Hi there!

Our names are Lauren and Deen. I, Lauren, am 16 years old and I live and go to school on Cammeraygal Country. Deen is 16 years old and lives and goes to school on Darug Country.

We’re emailing you today because change is in the air. Australia voted for climate action, former Prime Minister Scott Morrison took his lump of coal to the back bench, and now the Albanese Government’s Climate Change Bill has passed the House of Representatives.

So, what does this mean for coal –  the number one cause of climate change and Australia’s biggest contribution to the problem? The frustrating truth is, next to nothing.

But people power can change this. Now, more than ever, we need to come together to solve Australia’s biggest contribution to the climate crisis, and protect a liveable world for communities and nature everywhere.

Introducing Move Beyond Coal - an unstoppable community movement to work on one of the biggest solutions to the climate crisis – keeping coal in the ground. School Strike 4 Climate is already a part of it (you might have seen our #DontNabOurFuture campaign) - and we want YOU to be a part of it too! 

Whether you're a parent, a student, a striker or an adult supporter, there is a role for you in this new movement! 

There are launch parties planned for Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Online, as well as Watch Parties across the Nation! 

Join us for: 

• Sydney on Saturday 17 September, 2pm - 4pm. RSVP here! 
• Brisbane on Wednesday 21 September, 6pm - 8pm. RSVP here!
• Online on Thursday 22 September, 6pm - 7.30pm. RSVP here!
• Melbourne on Wednesday 28 September, 6pm - 8pm. RSVP here!

Australia is the world’s biggest exporter of coal, along with Indonesia, and right now we face the biggest coal expansion threat on the planet. [1] Coal corporations plan to dig 69 dangerous new coal projects across NSW and QLD, the big banks are willing to fund them, and our government has no plans to stop them.

If these 69 proposed coal projects go ahead, they’ll blow the world’s carbon budget and erase the Albanese Government's climate gains several times over. [2] 

We can still protect a liveable world, but we need to act now. The pathway is clear – to stay below the runaway point of 1.5 degrees of warming, we must cancel new coal projects now, and phase out coal by 2030.

And people power can get us there. Over the last decade, community campaigns have stopped dozens of proposed coal projects, pushed hundreds of the world’s biggest banks and financial institutions to rule out coal, and kept a whopping 500 million tonnes of coal in the ground each year.

Together, we can absolutely move Australia beyond coal. Will you join us and be a part of it?

Join us to:

• Hear how Australia’s coal industry is unjustly threatening the lives, livelihoods, and homelands of people everywhere – from South Asia to the Pacific Islands
• Kick off our bold community strategy to have the biggest, quickest impact by stopping the money that’s funding coal expansion threats
• Learn about the plan to take on one of Australia’s worst climate criminals, Whitehaven Coal, who are planning to DOUBLE their coal production

Australia is at the centre of the world’s biggest climate problem, but we also have one of the single biggest climate solutions within our power – keeping coal in the ground. 

Together, people power can stand up to reckless coal corporations, take on the banks that fund them, and hold our politicians to account.

Let’s move Australia beyond coal!

In solidarity,

Lauren and Deen

On behalf of SS4C 

References:
[1] Data on new coal projects in the pipeline from the International Energy Agency.
[2]  New coal and gas projects will erase Albo’s climate gains several times over, Renew Economy, 27 July 2022.