ENVIRONMENT activists across Britain staged protests over the weekend to raise the alarm on the climate emergency.

Protesters called on local councils to declare an emergency on climate change, to cut carbon emissions to zero by 2025 and to create citizens’ assemblies to help deliver the change process.

A protest by around 250 people in Bristol on Saturday saw carol singers and speeches before the crowd marched to the City Council.

Activist Tom Daldon said: “This is the greatest challenge of my generation. We will continue to act together, we will not behave until we are listened to.”

In Cambridge, protesters staged a die-in in the Grafton Centre shopping arcade before marching to the city council building the Guildhall.

Activists also carried coffins to represent the victims of climate change, the non-human victims of the ongoing mega-extinction, and the future victims still to come. Some planted trees as “gifts of life.”

And around 300 people in Cardiff also joined a large funeral procession for the planet, marching through the city centre.  A spokesperson for Cardiff Extinction Rebellion said the issue of climate change was “bigger than Brexit” and called for urgent action.

Cardiff People’s Assembly campaigner Adam Johannes said: “Stopping climate chaos means greening our cities by free or cheap public transport and cities designed for cycling and ending fuel poverty by insulating every home to cut emissions and energy bills at the same time.”

In Glasgow, 100 people gathered on Buchanan Street. Campaigner Anna said they were meeting to “sing subversive carols” and give away trees to members of the public.

The group made headlines last month for its day of action including blockading five major bridges in central London. It was described by activists as the biggest peaceful act of civil disobedience in years.

Activist Kat Griffelson said she was scared for her children’s future due to rising temperatures.

She said: “I feel like the government is falling short of what it is obliged to do to keep its population safe.

“It is no longer just about lifestyle changes, but big businesses must be held accountable for their emissions. If they do not listen, we are all in grave danger.”