Invitation to support Climate Crisis National Day of Action Saturday 22 February
2019 was the year the climate crisis became impossible to ignore for millions. School strikers mobilised in their hundreds of thousands in Australia and inspired workers and other adults to rise up against the Morrison governmentās climate vandalism.
Now savage fires are devastating peoplesā lives, water shortages are pushing many towns to crisis point, millions have endured weeks or months of hazardous air quality, and over a billion native animals have been killed.
Yet Morrison still refuses to accept the reality of climate change, wrecked the global climate negotiations in December 2019, and doesnāt want to pay the people fighting the fires or expand resources for fire fighting. Funding for recovery is important but is not enough ā we need to address the cause of this climate crisis and start making drastic reductions to greenhouse gas emissions in Australia and globally. Australia must lead international efforts to reduce emissions, not block them.
A new alliance of groups has been formed called Climate Justice Alliance. In Melbourne, we created Climate Justice Alliance Melbourne. The inaugural meeting to form Climate Justice Alliance Melbourne was attended by 87 people from 20 organisations.
We initiated a call to support a National Day of Climate Action on Saturday 22 February, demanding government action and investment on a scale to match the current climate crisis, including:
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100% renewable energy ā No new fossil fuel or nuclear projects. End subsidies to these industries. Zero emissions by 2030. Build a 100% publicly owned renewable energy system by 2030. Phase out fossil fuel industries by 2030.
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A just transition for communities and guaranteed jobs for affected fossil fuel workers. Fund good low emissions jobs in transport, manufacturing, disaster relief, health, education, energy and climate adaptation
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Fund our firies ā support communities and affected animals. Increase funding and resources to cope with longer and more intense fire seasons. Pay rural firefighters and reverse cuts to parks and fire services. Guaranteed homes and jobs for fire-affected communities. Guaranteed funding and support for all animals affected by the fires.
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First nations justice. Funding for Indigenous-led land management with jobs on country to repair ecosystems, reduce emissions and reduce fire risk. Land and water rights for Indigenous peoples.
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Make the Climate Criminals pay - Put a levy on fossil fuel companies. They should pay for the crisis they created.
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Transition away from animal agriculture ā Assist farmers to transition to more sustainable plant-based farming or away from animal agriculture. Redistribute animal agriculture industry subsidies to fund such transitional activity. Promote plant-based diets in society, especially in the health and education sectors.
Morrison is already on the back foot and the movement is getting stronger. Those already active are determined to continue the fight and new layers of activists are being galvanised into action.
This moment of heightened awareness must be seized, to continue building the movement through mass protests. We canāt allow the anger and awareness about the bushfires to fizzle out at the end of summer, have people start accepting unprecedented bushfires as the new normal, or turn to cynicism and despair.
The goals of the National Day of Action would be to
- Channel anger about the climate crisis into mass action
- Continue to build pressure on our Federal Government to accept our demands
- Provide a space for those impacted by the climate crisis to be heard
- Welcome new people into our movement
- Encourage new alliances amongst groups seeking climate justice
Each city will figure out how best to organise their event with most cities forming broad collectives involving First Nations activists, workers, students, parents, grandparents and rebels of all persuasions to pull the event together. It will be an opportunity to strengthen the ties between the numerous campaign groups that have emerged in the past year, and form an identity as a united movement.
Please circulate this proposal far and wide, so that all of our allies are aware of this call to action.
This proposal has been developed by a new alliance called the Climate Justice Alliance and is endorsed by the groups and individuals listed below. If you or your organisation would like to add your names to the call or would like to organise a local event, please email climatejusticealliance2Melb@gmail.com. Please include your logo so we can include in publicity.
The details of the Melbourne rally are:
Climate Crisis National Day of Action Saturday 22 February, 2pm State Library
