MEDIA RELEASE: Thursday 19 September, 2019
We support the School Strike 4 Climate and Australian school students in their fight for environmental justice and action on the climate emergency.
Together we represent more than 200,000 members working in the education sector. As teachers and educators we bear witness to the will, determination and passion alive in our students in their fight for action on climate change on a daily basis.
Education is all about paying attention to the facts. Australia’s school children along with students across the globe are calling on the Australian government to do the same.
The evidence is overwhelming and unequivocal on the science of human-induced climate change, Australia should be leading by example and taking action to prevent the climate catastrophe instead of ignoring this existential threat in the hope it will go away.
Our leaders must accept climate change is already impacting Australia, our Pacific region and the global community. Ignoring this problem will guarantee more severe and frequent weather events, including bushfires, storms and rising sea levels and temperatures.
Our governments must also accept the climate catastrophe will also have disproportionate effects on working people and disadvantaged communities.
The coming climate catastrophe will create a very grim reality for our children and future generations unless
we act now and take steps to limit its impact by reducing carbon emissions to net-zero.
It’s time for Australian state and federal governments to take action to reduce Australia’s carbon emissions
and create the policy frameworks for a just transition away from fossil fuels for workers in carbon-intensive industries and their communities.
That is why our unions are supporting the Student Strike 4 Climate marches and the students involved in all their endeavours on Friday September 20, where it is safe and appropriate to do so.
It’s time to listen to the wisdom of our children and to stand with them in this fight. It’s time for action.
