The People’s Pilgrimage kicked off today!

This is a truly brilliant idea:

“In the coming months, up to December’s climate meeting in Paris, people of faith will show their concern about climate change by walking to places they care about. They will also be fasting for climate, and praying, chanting and meditating for their leaders to have the courage to act. The aim is to show the outpouring of human love for the Earth and people wanting climate action – anyone, anywhere, can take part any time up to December.”

The Pilgrimage is being launched by Yeb Saño. You may not remember the name, but I can pretty much guarantee that many of you will remember the extraordinarily moving moment in the 2013 Climate Conference in Warsaw when the Climate Commissioner for the Philippines broke down in tears as he contrasted the lethargy in the negotiating hall with the horror story unfolding at exactly that moment in his home town of Tacloban – then on the receiving end of Hurricane Haiyan.

That was Yeb Saño. He committed then and there to fasting until the end of the meeting, which triggered a worldwide movement, #FastfortheClimate, inspiring thousands of people, especially young people, to follow his example.

Yeb Saño has now joined Our Voices, one of the organisations helping to run the People’s Pilgrimage, as an Ambassador. He starts out today on his own pilgrimage from the Philippines all the way to Paris, meeting people on the front line of climate devastation (and on the front line of the solutions agenda), walking in pilgrimage with holy men and women, government officials, and activists, and looked after by all those he meets along the way.

I’ve no idea what his itinerary looks like, but I sincerely hope that he will be meeting up with the Pope on his way – probably in the Vatican just before his final leg up to Paris. I blogged yesterday about the Pope’s new campaigning stance on climate issues, so this would be some impressive meeting of minds!

Twitter:
@YebSano
@OurVoices2015
#PeoplesPilgrimage