Ashden, the sustainable energy charity which is supported by the Ashden Trust, is putting its weight behind this weekend’s Global Climate Strike and the Car Free Day in London, as it prepares to attend the UN Climate Action Summit in New York next week.

The organisation will be out in support of the Climate Strike today. This event is the culmination of the Fridays for Future school climate strikes, prompted by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, and urges everyone to halt ‘business as usual’ to raise awareness for the climate crisis.

Following this, London will hold its largest ever Car Free Day on 22 September, which will also be supported by Ashden, to highlight the serious dangers of carbon emissions from cars.

‘Both of these important events are clarion calls for widescale attention to be paid to the climate crisis in the run up to the UN Climate Action Summit next week in New York,’ said Harriet Lamb, CEO at Ashden. ‘Young climate strikers have prompted a groundswell of support for climate action and we fully endorse the global strike today. We also fully back the principle behind the Car Free Day that calls on Londoners to ‘reimagine’ their city without cars, and instead to walk or cycle and enjoy the fresh air. It promises to be a fantastic weekend of awareness building, paving the way for more action in the near future, like car free day every Sunday!’

Earlier this year,  Ashden launched a co-benefits toolkit aimed at local authorities which stresses the importance of taking climate action that makes lives better and aimed to dispel myths that it automatically forces people to give things up. Ashden will be a partner of Sustainable Energy for All, organisers of the Seven for 7 event at the UN Climate Action Summit where CEO Harriet Lamb is scheduled to speak.