Theme: Climate Justice

‘So, I’m stumped, can I ask you about deforestation, d’you think?’

STUMPED is a brand new one-act chamber opera by Lewis Coenen-Rowe, bringing together five old stories from varied times and places that are all united by a shared theme: what happens when you mess with trees.

Why do people keep coming back to this theme and what does it tell us about human history? Are these stories or a warning, or does that just sound stupid? Join two users of an internet forum as they explore their way through these stories and wonder what they have to tell us about our relationship with forests today.

This world premiere performance brings together a phenomenal cast of musicians including singers Shuna Sendall and Lea Shaw and instrumentalists Alice Rickards, Sonia Cromarty, Andrew Connell-Smith and Robyn Anderson, conducted by Thomas Butler. Artistic direction by Cecilia Stinton and scenography by Hunter Muir.

The performance will be preceded by a discussion with leading experts on trees, forests and how these have been interpreted by human art and storytelling, including artist and forester Amy Clarkson, researcher Dr Ophira Gamliel, and Sally Clark from the campaign Biofuelwatch. There will also be opportunities to learn about local environmental groups and how they are helping to preserve and restore our local natural heritage.

Tickets are available at £15 on a pay-what-you-can basis. Please purchase tickets for either the 6pm or the 8.15pm performance. All tickets include the discussion with invited speakers taking place at 7pm.

Accessibility

The venue is wheelchair accessible. If you have access requirements, please share these using the question box when booking your tickets. If you have any questions about accessibility, please contact us.

STUMPED is funded by the Creative Scotland Open Fund.

Join us for our activist gathering in Glasgow to hear stories of community action for global justice from Colombia to Scotland. Whether fighting to protect the sacred land and water of local communities in Colombia, fighting to stop new oil extraction in the North Sea, or calling for an international treaty to end fossil fuels, activists know that taking power away from corporations is vital for climate justice.

Get inspired by the stories from young activists, and learn and plan what action you can take locally in solidarity.

Come and hear about Global Justice Now’s latest campaigns in Scotland and how you can get involved with…

• Calling on the Scottish government to speak up for a global fossil fuel phase out and a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty
• Calling on the UK to exit the climate-wrecking Energy Charter Treaty
• Supporting Colombian campaigners to fight open cast mining and the secret tribunals that protect these extractivist projects
• A day of action to Make Polluters Pay

There will also be a free lunch, from the fabulous Soul Food Sisters collective, and plenty of opportunity to meet and talk with other local activists as well as the staff of Global Justice Now Scotland.

Speakers include:

Trade campaigner Cleodie Rickard, who recently visited Colombia in solidarity with local activists there who are fighting open cast mines that have devastated lives, health and sacred spaces. Mining giants like Glencore are now resorting to secret tribunals in investment treaties to sue the Colombian government for blocking further damage.⁠

Michael Poland, Campaign Director of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative. Michael helped set up the campaign for this international treaty to phase out fossil fuels in 2019, and has supported climate justice campaign and strategies to scale, online and offline, for over a decade.

Izzie McIntosh, climate campaigner at Global Justice Now, will talk about the campaign to make big polluters pay for the damage they’re causing while profiting from the climate emergency, and the UK-wide day of action in September.

Directions: the easiest way to get to the Quaker Meeting House from Queen Street/the city centre is to take the low level trains from Queen Street to Charing Cross. Trains run every 10 minutes or so, and take just 2 minutes. The Quaker meeting house is just 2 minutes from Charing Cross station.

Walking from Queen Street to the Quaker Meeting House takes about 15 minutes walking uphill.

Disabled access: a parking spot and access from the back is available for those who are unable to use the stairs. Please contact us if you need to use this.

From 15-17 Sep, millions of people around the world will take to the streets to take action for the climate and against the harmful impacts of the fossil fuel industry.

Please join speakers from Biofuelwatch and The Stop Burning Trees Coalition to find out about the many ways you can get involved in taking action to bring an end to dirty energy during the Global Fight to End Fossil Fuels Weekend of Action.

The climate crisis is escalating and in response so is the global movement for climate justice. Across the globe, we are coming together to fight back against the fossil fuel industry and its enablers. An end to fossil fuels cannot mean moving towards burning trees. Fossil fuel burning and tree burning are two sides of the same coin – all designed to allow energy companies to continue profiting at the expense of people and the planet.

