and spent time in silence, prayer and song. Just being there in that ancient place and singing the beautiful Iona harmonies was deeply renewing.
At the end we were invited to an installation which was about listening (and not listening!)
Each pair of chairs was arranged either to depict listening or the many ways that listening doesn’t happen.
DAY 5
Today was our last day volunteering at the Salvation Army. I was there early as Nourish Scotland were running an all day event for farmers (from around the world) and government officers (from Scotland) .Their aim was to engage in deep dialogue from their different perspectives, on the issues farmers face in becoming sustainable worldwide. After lunch they organised a Ceilidh. When I heard the music I sneaked in and was immediately pulled into the dance by the Director of Nourish Scotland. He, like everyone else, was enjoying the fun of music and dance together. It was a great “icebreaker”. Every conference should have a Ceilidh!
The young people climate march passed nearby around midday. There is certainly a buzz here.
The cafe is becoming known and people who have attended events earlier in the week are using it for meetings. I took teas to a table with 2 nomadic pastoralists, one from Mongolia, and one from Uganda, who had been at an event here the previous day. One of the Chinese students met 2 Europeans in the cafe who spoke her Cantonese language (fluently) in the space of an hour!
Peter’s photo exhibition is also getting a steady trickle of visitors and some very positive feedback. The SA have asked to keep the photos up after we leave until after COP finishes, and to the Bangladesh Glasgow Association on Sunday, so that’s all positive.
DAY 6
Today was the Day of Action, the big march. It began wet and windy as we all gathered in Kelvingrove park, with the Kelvingrove river in spate. We joined the “Faiths block” near to the Inter faith group, where we saw familiar faces from Faith for the Climate https://faithfortheclimate.org.uk/
Everyone was in high spirits. Drummers from the Iona Community held out a hand drum for me to take and I spent an enjoyable few minutes drumming along with them. We had a long (2 hour ) wait before setting off, but that gave the chance to meet quite a few people we know!
As we left the park the sun came out briefly and we saw this beautiful rainbow, surely a sign of hope!
The march snaked (slowly) through central Glasgow. We marched with the Green Christian banner, and were surrounded by Quakers, Jesuits, Christian Aid and Tear fund.
From time to time singing broke out from one or another of the groups around us. Singing a Taize chant on a march is very different from singing one in a service!
We were glad (around 4pm) to reach George Green, at last being able to sit down (but not alas find a cup of tea!) By then the speeches had ended. Someone told us that people had been arriving constantly for the last 2 hours.
In the evening I joined a zoom call streamed from the Quaker Meeting House, it was about the quiet behind the scenes diplomacy which has been going on at the COP this week, supported by Quakers.
The speaker, Lindsey Fielder Cook of the Quaker UN Office in Geneva, is the QUNO Representative for Climate Change and sits as an observer on the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change. She said that the “Doom” narrative of catastrophe if agreements are not reached may not be a helpful one. Almost certainly all the COP ambitions will not be reached this week, but there will be progress on the way, and that all this is an ongoing process, now with much more public awareness and support than at any of the previous COP’s. A very thoughtful reflection on what happens at these events.
Tags: Ruth Musgrave: Day 4-5-6 at COP