News

Mountains represented at March for the Earth

11.11.2015

Hundreds of people gathered at the Colosseum in Rome, Italy on 8 November for the March for the Earth. Earth Day Italia Onlus, with support from the international Earth Day Network and Connect4Climate, organized the march in light of the upcoming twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Paris. The Mountain Partnership (MP) was invited to participate in this march, which presented a good opportunity to gain support for the international petition on climate change.

Environmental associations, international organizations and communities joined together for the March for the Earth, which departed from the Colosseum at 10:00. Participants walked along Via dei Fori Imperiali to the final arrival point in Piazza dei Santissimi Apostoli in the city’s historic centre. During the procession, they carried their banners high and sang to encourage others to join. In Piazza dei Santissimi Apostoli, there were exhibition stands, food stands, workshops and shows to attend throughout the day.

The MP was represented by eight staff members and volunteers at the event: Samantha Abear, Diletta DeLeonardis, Giorgio Grussu, Thomas Hofer, Gerard Marquis, Rosalaura Romeo, Riccardo Testolin and Alessia Vita. The MP also had an exhibition stand in Piazza dei Santissimi Apostoli where they collected over 300 signatures for their petition on climate change, which is to be signed by individuals and is aimed at mobilizing peoples from all over the world in support of mountain peoples and ecosystems. Currently, the petition is only 500 signatures away from being presented to the COP21 delegates by the Italian Delegation. “I signed the petition because climate change is exacerbating poverty, melting glaciers, water availability and increasing the risk of natural disasters in the mountains. We must do something immediately”, said MP Coordinator Thomas Hofer.

See photos from the event

Sign the petition

Photo: FAO/Giorgio Grussu