AN ADOVACY charity who had hoped to be at COP26 have released a video message outlining what they would have told the conference.
Reading Refugee Support Group had asked Reading West MP Alok Sharma if he could use his capacity as president of COP26 to give them a speaking slot at the Glasgow event.
They said that they wanted to support the refugee community by speaking directly to power. They argued that refugees are first to be directly affected if those in power do not get universal agreement to get climate change under immediate control.
But the group were not invited to join delegates.
Instead, the group recorded a four-minute video written and performed by refugees, outlining their views.
“As our countries disintegrate due to climate change, migration will be elevated to a scale that pales out current refugee statistics into insignificance,” the video says. “If we don’t act now, the disintegration of our countries will leave us no choice. Climate migration is real. It is happening now.”
The video adds: “There is a moral responsibility. We are not just numbers, data statistics. We are people, families, communities, countries. If we cannot speak to power, then who can?”
The video can been seen on YouTube. Search for “Speak to Power: A Refugee’s address”, or log on to https://youtu.be/xEO68RNg4ZQ