Join us to find out how we can take action together to end dirty energy for good and help ensure a fossil-free future that will benefit people and the planet.

https://actionnetwork.org/…/beyond-burning-get-involved…
A link to attend this virtual event will be emailed upon RSVP

Please join Divest Strathclyde for a fun singing and art workshop and a chance to learn how you can get involved with the Global Fight to End Fossil Fuels Weekend of Action!

Across the globe, we are coming together to fight back against the fossil fuel industry and to call on institutions, including the Strathclyde Pension Fund, to stop funding fossil fuels.

We’ll learn some songs that can be sung at climate actions, including the ‘End fossil fuels’ march in Edinburgh on Saturday 16th September.

We’ll also create some climate-themed art works for the Edinburgh march and for other events.

All welcome – no singing or art experience needed.

Cost of living, climate change, food, housing, land – deeply interlinked multiple crises with one solution: a just transition away from a free market extractive system to a renewable energy system based on peoples needs. Featuring numerous inspiring movements (Indian farmers, Grenfell, Landworkers’ Alliance, Construction Rank and File and many more) and followed by a discussion with trade unionists and activists in food, housing, environment and land; how do we build the mass movement to change everything ourselves?

At the Studio, Augustine United Church, George 4th Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1EL

Admission free but it would very helpful for planning if you could reserve a place on Eventbrite. The film is about an hour long – it will be followed by discussion.

We strongly encourage you to bring and wear a mask – Covid levels are high and rising and we want to do everything we can to keep people safe and healthy.

Make Polluters Pay Action Day is on 23rd September and campaigners across Scotland and the UK will be playing their part
in highlighting the injustice that is the climate crisis, and the need to make polluters pay for climate induced loss and damage.

Generally, the most severe impacts of climate change are being experienced by low-income countries: those which have
contributed the least to the climate crisis and are least equipped to mitigate its effects. Often the losses these countries experience cannot be recovered, for example loss of life or cultural sites. Damage, such as to houses and infrastructure, can be repaired but this costs money, with those most affected expected to foot the bill. This is loss and damage from climate change. 

This is your opportunity to do something creative to get the attention of your community, local media, or local policy makers. You could for example, organise a pilgrimage, a craftivism workshop, a discussion event, or something else entirely! There are some helpful guides with advice on how to organise an action MPP Action Day (makepolluterspay.co.uk) and a blog about getting involved in Scotland.

We also feel that this an important moment to contact Scottish policymakers therefore on behalf of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland members, Christian aid has put together this guide featuring lots of ways you can call on decision makers to act – please add your voice and help us to raise awareness of this vital issue.

It is time to Make Polluters Pay! If you have questions or want some advice on getting involved, please contact Lucy le Roux at Christian Aid at [email protected]

Climate 4 Change Conversation

Online. Wednesday 27th September. 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm.

Book via: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/climate-4-change-conversation-open-to-all-online-tickets-712837896337

Are you concerned about climate change but not sure how urgent it is and how you can make a difference? Join in for a friendly, facilitated discussion to explore these questions in a short one-off session.

Having quality conversations about climate change is one of the most effective things we can do to stop it.

The concept of SCCAN’s ‘Climate for Change’ conversations for newcomers is a bit like a Tupperware party, where – instead of being sold plastic boxes – an idea is communicated: how we can take action on climate change.

We draw on concerns we all have in the session – and allow space to address them and to let them grow into action.

Our trained facilitators understand we need more such conversations in Scotland and we’re hosting one online!

Please be on time (and stay until the end) so our volunteer facilitators can support a distraction-free conversation with time to catch up after, and so they don’t have to give up more of their time than they already are!

There’s no cost to attend the session – although you can contribute a small donation if you wish. We will ask people to consider hosting their own ‘party’ – and build a movement of people who understand what needs to be done and what they can do!

Most Scots are concerned about climate change, but are uncertain / overwhelmed and unsure how to respond. Social research shows that through conversations with people we trust we make sense of confusing information and decide what to do about it.

Book via: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/climate-4-change-conversation-open-to-all-online-tickets-712837896337

Find out more about the Climate for Change Programme here: https://sccan.scot/climate-for-change

The content isn’t really suitable for children, so this is an adult only event!

If you want to support our work but can’t come, please join SCCAN: https://sccan.scot/join/