Aussie Youth Climate Cupcake Crusade « It’s Getting Hot In Here

Federal MPs in Parliament House Australia were caught in a sticky situation today as youth climate campaigners presented them with “melting” cupcakes and a combined statement from young award leaders on the 1st anniversary of the “world’s first climate election”. Our cupcake action got a stack of national media, our team in Canberra spoke to heaps of MPs and did local media, and we DEFINITELY made an impact in Parliament House with our colourful cupcakes.

The cupcakes are decorated with the words “The ice-ing is melting!” and are to remind all MPs of the need for urgent and strong action on climate change.

The youth statement calls for strong 2020 carbon reduction targets written by 25 high-profile youth award winners including Nicole Keuper (2008 Eureka Prize People’s Choice Award), Larissa Brown (2008 Cosmopolitan Woman of the Year), Ellen Sandell (2008 Pride of Australia Medal), and Aaron Wood (2007 Prime Minister’s Environmentalist of the Year) and Alex Rafalowicz (Charles A.F. Hawker Scholar).

The statement says: “Let’s create a clean energy economy. Let’s show the world that Australians have the courage and initiative to get on with the job of saving the climate. In the process, let’s create the million new green-collar jobs that lie in wait for us in our clean energy future.”
“The current financial crisis presents our generation with an opportunity to re-visit the fundamentals of our economy. We want a ‘Green New Deal’: a new economy based on clean technology and renewable energy. Investing in climate change solutions will sow the seeds of sustainable economic recovery and the next financial boom.”

We spent our weekend baking the cupcakes, but if our leaders bake the planet it will affect us our entire lives.

If Prime Minister Rudd adopts 2020 carbon pollution reduction targets within of between 25-40% that would be the icing on the cake!

The cupcakes carry a message to MPs that after 12 months in office, the world is running out of time to solve climate change and that they must adopt strong targets to reduce our carbon pollution – within the range of at least 25- 40% by 2020.

About Anna

Anna Rose, 25, founded the Australian Youth Climate Coalition in November 2006. The coalition unites a diversity of youth organisations to build a generation-wide movement to solve climate change. Anna was a National Organiser for the National Union of Students in 2005 and is past National Convenor of the Australian Student Environment Network. She is a former editor of the Sydney University student paper, member of the United Nations Pacific Youth Environment Network, holds a 2008 Fellowship from the International Youth Foundation, and comes from the biggest coal export port in the world - Newcastle, Australia.