A small group of young people from the Australian Youth Climate Coalition today confronted the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd at an event at NSW Parliament House in Sydney today, urging him to support strong carbon pollution reduction targets. Some held a banner reading “Your Targets = Our Future” at the back entrance as he walked in, getting in prime position in front of the media pack, and two of us dressed in suits and snuck inside to make our point in person! Altogether, the PM at this one event got three personal questions from 3 different young people on his targets, as well as the huge banner on his way in.
“Your Targets = Our Future” is the message resonating across Australia from the Australian Youth Climate Coalition’s ‘Targets Tag Team’ as they ask for carbon reduction targets of at least 40% by 2020.
In the next five weeks, the Federal Government will decide upon Australia’s medium term, 2020 carbon pollution reduction target. Kevin’s carbon reduction targets will influence Australia’s domestic and international climate policy for many years to come. It is crucial that his target is strong enough to ensure a safe climate future for our generation.
As the Prime Minister considers the 2020 carbon pollution reduction targets, the ‘Targets Tag Team’ will be at many events he attends, asking the question: ‘Will your target be bold enough to protect our future?’
If there’s one thing that can change the Prime Minister’s mind at this crucial time, it’s a strong youth movement reminding him that he has an obligation to prioritise the next generation over the next election.
Targets Tag Team is a generation-wide call for a new, clean energy economy and the million new green-collar jobs that lie in wait for us if we take bold action now by setting carbon reduction targets of at least 40% by 2020.
AYCC is a coalition of 25 youth organisations across Australia building a generation-wide movement to solve climate change. Stay tuned for more targets tag team action across Australia in the next 5 weeks!
Beautiful!!!! Kev must not walk away from climate change!
Love it! Great action!
yes! anyone else get the feeling that nationwide youth climate networks might have something to teach each other? let’s get some aussies (and kiwis and africans and indians and chinese…) in one room at powershift09, shall we?