The 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) takes place in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt between 6^th and 18^th November 2022.  Last year’s COP26 negotiations in Glasgow were a failure which has left us on track for a 2.7 degrees warming – a reflection of the inaction and greenwash from rich governments and corporations who are sacrificing frontline communities for profit and power. But whilst governments failed to act, the success story of COP26 was that it led to the climate justice movement – and that includes us – becoming more connected, more educated and more outspoken.  

This year the COP27 Coalition, an African and Arab led coalition of NGOs, trade unions, grassroots community campaigns, faith groups, youth activists and others aims to centre climate justice and the voices of the most impacted, especially from the Global South, at COP27. But in many countries across the Global South, brutal regimes ban protests and strikes, and lock up those who dare challenge big businesses or the state. The Egyptian government has detained tens of thousands of people for simply expressing their opinions, joining opposition groups or attempting to organise protests and strikes. Egypt’s military dictatorship is strongly supported by Western governments through arms deals, diplomatic backing and trade relations and so Egyptian activists are calling on us to join the protests for climate justice and to lend our voices to their struggle.

So in answer to that call …

Camino To COP and Earth Vigil together with XR Faith Bridge and XR Walkers invite you to join them in vigil for one hour each day for the duration of COP27.

This is our small act of solidarity with the thousands of activists and human rights defenders who suffer intimidation, harassment, arrest, detention, torture and death in Egypt for their engagement in climate and other social justice issues. We are calling on our Government and civil society organisations attending COP27 to speak out about this repression. Unless civil and political freedoms are defended, there will be no meaningful climate justice.

In advance of this we will be sending a letter to the UK government and civil society groups attending COP to ask them to speak out about this and we will symbolically deliver a physical copy of this letter to Downing Street at the end of our first vigil on 6th November as we set off to walk our Camino to COP26 film to it’s London screening.

Last year over a thousand people walked some way with us on our journey to Glasgow as we carried our message of climate justice to COP26. Will you bear witness with us this year? We will be outside the Carriage Gate entrance to Parliament between 1 and 2pm daily between 6th and 18th November. Bring a candle in jar. It would be helpful if you could sign up here if you are planning on coming so we can gauge numbers, but please do come even if you don’t sign up!

You can read more about this issue on The Egyptian Human Rights Coalition on COP27 website and through Naomi Klein’s powerful article

👣 Friday was pretty busy as we prepare ourselves for the big entrance on Saturday! We spent the day sewing the final patches onto the Coat of Hopes and rehearsing for our performance in the Green Zone next week. This evening we had an emotional closing ritual including making one final mega-mandala using objects we’ve found during our walks!

This was followed by a deconstructed burrito feast and then a film night – Ben from Art Docs (artdocs.co.uk) has been joining us intermittently and is creating a beautiful film about the Camino. We’ll be sure to let you know when it’s ready for viewing! It’s been a long day and there’s still plenty to do before an extra early start and probably a very chaotic tomorrow but we feel so content with how we’ve finished our time together – though of course this isn’t the end! Many of us will be sticking around at COP, and beyond that we’ll definitely stay in touch – after all, we’re a family! 💚💚💚

We have a wonderful collection of Camino Poems that Sara Cech Lucas has put together, focusing on the Western Camino that left Bristol on the 9th of September.  The poems speak to the experience of walking through communities and of being with the diversity of nature.  As Stephen’s famous poem says ‘Camino to COP?  More like cake til you pop!’.