Green Party MEP and Principal Speaker Caroline Lucas will call for a tough new international treaty on climate change at the London ‘leg’ of an international day of climate demonstrations to coincide with ongoing UN Climate talks in Bali, Indonesia.

Dr Lucas, who is the European Parliament’s spokesperson on aviation and climate change, and looks set to represent Brighton Pavilion as the country’s first Green MP after the next General Election, will address the rally alongside George Monbiot, Michael Meacher MP, Chris Huhne MP and a range of speakers from the scientific and political worlds.

The London demonstration, which takes place this Saturday (December 8th) is just one of 80 taking place around the world to mark International Day of Climate Justice, which this year falls midway through UN Climate Talks taking place in Bali, where world leaders are haggling over a new international climate treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.

Thousands are expected to assemble for a march through the capital for the rally, which will take place outside the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square. As well as Dr Lucas, scores are expected to travel from Brighton and Sussex to the rally. Environmentally-friendly travel is being arranged by the Brighton Peace and Environment Centre: see www.bpec.org for details.

Dr Lucas said: "Failure to act to tackle climate change is already costing lives - and threatens all of our futures. Many thousands around the world are paying the price for our lifestyles in the affluent West. Whole communities are being driven from their homes, and men, women and children in the South are dying, right now, from famines and droughts driven by climate change.

"It is clearer than ever that we need urgent global political action if we are to prevent the worst impacts of devastating climate change.

"Gordon Brown has shown that he simply fails to understand the reality of climate change. It simply isn’t credible to say it’s the greatest challenge we face, and then give the green light to the largest expansion of aviation in a generation.

"We need global political will from the world’s leaders. We need to tell them that failure to act is criminally and morally - as well as economically - negligent, and that the best option is to negotiate a treaty based on the principal of Contraction and Convergence, under which poorer nations will be enabled to continue sustainable economic development while those richer nations most responsible for greenhouse gas emissions do most to cut them."

ENDS