1 planet, 100 days

By Ed Miliband MP

In just over a 100 days time, world leaders will meet in Copenhagen to decide on a make or break deal on climate change.

But the days are gone when world leaders simply locked themselves in a room and put together a deal. We live at a time when voices of people outside the room exert pressure and make a real difference.

That’s why I’m launching Ed’s Pledge today. We need people to come together and put pressure on world leaders to make sure we get the ambitious, effective and fair deal that the world sorely needs.

Thousands of people have already signed up to the pledge – with hundreds more joining the Facebook Page and writing to tell me why a deal is important to them.

Two years ago, after the floods, I saw people in my local high street in Toll Bar, Doncaster – a high street with people in canoes, plucking people out of first floor windows – bewildered and scared.

And a few months ago in a village in North West China, I talked to a local farmer about his battle against the pincer movement of two deserts threatening the livelihoods of 300,000 people.

These are the kind of events we can expect to see happening more and more if we fail to get a real deal at Copenhagen.

Children here and across the world face a more uncertain and dangerous future if we fail to act on climate change. A greener future here and abroad offers not just a chance to avoid such disasters but a better life for all – with cleaner, healthier places to live, better jobs and a future less reliant on oil and gas from unstable parts of the world.

That’s a future we want for our children and those in China, Bangladesh and Brazil who will all suffer if we don’t act. We have so much to gain if we do.

The agreement on emissions that future generations need is not in the bag.

Every person who signs up to demand action strengthens those of us who want an ambitious deal and puts pressure on those who would settle for a timid one. People really can make a difference.

Our values place us on the right side of the fundamental moral question on climate change: do we care about the legacy we leave to future generations? Those of us who want to see a fairer and more equal world must make our voices heard.

I’ll be pushing for clear action to get a global climate deal that’s ambitious, effective and fair. But the efforts of those of us at the summit will be all the more potent with the backing of real voices demanding action.

Click here to lend your support to those of us seeking that deal in December.