Heatwaves, droughts, fires, floods and pandemics have been raging for more than five years in Australia and around the globe.
Warnings from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) are telling us that we need to take immediate action on climate heating. We are likely to exceed the crucial 1.5C threshold for the first time between now and 2027.
This year set the world’s hottest global temperature. From Canada and the US to Europe, Asia, the polar regions and Australia – there is nowhere not seeing rising temperatures and the impacts of climate change.
Yet it seems governments are still unwilling to take the action needed, quickly enough, to protect vulnerable communities and the future of our children and grandchildren. So is it any wonder that the School Strikes 4 Climate are once again beginning to build momentum?
Young people are fighting for their future. They are asking governments to stop approving fossil-fuel operations and to put the money, focus and opportunity towards technology and options that will make a difference. They are asking that governments take action that will ensure the global temperature does not rise beyond the tipping point of 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.
That is a point that scientists have clearly stated ‘could trigger a cascade of tipping points, which would irreversibly alter the global climate system and further exacerbate warming,’ according to As 1.5 Degrees Looms, Scientists See Growing Risk of Runaway Warming, Urgent Need to Slash Emissions by Yale School of Environment in March this year.
According to the WMO ‘there is a 98 per cent likelihood that at least one of the next five years, and the five-year period as a whole, will be the warmest on record’ and that there will be ‘reduced rainfall for this season over the Amazon and parts of Australia’.
Young people locally and around the world are asking for your support. From study-ins on the steps of Parliament House in Adelaide and at Speakers Corner at Queensland Parliament, to art events and concerts, to this Friday’s School Strikes 4 Climate they are calling for your support, for action from government, for a future.
‘To avoid even more extreme disasters than we have already seen, we need to be closing fossil-fuel projects, not opening more,’ said organisers of the Byron School Strikes 4 Climate that starts at 10am in Railway Park this Friday.
‘You can act by striking with us on November 17! Ditch school, don’t go to work, close your business and help to show that together we can #ShiftThePower. This strike is an all-ages event, bring your parents, your children, your grandchildren, your friends, and your neighbours. We are ALL affected by climate change, and we should ALL do something about it.’
Young people are now fighting to get governments to listen and are taking action – are you prepared to join them?
Aslan Shand, acting editor
I applaud the kids’ engagement with politics, commend their efforts and shudder for their future.
The present government is dealing with opportunistic politicking from left and right on this issue.
On the right, we have the unedifying posturing of the LNP doing a complete 360, from decades of scorched earth policy to a road to Damascus hand ringing about the whales and dolphins that will supposedly be killed by off shore wind farms. Suddenly we MUST find low emission energy sources – ie nuclear – after decades of denying anthropogenic climate change. Until they got the feedback from polls about the Teals’ likely successes!
Despite the rapid rollout of renewable energy projects, and consequent upgrading of the network, the Greens keep maligning Labor as corrupted by donations. News flash: big companies give donations to both sides.
We are getting a stark reminder RIGHT NOW about the importance of maintaining base load power, when hearing about what is happening in hospitals in Gaza when generators fail. Babies in humidity cribs, and people in IC, die! That’s just one stark consequence.
Unlike the Greens, the party in government is responsible for keeping the lights on and the fallout of failure. Despite all the opportunities Australia provides for renewable energy, this government is starting decades behind. (I wonder why?) The conversion to renewables is occurring as fast as materials, workforce and negotiations with farmers will allow. I am so sick of this mindless mantra from the sidelines.
Good luck kids!
Fighting for a future in the dark.
Those record receipts from the resources industries
Certainly have keep the kids educated.. Not !
I suppose barrow you don’t like offshore wind turbines as ugly and kill flying whales. Well if the ocean temperatures keep rising as they are then those poor whales will starve as their food resources like krill will die off. Suppose those open pits in the hunter and central Queensland look so much prettier.
Good on the kids.
Yes Rod how’s the new hydrocarbon free
Lifestyle treating you ? Do as I say not as I do..
Your only reply to all the complexity. Come on, try to come up with something better!
Seems to me that the colder the water, the deeper the krill live, thus making it harder for the whales to get to them. Not that they will be able to see them with all the vibrations from the rusting windmills out there.
Of course the Fossil Fuel Industry sonic blasting the oceans is all great news for the krill and the whales.
Echo locating resources once, which lasts less than a second, is rather different to around the clock noise pollution. Ever had a neighbour blast music all night?
The Climate Science, the kids know it, want it acted upon and out in front with ongoing climate protests.
The Climate Science, the government ( Lab or LibNat ) doesn’t want to know it, happily in the pocket of their Fossil Fuel Industry master and out in front continuing with Fossil Fuel expansion.
Perhaps we really do need another round of National Bushfire Apocalypse and Rolling National Record Flood Disasters to remind the reckless and dangerous LabLibNat Fossil Fuel Cartel what its like to experience cascading climate catastrophies.
Ah the mantra! You are so predictable Joachim that I replied to you in advance.
And I was wrong in what I wrote where?
Do you notice how you keep wishing for disaster?
Glad that you notice the facts and reality of affairs.
That you are a doomdayer?
Joachim, if you can drag yourself away long enough from the Greens website you could do us all an favour and educate yourself on the complexities of the global energy transition.
Have a listen to the Politics with Michelle Grattan podcast of Nov 8: Former climate minister Greg Combet on Australia’s mission to reach net zero.
You know Greg Combet – he should be your hero as he’s the minister who was charged with formulating and implementing the Clean Energy Act of 2011. The one to which you often refer enthusiastically.
Combet has been appointed by the the Government as Chair of the Net Zero Economy Agency. It might give you some insight into how balancing the issues is about more that repeating Greens talking points and slogans ad nauseum.
If you get really inspired you could find his memoire: The Fights of My Life. WELL worth the read.
Fighting for a future in the dark.
How many places has Australia fallen in Educational standards ! 🤔
Well I mean look whose in a prominent role in mullum high school indoctrinating these kids in these outright lies..none other than the deputy mayor..he’s just an outright liar..she claimed on Facebook that the save wallam protest a fewest weeks ago was “non violent”. Not according the footage I’ve witnessed. It was far from non violent..the truth doesn’t matter to these people..just like it didn’t matter to the communists..that’s why greens and communists are interchangeable..there dangerous.
It must be because not enough of those $’srecord receipts form the resources industry that you wrote further up the page, going into kids education.
More money is not going to remove the indoctrination, and return the education.
If we take much of the reasoning and written expression on these pages as our standard, I’d say we’ve gone ahead in leaps and bounds.
If we take much of what is written on these pages as our standard of reasoning power and written expression, I’d say we’ve gone ahead in leaps.
Btw Barrow, we used to make a motza digging up and shipping off asbestos. Let’s start doing that again!