In a massive show of support, thousands of people from across the UK have attended hundreds of rallies and events as part of the first ever global protest against investment in the fossil fuel industry.
Some very amusing Boris Johnson lookalikes joined hundreds of people at City Hall in London calling on the Greater London Authority (GLA) to vote to divest from the fossil fuel industry when they meet next month.
Events also took place in major cities including Birmingham, Bristol, Oxford, Nottingham, Swansea, York and Edinburgh.
The news about Bristol City Council was a huge boost to the day. Then Valentine’s Day got even better when we heard that as well as all those campaigners protesting outside banks, more than 1,400 UK customers closed their accounts in protest at their multibillion-pound funding of the fossil fuel industry.
Globally people in Tacloban in the Philippines, which was hit by the devastating Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, held a candlelight vigil and there were events in the Pacific Islands, the Vatican and Nepal.
I must say that the British public’s engagement with the UK divestment movement has been overwhelming and has sent a clear message to this stagnant industry – you are increasingly looking like a decidedly dodgy bet.
So far around the world, more than 180 institutions representing over £30 billion in assets, have already committed to divest. This landmark day is a great springboard for the divestment movement but the best is yet to come.