MORE than eighty people descended on Peebles' Macfarlane Hall this week for a clime change hustings.

Hosted by local environment group Tweedgreen, the event gave a platform to election candidates Amanda Burgauer (SNP); Nick Chisholm (Labour); John Ferry (Lib Dem) and Rachel Hamilton (Conservative), who stood in for David Mundell, as he was unable to attend.

Lesley Morrison from the group explained: "Questions set in advance were: What policies would enable our country to influence intransigent world governments and climate polluting companies to act sustainably, while protecting the livelihoods of world populations?

"An Ipsos Mori Poll in August showed 85 per cent of Britons are now concerned about climate change. What, in brief, is your transition plan to move the country, justly, towards the truly sustainable future that the majority of people are now looking for?

"And to what extent do you agree that climate change is such an important issue that parties should put aside their differences and work together to tackle it?

"Questions from the floor covered the vested interests of fossil fuel companies and multinational corporations; the justification for maintaining Trident when the future is at risk from climate change; and the need for there to be more support for schools to go plastic free.

"Individually, we can all be part of the solution but politicians have a hugely important role to play and we need government to respond urgently to the crisis."