12 Jan 2019

Mock funeral for planet Earth in Nelson

12:19 pm on 12 January 2019

A mock funeral for planet Earth is taking place in Nelson today.

Planet earth from space

Planet earth from space Photo: 123rf

The local branch of the global Extinction Rebellion movement is staging the event, as a call to action to halt environmental decline.

Spokesperson Julie Nevin said today's funeral would be an invitation for others to join the campaign.

The environmental studies student said it would also be a way of expressing grief about climate change and the danger it posed for the near future.

"We, as a species, rely on our ecosystem, so I'm concerned for my kids and for their kids that a vast number of people are still not behaving like this is the immediate crisis that it is."

Ms Nevin said the Extinction Rebellion movement in New Zealand sought large-scale mobilisation to reduce emission to zero by 2025.

Today's march through central Nelson started at 10am.

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