Australia sees mass turnout for School Strike for Climate Change

[loomer]

Global climate strike sees thousands join children in Australian climate rallies

housands of young Australians walking out of their classrooms to demand action on climate change have been joined by thousands more adults in cities and towns around the nation.
Key points:

The protests are part of a global strike movement led by a 16-year-old Swedish activist
More than 2,500 Australian businesses said they were participating in the strike
Education Minister Dan Tehan said "politics should be kept out of the classroom"

The global day of action, led by Swedish teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg, is happening three days before the United Nations Climate Change Summit in New York.

Demonstrations were officially registered in all eight capital cities and 104 other towns across Australia.

Australian school protesters want the Federal Government to commit to:

No new coal, oil or gas projects
100 per cent renewable energy generation and exports by 2030
Funding for "a just transition and job creation for all fossil-fuel industry workers and communities"

More than 2,500 Australian businesses have pledged to participate in the action, either closing their doors or allowing their employees to walk off the job.

The businesses signed on to Not Business As Usual, an alliance which said it was a "group of Australian and global businesses pledging to support worker participation in the climate strike".

Tens of thousands turned out at The Domain in Sydney for the rally there.

There were reports of packed buses with students with signs coming into the city, with huge numbers marching through the CBD.

The movement has been controversial in Australia, with some teachers being accused of bias and bringing politics into the classroom, and the Government linking the demonstrations to flagging test results.

In Hobart, thousands of protesters gathered at the lawns outside Parliament House.

Johanna Ellis, 21, said her workplace had closed for the day, "but we're still getting paid to rally".

More than 100 towns strike for climate action

In Alice Springs more than 500 people attended the climate strike in the Todd Mall, with school students making up a large portion of the crowd.

The protesters focused on how climate change is affecting Indigenous people in remote communities.

Speaking to the crowd, Barbara Shaw, Deputy Chair of the Central Land Council said it was getting warmer in remote areas, with the temperature reaching 50 degrees in some communities during summer.

"There needs to be an emergency on climate change, if they can have emergency relief for bushfires across Australia, or drought and flooded areas, there needs to be an emergency response on climate change," she said.

Hundreds of people rallied in Townsville during the morning, many missing work and school in a peaceful demonstration.

"It's our future and we care so much about our future and that is why we are here," 13-year-old Ella Rizos said.

Environment Minister says Australia on track to meet targets

The protests were spurred on by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report released last year that detailed a catastrophic future of extreme weather events if greenhouse gas emissions were not reined in.

The United Nations released a report in February showing that the 20 warmest years on record had all been in the past 22 years.

Australia endured its hottest summer on record during 2018-19, according to the Climate Council, when more than 200 extreme weather records were broken across the country.

Australia is a signatory to the 2015 Paris climate agreement, the global deal to combat climate change, and pledged to reduce the country's emissions by 26 to 28 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030.

Figures released in August showed Australia's carbon emissions were continuing to climb.

In the year to March, emissions rose 0.6 per cent on the previous year.

Date released in June showed Australia's pollution was at an all-time high across most sectors.

Environment Minister Sussan Ley said if the purpose of the protest was to draw Government attention to climate change "I can assure everyone that our attention is already there".

"We are taking real and coordinated global action on climate change, while ensuring our economy remains strong," she said in a statement.

We are on track to overachieve on our 2020 target by 367 million tonnes and our $3.5 billion Climate Solutions Package maps out to the last tonne how we will meet our 2030 target."

In a statement, Education Minister Dan Tehan drew a link between the global strike movement and flagging test results around the country.

"While protesters will miss a third day of school this year, student results for Years 7 and 9 NAPLAN writing tests are below the 2011 test benchmark," he said.

"Students should be active citizens but their education shouldn't suffer as a result. Politics should be kept out of the classroom.

"The true test of the protesters' commitment would be how many turned up for a protest held on a Saturday afternoon."

Source

[Darth Yan]

If only we could see the same in America or China.

