Fifteen-year-old youth climate activists Jean Hinchliffe and Harriet O’Shea Carre are disappointed Prime Minister Scott Morrison did not attend the United Nations Climate Change Summit in New York this week.
The event is a coming together of world leaders to mobilise governments and businesses to reduce carbon emissions. The UN did not allow representatives from countries that do not have a clear climate action plan to speak at the event - this includes Australia. Prime Minister Scott Morrison was, however, welcome to attend the event.
Instead, the Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne went to the summit on behalf of the Australian government, while Morrison presented a significant keynote speech in Chicago, where he urged China to step up on climate change.
"As nations progress and develop, then the obligations and how the rules apply to them, also shift," said Mr Morrison during his speech.
Fifteen-year-old Harriet - who was invited to the UN Youth Climate Summit on Saturday - said she is 'horrified' at the Prime Minister’s choice not to attend.
“He was allowed to come to the summit and he turned it down, it is so infuriating and it makes me so mad,” she said.
“He is at the top of the social hierarchy in Australia and his decisions are affecting poor developing countries and young people. Scott Morrison not coming to this summit shows he doesn’t care.”
Jean Hinchliffe, 15, travelled from Sydney to New York. She said it was “irresponsible" that the Prime Minister decided to skip the summit despite, being in the US.
Jean Hinchcliffe travelled to New York to meet with other youth climate activists. Source: Dateline
"Our emissions have been rising for years and we had 300,000 people striking [on Friday]."
Scott Morrison told media in Chicago that he plans to use his national statement at the UN General Assembly to speak about Australia’s response to global environmental challenges.
Morrison has been in the US meeting with President Donald Trump, who unexpectedly made an appearance at the climate summit with Vice President Mike Pence.
The rise of the youth climate activism
Harriet O’Shea Carre began her climate advocacy from her hometown of Castlemaine, in Victoria. She is one of the founding members of School Strike For Climate (SS4C) movement in Australia.
The high school student will be missing class while she is in New York, a sacrifice she is willing to make for global action on climate change.
“I’m going to keep fighting and sacrificing as much as it takes to win this fight,” she told Dateline.
“I wish I could say we are going to have a stable future where we are safe.”
Swedish activist Greta Thunberg has transformed into a global youth spokesperson for climate-change. The video of her impassioned address at the summit has already been watched millions of times across the internet.
Source: Dateline
“The eyes of all future generations are upon you,” she said.
Alongside 15 other children, Thunberg filed a complaint to the UN against five countries for not doing enough to stop global warming.
The complaint accused France, Brazil, Argentina and Turkey of violating children's rights by failing to take adequate and timely action against climate change.
Jean Hinchliffe - who was a key organiser of last Friday’s school strikes across the country - said it has been incredible to meet other young people committed to fighting for global action on climate change.
“I’ve spoken to so many of these kids online, now I have been able to finally meet them in person,” she said.
“It is something that excites me. It’s taken so long for young people to be given a platform.
