By Jenni Huber, Knitting Nannas for Renewables
On the September 20, young people around the world are going to strike. They will leave their classrooms and take to the streets in a quest to ask adults join them in protecting our planet’s future.
A group of Albury-Wodonga adults – Knitting Nannas for Renewables – is urging other locals, young and old, to join the gathering at 11am in QEII Square to call on the Federal Government to provide climate leadership.
The climate emergency was best illustrated recently by a young man who asked people to count to six – only six! He explained that in that time, 4,566 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide is added to our atmosphere,1,521kg plastic added to the oceans and 2,400 square metres of forest destroyed.
We all know the right thing is to leave this world a better place for our children. Or at least a liveable planet. We can’t blame natural events or cycles for plastic pollution, deforestation and rising emissions. The choices we make and the actions we take lead to these consequences.
On September 20, young people will unite to ask the government to transition away from fossil fuels, commit to 100 percent renewable energy and stop creating new coal mines, including the Adani Carmichael mine.
These are reasonable requests that we can all choose to support.
As young people grapple with the deteriorating environment, the Australian Psychological Society recommends that we acknowledge their concerns, offer our support and empower their young voices to be heard. Adults need to listen and they need to respond maturely to the voices of discontent.
A small group of students from a variety of schools in Albury-Wodonga are working hard to organise this action. They are dedicated to informing other students, to raising awareness of, in their words, ‘the biggest issue facing the human race.’
Australia is already on the frontline of climate crisis; prolonged drought, flash flooding, catastrophic bushfires, severe cyclones and heatwaves. The slower we are to respond, the great the action will be required.
Albury-Wodonga, it’s up to us. Let’s show unity with our young people, and join the struggle to make our planet better for future generations.
