Record-breaking relay travels through Belgium for COP 27 climate action

Record-breaking relay Running Out of Time - involving runners, cyclists and sailors - travelled through Brussels, Mechelen, Ghent, Ostend and Antwerp to deliver a climate message from young people to world leaders at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh.

The non-stop relay race left Glasgow on 30 September for an epic 7,767km trip across 18 countries. It’s due to arrive in the Egyptian resort on 6 November, for the start of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27).

Volunteers joined the action in Belgium on Tuesday, picking up the baton that contains a message from youngsters calling for universal climate education to equip all people with the knowledge and skills to thrive in a changing world.

The fundraising relay is also visiting and raising awareness of climate action projects along its way. In Belgium, participants included Kids for Climate in Ostend, Foundation for Environmental Education, GoodPlanet Belgium and Toyota Motor Europe in Brussels and GreenOffice UAntwerpen in Antwerp.

British ambassador to Belgium Martin Shearman was among supporters of the initiative. He tweeted a photo of runners in Cinquantenaire park (pictured above) with the message: “The Climate Relay baton started in COP26 host Glasgow and has reached us in Brussels en route to COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh. Congrats to the runners. We must move faster to tackle climate change.”

After Belgium, the relay moved on to the Netherlands and Germany on its 38-day journey, involving more than 4,000 people.