[The Romulan Republic]

I expect we'll see fair turnout in the US, though not as much as might be hoped for- I fear the US is getting protest fatigue.

China... well, its a dictatorship, so good luck with that.

[Darth Yan]

The US certainly. Good point about China

[The Romulan Republic]

Read an article recently complaining that the "Storm Area 51" meme that some people took way too seriously and are likely to get mass arrested over (the surrounding area has already filed a state of emergency in anticipation of the event) is scheduled for the same day, and will likely steal some of the press in the US.

[loomer]

The ABCs reporting has been downplaying the numbers. It's likely into two hundred thousand plus.

[Broomstick]

If only we could see the same in America or China.

Until the US and China get on board with serious change to mitigate climate change (because at this point it's too late to stop it) it doesn't matter what Australia does.

Well... it matters what Australia does to adapt to it. That's really the only option for anyone these days, how they're going to adapt to climate change because it's too late to stop it. Massive action could reduce the final impact, but only if you get all the big players involved and I just don't see that happening.

[loomer]

Australia is a big player in this issue. We're a major coal exporter.

[mr friendly guy]

You guys do know China's carbon emissions has been fairly steady right since 2013 even whilst its power output has increased.

In 2017 China’s carbon emission is given at 9.1 Gt (https://www.iea.org/publications/freepu ... CO2017.pdf) taken from the Global Energy and CO2 Status Report. In 2013 China’s carbon emissions is 9,524.24 million tonnes or 9.5 Gt https://www.nature.com/articles/sdata2017201. So as of 2017, China’s carbon emission is still less than 2013.

It should improve once more nuclear plants go online and once China decreases its steel output via consolidation of steel mills. Producing steel requires lots of energy, which is still derived from coal, albeit its improving by burning better quality coal. Seriously, in one year China in peace time produced more steel than the US did in the entirety of WWII. Eventually they won't need that much steel (for example, a lot of "new" US steel is recycled), and this will further help reduce pressure on emissions.

Also point out China helps by exporting its renewable energy technology. For example the cost of solar panels have dropped dramatically 80% from 2008 to 2013 due to Chinese production. The US responds by tariffs on them. And I am not just thinking about Trump, Obama did higher tariffs on China solar panels.

[Broomstick]

You guys do know China's carbon emissions has been fairly steady right since 2013 even whilst its power output has increased.

It's still too much for the health of the planet. "Steady emissions since 2013" still means pouring out carbon, still contributing to climate change.

Sure, Australia is a big coal exporter. The US and China are big coal users.

Great, Australia is reducing it's own impact, but it's not enough to save the world. Or at least not the world we knew.

[Zaune]

Read an article recently complaining that the "Storm Area 51" meme that some people took way too seriously and are likely to get mass arrested over (the surrounding area has already filed a state of emergency in anticipation of the event) is scheduled for the same day, and will likely steal some of the press in the US.

If there's a climate protest march scheduled in Reno (I think that's the nearest notable town to the base?) for the same day then the ensuing confusion will be fun to watch, if nothing else.

[loomer]

You guys do know China's carbon emissions has been fairly steady right since 2013 even whilst its power output has increased.

It's still too much for the health of the planet. "Steady emissions since 2013" still means pouring out carbon, still contributing to climate change.

Sure, Australia is a big coal exporter. The US and China are big coal users.

Great, Australia is reducing it's own impact, but it's not enough to save the world. Or at least not the world we knew.

If we cut coal exports, we don't just reduce our own impact. We reduce China's impact, India's impact, a whole bunch of places impact. Australia accounts for a whopping five percent of global emissions, 3.5% (or so) of which are from our coal and gas exports. For reference, we only comprise something like .4-5% of the entire global population.

