emjaytee101@gmail.com, Author at The Climate Choir Movement

Defend Our Juries

7 April 2024: Taking inspiration from the early Quakers’ principle of ‘speaking truth to power’ and the view that juries must be allowed to vote according to their conscience, climate choir singers met at the Monument in the City of London to sing Sing Truth to Power composed by Kate Honey. Defend Our Juries campaign is protesting that climate activists be allowed to state their reasons for civil disobedience (some judges are not allowing this). Choirs joined a silent Quaker Meeting and vigil near the Monument in the City of London. Singers and campaigners then walked to the Royal Courts of Justice bearing banners supporting Defend Our Juries at this vital moment for our democratic processes.

The Guardian 3.5.23: Climate protesters rework Spice Girls song to disrupt Barclays AGM

21 April 2023: The Climate Choir Movement grows as choirs from Bristol, Bath and London join with newly-formed choirs from Southampton, Swansea and Oxford to sing rousing renditions of Let Us Stand and Voice of Change at The Big One in London. Four days of activism by key groups seeking to stop new fossil fuel projects and the setting up of citizen-led democratic assemblies to grow voices for change.

Eradicate Ecocide, The City, London

4 December 2023: Financial decision-makers in the City of London were serenaded with a specially-composed rousing song. Its message: that environmentally-damaging decisions and acts (ecocide) by powerful institutions must be made a criminal offence. Such legislation is already proposed in the UK, also Italy, Spain, Mexico, Brazil, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Scotland. The song ‘Eradicate Ecocide’ was composed by choir leader Kate Honey. The law can get behind sustainable futures and convince financiers to change values and choices in favour of life and futures on earth. Singers marched through the streets of the City to coincide with the COP28 conference in Dubai.

Songs for Gaia at Bath Abbey

30 September 2023: Gaia, the whole earth, suspended over singers from Bath Climate Choir, reminding all of the vital need to protect our planet. The work by artist Luke Jerram, together with songs from forty singers from Bath Climate Choir led by Barrie and Kate, made a powerful combination, enhanced by the historic setting and wonderful acoustic.

The Big One, London

UK Divest Day in the City of London

24 March 2023: UK Divest Day of Action: the Bristol, London and Bath Climate Choirs sing out in the City of London to change minds and hearts on the urgent need to divest from fossil fuels and move more quickly to renewables. Choices about where to put pension investments have a massive influence on carbon emissions – or on their reduction. Powerful financial institutions such as Black Rock and Vanguard are urged to wake up and take a lead. Singers call for CEOs Larry Fink and Tim Buckley to listen up

Our first action

4 February 2023: The choir accompanies the Red Rebels at the No Airport Expansion rally. The seeds for the choir were sown back in November when the court sat to decide on challenges to expansion of Bristol airport. The High Court judge’s decision to uphold planning permission despite overwhelming opposition will be appealed by Bristol Airport Action Network and its many supporters.

The launch of the choir

4 January 2023: It all starts! ‘Let Us Stand’ and ‘We Got All the Love’ are our first songs. We’ll use song for peaceful protest to get the message across: all of us have to act now. Harmonious sounds and energy fill the room. We’re ready to resonate and encourage other climate choirs around the country and beyond.

HSBC AGM London

29 April 2022: Prelude to the formation of the Bristol Climate Choir: a singing flash mob interrupts HSBC Chairman Mark Tucker’s AGM speech with Money, Money, Money, a variation on the song by Abba, demanding that investment in new fossil fuel projects is immediately stopped.