COP26: Thousands march in Leeds over climate change action

In Leeds, crowds gathered in Millennium Square for the start of the protest

Thousands of climate protesters have marched through Leeds and targeted airports as part of the global day of climate crisis action.

A brass band joined the march which left Millennium Square and weaved through the city centre as similar events were held across the world.

Among protesters were children and NHS staff uniting around the same message.

Demonstrations have also been held at airports Leeds Bradford and Doncaster Sheffield.

Chloe Harrison said she hoped "real action" was taken

A brass band led the protest through the city centre

The events come midway through the COP26 summit in Glasgow and were aimed at increasing pressure on world leaders attending the conference on climate change.

• Demonstrators march as Glasgow protest goes global

Chloe Harrison, 23, said the Leeds protest was the first she had ever attended but felt "compelled" to join.

"Climate change is a daily existential crisis for me and my generation," she said.

"Knowing that the planet is withering away at our fingertips is a dreadful, hopeless feeling as one day humans may eventually not be here for anything to have ever mattered at all.

"The things we all do to make a change at home is just a drop in the ocean compared to what the world leaders at COP26 can put into place this week."

The Leeds protest coincided with hundreds of similar events across the world

Campaigners from the Group for Action on Leeds Bradford Airport staged a rally there calling for all airport expansions to be "stopped immediately".

Chris Foren, chairman of the group, said: "For decades, the aviation industry has promised that its techno-fixes will make everything alright.

"But that's never happened and it's not going to happen in the nine years we have left to stop climate breakdown.

"Maybe, one day, we'll be able to fly in large, long haul, zero emission aircraft but we know that's not an option in the foreseeable future. We simply have to stop expanding all airports - now."

World leaders gathered in Glasgow have so far made promises to curb deforestation, phase out coal, end funding for fossil fuels abroad and cut methane emissions.

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