Today our message has crossed to Castilla – La Mancha, in a route where the straights and flats of this region have dominated our ride to Toledo. Here we have been joined by the President of the Autonomous Community of Castilla – La Mancha, before venturing into the old town to explore all the historic and artistic richness of this Unesco World Heritage City.

Toledo is a very special city. History, art, heritage, culture, cuisine, and craftsmanship are all combined in Toledo. Churches, synagogues and mosques live side-by-side in the City of Three Cultures, where three great religions – Christianity, Judaism and Islam – have left their mark. All styles come together in this city: Arabesque, Mudejar, Gothic, Renaissance, which make the artistic value of Toledo incalculable.

Toledo serves as inspiration on how important different ideas and backgrounds need to come together in the fight against climate change. Those of us that have joined the Moving for Climate NOW initiative come from various countries and organisations. It should not be strange to have different opinions about some aspects of the policies to be implemented. However, we are aware that given the seriousness of the situation, we have to concentrate on JOINING and MULTIPLYING forces to mobilise society all around the world to achieve the 1.5^oC target.  Debate should not delay action. Society as a whole has to be mobilised and we need all on board.

The final day is here – we have arrived at COP25, whose motto, time for action, invites us to increase climate ambition. The goal has been reached and the experiences we have shared together along the 500 km route since Salamanca will always remain in our memory and will give us energy to continue working to fight climate change.

Difficult? Maybe, but not imposible. Very fews things that are important are easy. We won´t be lowering our defences – we´ll always be looking foward, because the struggle agains climate change is replete with obstacles that together we must overcome.

COP25 IT´S TIME FOR ACTION

Moving for Climate NOW!

Today we have completed a really special stage that has allowed us to connect two spectacular cities of Extremadura, from Trujillo to Guadalupe, where we have seen the magnificent Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe, an important pilgrimage centre in the Iberian Peninsula.

But it has also been the “queen stage” of our trip with an overall cumulative difference of some 1,000 metres. From km 30 there has been no let up, and the succession of ups and downs has dominated, until the last few kilometres, now with the city of Guadalupe in sight, which have been downhill.

The stage of today, with its ups and final downhill could be a good symbol of the pathway we are going through to achieve decarbonisation of the economy. The road in the fight against climate change is full with obstacles, but we learn by doing and move with collective effort. Now, technological progress is on the side of climate, with clean energies (renewables, energy storage, mobility, etc.) undergoing a deep technological revolution, which can spur competitive and cost-effective solutions to drastically reduce emissions. We have the tools to deliver the energy transition, but, with energy-related emissions continuing to grow, we still have a long way to go. We need to implement smart policies and use all the levers (financing, circular economy, etc.) to give the right signals to accelerate their deployment and change behaviours towards more sustainable consumption patterns aligned with our planet´s capacity. This transition will not only provide a solution to climate change, but it also brings opportunities in the form of economic stimulus, employment, lower air pollution and a better life today and for future generations.

In this stage we have united two of the cities with more personality of the province of Caceres. We left the capital and passed through small villages until we reached Trujillo, a monumental city with a very special charm.

The stage of just over 90 km has not been complicated, but there were a few ups and downs that challenged the resistance of the team. Precisely, the topic of discussion of the day was the importance of building climate resiliency and ensuring that this process is inclusive, so that no one is left behind.

We need to be aware that climate change is a serious ethical conflict that impacts mainly on the most disadvantaged sectors of the population and which is jeopardising the future of the coming generations. Policies need to address these vulnerabilities first so that these sectors can adapt and cope with the changing climate patterns and also so that mitigation efforts do not aggravate their situation.

The planet has already warmed by 1°C above pre-industrial levels and under current rates we are expected to breach 1.5°C between 2030-2052, according to the IPCC special report on global warming of 1.5°C. Whether and how we are able to limit temperature increase will greatly influence the resiliency of natural and human systems, which are already experiencing the impacts of the multiple observed changes in the climate system. If we fail to take action now, the irreversibility of the situation will mean that any future measures will be ineffective and much more expensive.

We leave Castille-León, because the second stage takes us to Extremadura. The journey to the UNESCO World Heritage City of Caceres, final stop of this stage, was long but beautiful. Nature has been the main feature as we have crossed the spectacular Jerte valley, famous for its cherries and the beautiful Monfragüe National Park, where some surprised deer have witnessed our peloton.

Today we have traveled a longer distance than yesterday, 107 km, which gave us time to reflect on the importance of engaging society in climate action and on the best ways to communicate this problem. The general public and social organisations should implement the values and habits that are crucial to solve the climatic emergency we are in. Each individual has a key role to play as it is the sum of millions of small actions what makes a difference. But how do we involve all stakeholders in climate action? Drivers that promote a change in social behaviour (education, awareness, communication), are as essential as good policies to achieve exponential solutions.

We are finally on the road towards Madrid for COP25! And we have started pedalling in Salamanca, a city marked by the richness of its heritage and culture and home to one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the world, which has just celebrated its 8^th centenary.

By departing from Salamanca we want to put youth in the spotlight of climate action. The future is theirs and bringing youth and experienced people closer and facilitating intergenerational dialogue has to be the key. Conveying hope and action for the environment by involving those who will shortly be its main players. A climate generation that wishes to show the world that it is united in climate action.

We have started our trip in the University, where we have been welcomed by its Rector and joined by a group of students and teachers, before arriving to the monumental Plaza Mayor, where the local authorities have gathered to wish us a good trip, and support our cycling expedition for climate action. From there we have cycled to another historical city, Ávila, where we have bordered its amazing city wall, following the same route that makes the professional cycling competition Tour of Spain.

And under this incomparable framework we have talked about the importance of limiting the increase in global temperature to below 1.5 ºC. This is equivalent to reaching global net-zero CO₂ around 2050.

The challenge is huge and there is no time to waste. Global average temperature is already about 1°C higher than the pre-industrial period and this increase has happened over just a few decades. Moreover, since the industrial revolution, we have seen a rise in the concentration levels of greenhouse gases not experienced for over 650,000 years.

And the forecasts are not better, if all countries deliver on their current climate pledges, the world will likely experience a 2.9 to 3.4°C average temperature increase. Inaction could cause warming of over 4.5°C with devastating consequences.

But at the same time, addressing climate change is also about building resilience and hope. It is also a huge opportunity, not only by avoiding the impact of climate change, but also because it brings economic stimulus, employment, lower air pollution and a better life today and for future generations.