Leeds protest: Rally planned outside Parkinson Building against G7 summit on climate change and Covid

Leaders of the G7 countries are meeting in Cornwall from Friday to Sunday.

The leaders – including US President Joe Biden – will spend the day discussing issues including the pandemic and climate change.

They are expected to collectively agree to provide a billion doses of Covid-19 vaccine in an effort to end the pandemic in 2022.

A number of protests will take place against the summit, including in Leeds.

A rally has been organised on the steps outside the University of Leeds Parkinson Building between 12.30pm and 1.30pm.

It has been organised by Yorks and Humber COP26 Coalition, part of a UK-wide movement campaigning for global and local "climate justice".

The group wants more action to address "the global imbalance of money and power that underlies the interlinked crises of climate, Covid, poverty and war".

Protesters are calling for wealthy nations to scale up vaccine production and for fair distribution across the world.

The rally will also address world debt, ending fossil fuel production and climate finance.

In a statement, the Coalition said: "Genuine solutions to the climate crisis require democratic public ownership and management of energy, transport and other key industries.

"Workers, communities and their unions must be fully involved in planning and implementing a transition that works for all.

"They require a focus on solutions that slash energy use rapidly, whilst bringing benefit to ordinary people on low or average incomes.

"For example, creating hundreds of thousands of good jobs insulating homes, developing sustainable food systems and investing in an excellent sustainable public transport system that people want – and can afford – to use."

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