It was a crisp, clear Tuesday in Edinburgh but for the throngs of protestors who gathered in front of parliament, the question was how long will the mild weather remain if swift action is not taken in the face of impending climate breakdown.
Hundreds of people, from babies in arms to pensioners, staged a demonstration outside Holyrood as inside, MPS debated a new law tackling climate change.
Organised by the Stop Climate Chaos Scotland coalition, people attending the rally hoped to urge politicians to dramatically decrease fossil fuel emissions before global temperature rises devastate and displace millions.
Campaigners clutched clocks and banners, while some wore running gear to symbolise that time is fast running out to halt the catastrophe.
Stop Climate Chaos Scotland are calling for the Bill to set a 80% reduction in climate emissions by 2030, with a net zero emission target of 2045 at the latest.
Tom Ballantine, chair of the coalition said: “We’re running out of time to act. The Scottish Government is failing to tackle climate change with the urgency the science is telling us we need. The devastation experienced by millions of people in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe from Cyclone Idai at the moment shows the scale of the crisis for people living on the frontline of climate change.
“The clock is ticking but the opportunity to avoid irreversible climate chaos is still within reach.
"The Bill going through Parliament currently commits us to almost no increase in action between now and 2030. MSPs must increase the 2030 target and map out the concrete measures that will cut climate emissions from transport, housing and food production over the next ten years.
“Climate change is the most urgent and pressing crisis facing the world and Scotland’s targets for cutting emissions must reflect our commitment to meeting that challenge. The cost of inaction will be far greater than the cost of action."
It was 6-year-old Rowan Simmons third rally this year after he joined the school climate strikes last month. On the journey from his home in Wormit on the banks of the Firth of Tay, he told his mum, Helena, that "there wasn't much he could do about climate change but he could march."
Helena said: "It feels like there's more talk about it, [people are] more aware than I expected them to be which I think is really promising because having the conversation is the first step. We've got to get people thinking about it and lobbying for change and to make it easier to change because at the moment it's really hard to make lower carbon choices. With people seeing the effects [like the recent fire on Arthur's Seat], that's part of the reason the conversation is becoming louder."
For friend and fellow activist, Kaska Hempel, who runs community climate change awareness groups in Tayport, there's promise in the children insisting that their voices are heard.
She said: "We were here for the kids' strike and that was amazing - so many kids out and the fact that it rolled around the world and just from one teenager sitting outside parliament in Sweden. It just completely exploded so at least the younger generation are saying, 'hey, c'mon adults, do something'. It's just a matter now of us taking action as well."
Jemma Kettlewell brought her two daughters, Ciara, 14, and Emily, 12, to the rally where all three proudly held aloft their homemade placards. Regular faces at the Edinburgh Fridays For the Future youth strikes, both sisters are frightened for the uncertain future of the planet.
Ciara said: "It's important to come down and show that we care. This is our future."
Charlotte Muller-Stuart, 16, and Hector Friend, 17, are school strikers who attended the rally during a break from consulting with MPs and scientists in parliament.
There is nothing more important on the agenda for the politically engaged teens.
Charlotte said: "It's the biggest problem in the world and it's going to cause tens of thousands of people to suffer in the very near future so we have to do something right now if we don't want to see this inevitable suffering.
"There's hope but I'm still insanely worried and I think at the moment it's looking very unlikely that we're going to not go beyond half a degree if we don't act right now, like today now."
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