Also, this was not an isolated protest in Australia, but a global one in which even some of you yanks took part. The part that remains to be seen is whether we turn the momentum into real action or not, which is why it's a mistake to read this article and think 'oh good, Australia is reducing its impact'. We aren't, which is why the protests had such a good turn out here - we're very aware that our government is failing us and the entire world on this issue by approving major new coal projects and stifling investment and rollout of renewables and the necessary downgrading of consumption.

Finally, while it'd be great if you yanks did your part, even if you don't you should be glad to see the rest of the world pushing forward because major cuts everywhere else will still be better than nothing at all, and a reduction just in half by everyone other than you and China would cut global emissions by a third. Even if we exclude India and Russia, we'd still hit a quarter of all global emissions in such a reduction.

[The Romulan Republic]

Rally outside the legislature buildings here- it blocked traffic all evening and into the night, though by the time I got down there is had mostly petered out. I wish I'd skipped work and spent the afternoon there.

[Broomstick]

If we cut coal exports, we don't just reduce our own impact. We reduce China's impact, India's impact, a whole bunch of places impact.

Are you sure? Because the current administration would LOVE to increase coal mining and exporting. The US is believed to have the largest coal reserves in the world. The Appalachian mountain chain is essentially made of coal and the US coal mining industry is happy to literally level a mountain to get it out of the ground and sell it. Maybe I'm getting cynical in my old age but I think that if Australia stopped mining and exporting coal the US would just ramp up production and exporting to fill the demand.

Also, this was not an isolated protest in Australia, but a global one in which even some of you yanks took part.

I get that. There was even some of it on the news, lost between the striking GM workers and the striking nurses in Chicago. Mostly along the lines of "oh, how cute, look at the little girls and their protest signs!" American society/culture/politics does not care about the "little people" protesting anything these days. Certainly the Trump administration doesn't give a fuck. It's bad enough to turn even an eternal optimist such as myself cynical. Until we get rid of the corporate vampires at the top nothing is going to change in this country.

The part that remains to be seen is whether we turn the momentum into real action or not

That's the part I'm cynical about.

I'm old enough to remember the 1960's and the environmental movement. There was real change back then - the creation of the EPA, the laws passed to clean up the air and water.... all of which are being neutered and rolled back even though they demonstrably improved the country. All done in the name of the almighty dollar and profit of the elite. I'm watching the gains made 40 years ago being undone here even as the forests burn, the shores are going underwater from rising sea levels, and the weather is getting insane even by Tornado Alley standards.

Finally, while it'd be great if you yanks did your part, even if you don't you should be glad to see the rest of the world pushing forward because major cuts everywhere else will still be better than nothing at all, and a reduction just in half by everyone other than you and China would cut global emissions by a third. Even if we exclude India and Russia, we'd still hit a quarter of all global emissions in such a reduction.

Look, personally I do my best to reduce my personal impact on the world. I'm all for it, being an aging hippie-type who never gave up my Birkenstocks, tie-dye, and crunchy granola. The problem is that until we get governments and corporations to do their part what we do as individuals isn't going to stop the oncoming disaster.

I'm not convinced the rest of the world is going to reduce their emissions by half.

I agree, a reduction is better than nothing. I'm all for it. But it's not going to stop climate change. The temperature is going to go up. We're going to lose the arctic and Greenland ice. We're going to lose shoreline everywhere causing major disruptions given how many people around the world live in coastal areas. It's going to affect food production (actually, it already has). The severe weather is going to get more severe. Parts of Houston were underwater this week, looking like post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans, and the storm wasn't even a fucking hurricane this time, "just" a tropical depression. I can barely keep up with what's happening in my own country, but I'm aware that Australia (in addition to getting problem weather like everyone else) has problems with wildfires, and I shudder to think of the ecological damage caused by open-pit coal mining which, I'm told, is the customary way of doing things down under.

Mind, I would be totally ecstatic to be wrong on this - nothing would make me happier than the world coming to its senses and reducing carbon emissions. The people in charge don't give a fuck as long as they're rich and they can move further inland and build little fortresses to withstand the crazy weather.