Climate Action Merribek: people in Brunswick, Coburg, Fawkner and Glenroy wanting action on climate change

Students are schooling politicians on climate change

February 21, 2019 at 5:35 pm John Englart Leave a comment

Students are going on strike around Australia, and globally on Friday March 15. Their action comes after 30 years of little action in reducing emissions with the world now facing a climate crisis.

But some politicians, mostly from the conservative side of politics, say they should stay in school.

Here is the student Strike for Climate response to Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack comments made at Question Time in Federal Parliament:

Watch the full question asked by Greens Member for Melbourne Adam Bandt and Michael McCormack’s response:

“The Deputy Prime Minister asks who will be looking after kids whilst we are protesting, forgetting to question who will be looking after our generation’s futures.

“If you truly do care so much about us children, you should be taking drastic action to rectify the climate crisis.

“As young people, we are informed about climate change and the severe impacts it will have on our lives. To us, it is obvious that the hours spent in class will ultimately be fruitless on a planet devastated by climate change.

“We can see that our politicians refuse to listen to the educated, so why should we be sitting in history class when we could be on the streets making history itself?

“On March 15th, young people will once again show that we are determined to take our futures back from the climate wreckers. We call on all Australian workers and students to strike with us for a safer future,” said Hinchliffe said in a media statement.

NSW Education Minister schooled by Greta Thunberg

Meanwhile in New South Wales, Education Minister Rob Stokes has warned students and teachers will be punished if they attend climate rallies during class time on 15 March. His statement was made to conservative commentator Chris Kenny on Sky News.

Greta Thunberg, the 16 year old Swedish student climate activist who initiated a climate strike each Friday in August 2018, responded with this tweet:

It is clear the student strike for climate is raising the profile and urgency to address the climate crisis. Conservative politicians continue to attack the messengers who will bear the brunt of climate impacts, rather than elevate climate action at government level.

Read the Guardian article on Greta’s reply to the NSW Education Minister: ‘Belongs in a museum’: Greta Thunberg condemns politician against school strike.

Federal Shadow Minister for Climate and Energy Mark Butler listening

At least the shadow Minister for climate and energy, Labor’s Mark Butler MP appears to be listening.

He tweeted a link to a Yale Climate Connections article: 16-year-old Greta Thunberg makes compelling plea for climate action And scientists explain the rationale behind it.

Watch the Yale Climate Connections video:

Time will tell whether Mark Butler’s Labor Party, if it wins Government at the climate election due by end of May, will adopt the primary goals of the students for climate action. So far the Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has refused to commit to stopping the Adani coal mine.

The primary goals of the student strike for climate in Australia are:

• Stop the Adani Carmichael coal mine
• 100 per cent renewables by 2030
• No new coal or gas

Climate Action Moreland supports the Student Strike for Climate Action, the March 15 action, and endorses the student strike primary goals.

We have a climate crisis, it is a climate emergency and Governments at all levels need to act with urgency to address this problem. We will find hope only once action is happening at the necessary speed and extent demanding by the science.

Section C2 of the IPCC special report on 1.5C target Summary for Policy makers outlines the change necessary:

C.2. Pathways limiting global warming to 1.5°C with no or limited overshoot would require rapid and far-reaching transitions in energy, land, urban and infrastructure (including transport and buildings), and industrial systems (high confidence). These systems transitions are unprecedented in terms of scale, but not necessarily in terms of speed, and imply deep emissions reductions in all sectors, a wide portfolio of mitigation options and a significant upscaling of investments in those options (medium confidence).

Entry filed under: Adani, news, rallies & protests. Tags: climatestrike, fridaysforfuture, studentstrike4climate.