Roughly 250 people attend Guelph rally for climate change that was part of worldwide movement on Saturday

Roughly 250 people turned out for the RISE For Real Climate Action event on Carden Street Saturday. Tony Saxon/GuelphToday

1 / 1 Roughly 250 people turned out for the RISE For Real Climate Action event on Carden Street Saturday. Tony Saxon/GuelphToday

Guelph acted locally to a global issue Saturday, with around 250 people showing up for the RISE for Climate Action event on Carden Street.

The event was one of hundreds going on around the world on the same day meant to send a message to world leaders in advance of the Global Climate Ation Summit next week in California to stop fossil fuels and demand true climate action.

Speakers, poets, musicians, a drumming circle and a water dance were all part of the Guelph rally.

Some local city councillors and those running in the upcoming municipal election gathered on the steps to pledge their promise to act locally. Many that weren't there pledged in writing the same goal.

Wellington Water Watchers, Fossil Free Guelph, Council of Canadians, Guelph Against Pipelines, eMerge Guelph and Guelph MPP Mike Schreiner all took turns at the microphone.

"Literally, while this province was burning, I saw politicians in the governing party stand up and cheer the phrase 'that the air of carbon taxes is over in Ontario," Schreiner said.

"I saw the provincial government come in and dismantle all of Ontario's climate action plans," Schreiner said. "Even the ones we had were inadequate, but they completely came in and dismantled them as their first action in government and they stood up and cheered it over and over again."

The provincial Green Party leader said communities like Guelph have to fight back and send a message to "big oil and big energy" that Guelph is for clean energy, people power and community energy.

"Don't let them tell you this is about jobs .... more people in Canada today work in clean energy than they do in the oil sands," Schreiner said.

Spoken word activist Amelia Meister performed a poem that she admitted wasn't uplifting because it was about the grief that climate change is creating.

"Climate change is horrifying and it is very, very distressing for our hearts to witness what is happening to our good earth," Meister said before performing a poem that repeated many times 'It's not raining in the rain forest."

"It's not raining in the rain forest.

It's not raining in the rain forest.

Mother, where are your tears?

Have you forgotten the joy that weeps from your sides and drenches your children?

Have you abandoned your lungs in search of a fresher breath?"

Tamanna Kohi of Wellington Water Watchers said we need real climate action to protect our water.

"Now is the time for action. Climate change has serious implications for groundwater recharge and water security, potentially in our own lifetimes," Kohi said. "Our old ways of thinking of governing groundwater is no longer relevant."

Paul Costello of Guelph Against Pipelines "thank God" the Kinder Morgan pipeline has been stopped for now.

Evan Ferrari of eMERGE praised actions of the local council for their efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

Ben Stuart of Fossil Free Guelph said events like the one Saturday gave him hope.

"They give me hope that we can actually make change," Stuart said. "We can, we have and we will."

Guelph councillor and musician James Gordon performed an original song called We've Got To Get Off The Oil.

Mayoral candidate Aggie Mlynarz spoke at the event. Mayor Cam Guthrie was invited to speak, organizers said, but was not in attendance.