Around 200 people marched on Tynwald this week as part of the UK-wide ’Time is NOW’ protests against climate change inaction.

The march started at Loch Promenade Methodist Church, Douglas, and travelled through town up Prospect Hill to the Tynwald building where protestors gave speeches and were met by Infrastructure Minister Ray Harmer MHK.

The march set out to demonstrate that the public ’want change to protect our environment’ immediately.

Organiser Louise Whitelegg was one of the three speakers outside Tynwald, standing on a bench and speaking through a megaphone. She spoke about fossil fuel divestment.

A freedom of information request recently revealed that £42,973,044 of the island’s pension pot is investment in what the Treasury said was ’direct investment in fossil fuel companies’ and a further £19,365,379 is invested in commodities, which it classified as ’goods related to precious metals and mining’.

She has called on the government to sell up and to make a commitment not to invest any more public money in fossil fuel companies.

Devon Watson of the Climate Change Coalition spoke about the Fare Free Campaign, which is seeking to make public transport free in an effort to decrease the number of cars on the road.

And the leader of the Isle of Man Green Party Andrew Newton told those gathered about the need to ’keep fossil fuels in the ground’.

After the speeches, at 2pm, protestors alarm clocks started sounding, to demonstrate that the time is now for action.

Mrs Whitelegg told the Courier she was thrilled by the turnout, which she believes is testimony to how strong feelings are in the island.

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She added: ’We need action now, members have the reports from the past so I do hope that the team being created isn’t an excuse to delay.

’The public of the government on this and I don’t think the government give people enough credit for how much further along they are [than Tynwald is].’

Mrs Whitelegg also accused Tynwald members of being ’patronising’ during the recent debates on declaring a climate change emergency with suggesting of ’bringing the public along with us’.

And she said it is ’critical that we get this right now’. And echoing 16-year-old Greta Thunberg’s statement that we need to act ’like our house is on fire’, Mrs Whitelegg added: ’We want the government to move fast.’

Mrs Whitelegg noted that one of the best parts of the march was the age range of people involved, from a young baby through to a woman in her 90s. She added: ’I think government need to take climate change as seriously as it does health and safety in every contract it issues.’