The bushfires gripping Australia are not normal – they are being supercharged by climate change, fuelled by the mining and burning of coal, oil and gas, enabled by our Federal Government. School Strikers have prepared this guide for having heartfelt conversations about the bushfires with your community with the goal of empowering people to take climate action in the face of this crisis.

Friends --

Air quality twelve times the hazardous level, the second worst in the world.[1] Children unable to attend school. Workers unable to work. Homes and lives lost.

This bushfire crisis is devastating and testing our limits, particularly the most vulnerable in our community. As Sydney GP Dr Kim Loo [2] says:

“People who can afford to filter their air and live in places where trees aren’t burning, or to fly somewhere else when the smoke gets bad, don’t feel the brunt of this. The people on the margins walk to my surgery, they don’t own a car. They can’t pay for food, let alone smoke masks.”

Nothing about these bushfires is normal. They have been supercharged by climate change, fuelled by the mining and burning of coal and gas, enabled by our Federal Government.

Yet, as flames and smoke damage people’s health, homes and work, our Prime Minister is nowhere to be seen. All Scott Morrison has to offer are his thoughts, prayers and more coal and gas.

In fact, just yesterday, Morrison said that firefighters want to be on the frontline fighting these fires, and they don’t need more support. According to him, our Government’s actions: “.....on climate change are getting the results they’re intended to get.” [3]

If like us, you’re terrified about what is going on and want to do more, we have prepared this simple Guide for you to have heartfelt conversations with your friends, family and colleagues about taking action on the bushfire crisis - the causes, how this is making us feel, and most importantly what each of us can do about it.

We hope you’ll have a read, start a conversation with your community, plan actions together and encourage others to do the same. Our world is on fire and desperately needs each of us to step up and take action.

Sadly, this crisis is only going to get more intense over the summer and the years to come. We are breathing in climate injustice on a daily basis now. But all of us can breathe out with courageous and compassionate action. There is still a window of time to avert the worst of this crisis, but we all need to act now.

Finally, please keep donating generously to the Bushfire Appeal. Unlike Scott Morrison, we think that the brave people fighting these fires deserve all the support we can muster.

Thank you for all you do.

With hope,

The school strikers 4 climate

References

1. Sydney smoke at its 'worst ever' with air pollution in some areas 12 times 'hazardous' threshold, ABC, December 10. 
2. NSW bushfires: doctors sound alarm over 'disastrous' impact of smoke on air pollution, The Guardian, December 10. 
3. Scott Morrison rejects calls for more bushfire help, saying volunteer firefighters ‘want to be there’, The Guardian, December 10.