ES​/GER  

With and after CoViD19, it has become apparent to all that a liberal-democratically organized civilization must be permanently repositioned and resilient. In order to tackle the climate crisis effectively, emissions from fossil-fueled equipment must be reduced to 0 as soon as possible.
This petition is addressed to all persons in government responsibility worldwide and to all decision-making political bodies.
The UN General Assembly should therefore decide on the recommendation to all member states to limit the standard working week to 4 working days, so that Fridays worldwide are largely free of work, school-free, car-free and purchase-free, and most of the big CO2-emitting machines are shut down from Thursday evening to Monday morning. Climate-damaging activities must be stopped, while climate-neutral and climate-friendly activities are allowed and, in particular, public education for sustainable development are encouraged in the light of the objectives of the UN 2030 Agenda.

In order to make this socially acceptable, to bring about the necessary economic transformation and at the same time to increase the individual and social freedom, recreation and health of living systems, free Fridays in the most diverse dimensions of existence are conducive:

1. A drastic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions will be achieved immediately in accordance with the Paris Agreement on climate change.

2. Rebound effects are effectively prevented, so that fewer emissions are generated even with increasing value added.

3. On the extended weekends, energy requirements must be met by emission-free or climate-neutral energy sources, which must be promoted so that they will soon contribute mainly to meeting demand throughout the year.

4. The higher energy and cost efficiency during the 4-day working week increases labour productivity, especially after the Corona crisis has given significant impetus to digitisation and robotisation and the number of staff on the ground continues to decline with the same income stock (purchasing power) and a large drop in short-time working. Freelances and the self-employed get a definitive day off on the week, because free Fridays provide everyone with peace, relaxation and unrivaled, real breaks.  

5. Previous statutory or cultural holidays are moved to the nearest calendar Fridays or the associated festivals are celebrated only on the extended weekend. The globe-wide full operation on all four working days of the week leads to further efficiency improvements in the globally networked economy. Under labour law, there should be a priority leave entitlement for religiously justified appointments during the 4 working days, so as not to restrict the freedom to practice religion.

6. The Internet, the essential systems and climate-promoting activities are fed on free Fridays from renewable and largely emission-free energy sources. Since service companies also have a day off, shops also have a rest day on fridays. Only emergency services and stand-by for emergency services are to be provided on Fridays. The necessary staff receives flexible leisure time on a weekly basis, which corresponds to a working day.
Free Fridays enable the conversion to waste-avoiding and continuous circular economy with circular added value. The non-toxic organic farming, forestry and fishing industry is supported on Free Fridays in the public interest.

7. Overall, Free Fridays are financed by themselves. The resulting capital is bound carbon, the real currency is a free, restful life in democratic self-management and co-administration. Conventional market, financial, fiscal and monetary systems will undergo appropriate reform on the basis of the necessary framework conditions. State compensation is consistently based on the 17 sustainability goals.

8. Service schedules of emergency services, police and nursing services must be redesigned in such a way that they also have a four-day working week, even though they are also on duty and stand-by on free Fridays. Violence and crime are deprived of resources and opportunities on Fridays, especially as individual and social mindfulness is increased and yet emergency services and public security forces are serving. Free Fridays give the time and reason to stop, reconcile and resolve existing conflicts of all kinds.

9. Air traffic shall be suspended on Fridays except for emergency operations. Public mobility services should be reduced on Fridays to holiday or weekend timetables and vehicles with internal combustion engines may not be used except for emergency vehicles. Priority should also be given to promoting short-range emission-free mobility on the other days of the week.

10. Educational plans and timetables of schools and universities are redesigned in such a way that Fridays are free of lessons and on Fridays the focus is on learning for the future in open social space and the application practice in the households, public services and their staff are required to support this on free Fridays on a voluntary and climate-friendly basis within the framework of education for sustainable development (ESD).  

11. Free Fridays regularly provide the necessary time for humanity, which needs the necessary transition to global sustainability for detail and on the ground.  At the same time, the Free Fridays are taking the decisive step towards achieving sustainability at all: compliance with the Paris climate agreement with the 1.5-degree target. At any later stage, the measures would have to be much more intrusive.

12. Non-commercial, voluntary, humanitarian and cooperative (unrivaled) activities are expressly desired on Free Fridays, provided that they are carried out emission-free or climate-promoting. Public institutions must provide premises and other resources for this purpose. Migration must be regulated by law in all member states, humanely and as far as possible in order to minimise it in a way that is distributed. Free Fridays are holidays of humanity.

The climate changes that have already occurred are already directly life-threatening for millions of people and, in the end, all living beings are affected existentially, especially the working people themselves, who in the current world situation have the responsibility for the further well-being of present and future civilised generations with their actions, but also with their letting.
 
A more detailed version of this transition concept on local and global sustainability can be found in the non-fiction book with ethical foundation: Freie Freitage für die Zukunft - Konzept für menschenwürdigen und sofort wirksamen Klimaschutz für die Ära nach Corona. ISBN 978-9-463982-99-3