Friends,

Climate devastation of cataclysmic proportions is on the horizon if we don’t act in unprecedented ways to tackle this crisis together. A leaked draft of a UN climate change report reveals that if action on the climate crisis does not come soon, then rising sea levels could displace over 200 million people - four times the current global level of refugees.[1] 

#ClimateStrike with us on September 20 to turn the tide against this injustice and help us build the movement we need to confront this massive crisis head on. 

And those predictions are just if we cross 1.5 degrees. At 2 degrees, the UN says 400 million people will face water scarcity with extreme heatwaves becoming 32x more frequent. This will render cities, that are home to millions, in equatorial countries like India unliveably hot. In the northern latitudes, thousands are predicted to die each summer.

And all of this is because Governments and companies in wealthy nations like ours choose to keep mining and burning coal, oil and gas rather than finding the courage to build a future that doesn’t inflict misery on countless millions. But we have a message for these adults: when human life and the planet’s future is on the line, you don’t get that choice.

Join millions who are ready to build a better future with compassion, determination and hope on September 20.

These predictions are terrifying, but they are not a reason to lose hope. Giving up is not an option. This crisis is calling all of us to look beyond our differences, to come together and build the biggest social movement our world has ever seen to confront this enormous challenge and build a fairer world. Rising seas, famine, mass displacement, extreme heat and conflict are not our fate.

There is still time to turn the worst of this around, but only if we act now to demand the change that is needed, starting with the school strike demands:

1. No new coal, oil and gas projects
2. 100% renewable energy by 2030
3. Funding for a just transition and jobs for fossil fuel workers and communities.

Our politicians have proven they are incapable of leading the scale of change that’s required in the time we have available, so that’s why all of us must work together to push them. We need to open our eyes and hearts to everyone, everywhere and invite them to join us on this mission because this crisis will affect everyone, and it’s everyone’s business to help fix it.

Let’s get started by coming together on September 20.

With hope,

The school strikers 4 climate 

PS: Can you chip in to support school students to pay for the costs of organising almost 100 strikes across Australia on September 20?

Reference

[1] Leaked Draft of U.N. Climate Report Says Warming Oceans Are ‘Poised to Unleash Misery’, New York Magazine, 29 August.