Now is the time to act

We are now in the final stretch of the march - just a week to go until we will finish in London.

In Monday night's meeting in Eastleigh, Elisee, our marcher from Burkina Faso, once again articulated the reason why we are all marching.

In recent weeks Burkina Faso has been affected by the floods seen in many parts of Africa. The heavy rains are an unusual event which tie in with the predictions of what will happen with climate change; warmer air means that when the rain comes, there will be more of it all at once.

Elisee works with farmers in Burkina Faso to try and make their livelihoods more secure. But climate change is destroying that security. Elisee told the people of Eastleigh that one million people have been displaced by the floods, and farmers have seen their entire crop for the year wiped out. Elisee finished:

"Climate change is already here and many people are suffering. This phenomenon will continue unless rich countries are willing to reduce their carbon emissions ... We do not have any more time."

Distance covered so far: 940 miles