Last week, with much focus on the Australian government’s nuclear review, the national founding summit of the Australian Youth Climate Change Coalition took place in Melbourne from Monday 20th to Wednesday 22nd November. This will be at least the third national/continental youth climate group formed this year including the African Youth Climate Initiative and the Candian Youth Climate Coalition, which are in addition to the US/Canadian Energy Action Coalition, which was founded in 2004. Sixty young people representing thirty-five organisations met to develop a joint approach to climate change, to ensure that government takes the issue seriously, rather than just making vague statements, launching token projects, and backing off from real action.
Conference organiser, Anna Rose, 23, said today that, “Global warming is the biggest threat my generation faces. We’ve come together here in Melbourne to create strategies to communicate the concerns we have to politicians and business to make sure they actually take some serious action before its too late”. “Australia must sign Kyoto and commit to legally binding carbon emission reduction targets, rather than distractions like nuclear, geosequestration and ‘clean coal’. The fossilised government needs to invest in our future through renewable energy.”
Listen to Anna on Australian Radio here
Some of the diverse range of young people attending include students, representatives of local youth councils, indigenous youth organisations, environment groups, youth media makers, and young business professionals from every state.
“This summit aims to bring together youth representatives who care about climate change to make climate a mainstream issue for young people and send a message to governments that we aren’t impressed with rhetoric – we want change, and we want it now”, stated Simon Sheikh from the United Nations Youth Association.
The coalition organising the event are the Australian Student Environment Centre, GetUp!, United Nations Youth Association and OzGreen. A youth declaration drafted at the summit will be released soon.
This is unbelievably exciting. Congrats, Anna!
I can’t wait to see what you all do together.
If there is any hope for this planet, it truly lies in us young folk. Anna, this reading this made my day. City by city, country by country, we will organize, rise up, and take this issue head-on.