Over the weekend, tens of thousands of Australians will stand alongside one another in what will be Australia’s largest climate march ever. Australians from each city will walk alongside millions of others in hundreds of cities around the world for the People’s Climate March. Our steps have the power to show our nation’s political leaders the diverse support for stronger climate action.
Meanwhile, world leaders will gather in Paris for the United Nations climate summit to discuss a global agreement that has the potential to stop catastrophic climate change. While commitments made so far are encouraging and do signify progress, they’re not enough to stop disastrous climate change.
This year, the largest coalition of Australian International Development NGOs in history (consisting of over 60 members) united behind a new "Campaign for Australian Aid", to demand the government reverse the biggest ever cuts to Australian Aid. Not only have these cuts had dire consequences for society’s most vulnerable, they’ve damaged our country’s international reputation. Global poverty, how people use and abuse natural resources, climate change, war, famine - these issues and more are interconnected and by uniting behind global solutions we can face these challenges, together.
The People’s Climate March will see Australians from all walks of life out in full force on Friday, November 27 through to Sunday, November 29. Tens of thousands of people will fight for an end to dirty fossil fuels and a better future for ourselves and our children - a future powered by 100 per cent clean, renewable energy. The time has come for Australia’s politicians to follow our lead and get behind their communities to help build a cleaner, safer and fairer future for all.
The consequences of an Australian government that stalls any longer when it comes to climate change are serious. Right now, the world is facing its hottest decade on record and people in poverty are being hurt first and hurt the hardest.
We can’t make poverty history unless we also make carbon pollution history. The World Bank has recently warned that rising temperatures could drive 100 million people into extreme poverty.
At the People’s Climate March, we will stand alongside people like Daniel Kaltonga in Vanuatu. Daniel has been fishing since he was 10-years-old. His family also grows a variety of crops. But since Tropical Cyclone Pam, “there is not enough food,” he says. The impacts of climate change are being exacerbated by a strengthening El Niño event that is currently leading to reduced rainfall in the South Pacific. “Our crops cannot survive the sun; they are dying,” says Daniel.
So come along and a keep a lookout for us. We’ll be wearing red to represent those on the ‘frontline communities’ section of the march. The colour red is known for symbolising an ‘emergency’ - and for millions of people living in poverty climate change is a humanitarian disaster unfolding right now.
You,along with the rest of Australia, are invited to be part of making history and driving real change.
Tony Milne is Campaign Director of Campaign for Australian Aid.
