Where are the adults?

Recommendation, World affairs

Will the adult world and their trade unions take up the strike challenge for the ‘Global Week For Future’ on 20 to 27 September 2019?

In the lead up to Earth Strike on 27 September, the Swedish Fridays For Future group has written an open letter to the Swedish trade union movement, asking them to join the school children’s resolute struggle.

They are appealing to the trade union movement to show politicians that there is nothing to wait for – other than future disasters – if we do not act now. They want the unions to announce 27 September as a national day of political strikes and manifestations for the climate.

So far, the Swedish unions have shown bipartisan unity and positivity in their initial reactions. Some of the unions have also agreed to meet the student strikers.

Internationally, the trade union movement shows interest in organising a political strike on 27 September. In some countries, they are suggesting to start the manifestations as early as 20 September.

Too slowly, too weakly
Fridays For Future, which – inspired by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg – has organised school strikes for climate action around the world since September 2018, is frustrated that politicians and leaders are acting too slowly and weakly to properly address the accelerating climate crisis. This despite millions of young people striking and demonstrating around the world, in thousands of places.

School-strikers world-wide are planning major school strike for the climate with demonstrations on 20 September. So now the entire week from 20 to 27 September has been declared a ‘Global Week For Future’.

The climate movement can show its determination by carrying out strikes and manifestations in as many places as possible on 27 September.  

We all have to put pressure on the unions and other movements. Pick it up at your workplace. Write to your union: It is time for the adult world to line up now.

→ More info on www.globalclimatestrike.net

→ Facebook event page: General Global Climate Strike For Future

→ Join the global movement: www.fridaysforfuture.org/join

https://twitter.com/EarthStrikeUK/status/1158850973252673540

The Australian Conservation Foundation wrote:

How good are the student climate strikers? 

Around the world, they’re speaking truth to power and demanding our leaders do what they’re elected to do – build a better future for us all.

The next global climate strike is on Friday 20 September, and the student organisers here in Australia have three clear demands for our leaders:

  • No new coal, oil and gas projects, including the Adani mine
  • 100% renewable energy generation, and clean energy exports by 2030
  • Fund a just transition & job creation for people who work in the fossil-fuel industry

The students have clearly done their homework. At home and around the world, communities are already getting on with it. We just need to massively scale things up!

The future of clean energy in Australia is bright. We now generate more power from solar panels on our rooftops than even the biggest of our polluting coal-fired power stations. And now, big battery infrastructure like the TESLA technology in South Australia is smoothing out electricity grids – making them both more reliable and cheaper to run1. How good is that? 🤪

🤘

Good governments are walking alongside their mining communities as they transition out of digging up coal. Like in Germany’s Ruhr region, where they’ve shut down the coal-mining industry and re-skilled an entire workforce2. How good is THAT?!

Not only are all of the students’ demands possible – they’re vital for us to thrive for generations to come.

So let’s back them in and show unprecedented people power on Friday 20 September. RSVP to a climate strike near you – and bring friends!

Since their last climate strikes in March – which saw over 150,000 people in Australia hit the streets in solidarity – the student organisers have been deepening relationships across the community to build an unstoppable movement.

The students are doing their homework. It’s time for our leaders to do theirs.

We must – and can – create new systems to power our lives with clean energy.

Let’s back the students in and help make their movement for change unstoppable!

Jason

Jason Lyddieth
Climate Change and Clean Energy Campaigner

1https://www.businessinsider.com.au/tesla-battery-south-australia-cost-state-savings-2018-10
2http://www.just-transition.info/just-transition-is-possible-the-case-of-ruhr-germany

Bounce-back on Bolt

“To do your best is no longer good enough. We must do the seemingly impossible.”
~ Greta Thunberg, Swedish teenager and climate action advocate

Why this is a big deal?
Filmmaker Josh Fox put it this way recently: “Climate change is here and now, and it’s affecting every corner of the planet. This is just a small sampling of headlines from this past week alone:

It’s time to stop talking about climate change – we need to take real action and we need to do it NOW – fiercely, courageously, and creatively.”

“The scariest thing about climate change is what it will make us do to each other.”
~ Dr Kate Marvel

→ Scientific American – 29 July 2019:
Lost Cities and Climate Change
“Some people say “the climate has changed before,” as though that should be reassuring. It’s not”

→ Follow www.twitter.com/ParentsStrike