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GUESTS: Svetlana Gross, an activist from Sweden who traveled to Paris for the COP21 climate talks, Bill McKibben, acclaimed author and environmentalist, the co-founder of 350.org, Samuel Mondlane of Friends of the Earth, Mozambique, and Tania Libanze also from Mozambique with the National Platform for Climate Change, and Dipti Bhatnagar, International climate justice and energy coordinator with Friends of the Earth.

The COP21 summit in Paris was scheduled to end on December 11th, but as usually happens, it spilled over to an extra day. On the same day that negotiators announced a historic accord, climate justice activists converged on two iconic locations in Paris in order to “have the last word” as they put it. Given that there had been a ban on assembly in place because of the November 13 terrorist attacks, it was not known what the turnout would be. Still, tens of thousands of people descended on the Champs Elysees in view of the iconic Arc De Triomphe at 12 noon to mark a so-called “red line” for climate justice. By 2 pm, they marched to the Eiffel Tower for a second action where they formed human chains and had a rally with music and speakers that was permitted by the French government at the last minute. Thanks to Truthdig.com where I am a weekly columnist, I was at the Paris marches on Saturday December 12 and have brought you these sounds from the final day of climate activism around COP21.

Watch Sonali’s video report of the Red Line march at the Champs Elysees here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XK5jiZmcu4.