SS4C
The rising tide of disgust with Australia’s dirty energy policy reaches Maroochydore
Students, parents, educators, workers and families will gather in Maroochydore Rotary Park at Cotton Tree from 12pm to 2pm to voice a clear message to the Morrison Government: #FundOurFutureNotGas and invest in renewable energy and First Nations solutions that care for country.
The Sunshine Coast event is one of dozens of School Strike 4 Climate (SS4C) actions across the country and is supported by Australian Parents for Climate Action (AP4CA).
Spokesperson for AP4CA Sunshine Coast, Yolanda Dasgupta, said "We are striking to tell the Morrison Government that if they care about the future of kids in this country, they must stop funding and supporting gas.
“Gas is fuelling the climate crisis, devastating our land and water and wrecking our health.
“The new $600 million taxpayer-funded, gas-fired power station just announced in NSW is a massive handout to the fossil fuel industry but creates very few jobs. The International Energy Agency has clearly stated that if governments are serious about the climate crisis, there can be no new investments in oil, gas and coal, from now.”
Ms Dasgupta said “We have a chance to create a sustainable recovery from Covid-19. Anything less is short sighted at best and negligent at worst!”
Speakers at Friday’s event include Adrian Whitehead, Co-Founder, Beyond Zero Emissions and Director, Council and Community Action in the Climate Emergency; Noosa Councillor Dr Brian Stockwell, Qld Representative on the Strategic Advisory Board of Climate Emergency Australia, and Logan Costa, Student and Member of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition.
Dr Brian Stockwell said “Since the seventies, we've known fossil fuel pollution causes global warming. But for the last fifty years, politicians have been asleep at the wheel. In 2019, we in the
Noosa Council declared a Climate Emergency. We committed to meaningful action to become carbon neutral by 2026. If we want a better future for our youth, we have to listen to their demands for a cleaner future.”
The crowd will be entertained by musicians Rob Longstaff and Lee Hardisty, as well as young Sunshine Coast acoustic duo, brothers Frank (age 14) and Louis (age 12). AP4CA Sunshine Coast will be handing out free fresh fruit.
What: School Strike 4 Climate
Where: Maroochydore Rotary Park at Cotton Tree
When: Friday 21 May, 12pm - 2pm
(All SS4C strike events are COVID-safe and ask that attendees follow local restrictions, bring face masks and hand sanitiser, practice physical distancing of 1.5 metres, and stay home if they have cold or flu-like symptoms.)
Not For Publication: For media enquiries, please contact Yolanda Dasgupta, Australian Parents for Climate Action Sunshine Coast, on 0434 829 393 or [email protected]
ABOUT SS4C
School Strike 4 Climate are school students of all ages, races, genders, backgrounds and sexualities from every part of Australia. United by our concern for the future of the planet that we live in, we have bridged the thousands of kilometres that separates us to create the one of the biggest movements in Australian history. We are striking from school to demand that our politicians take our future seriously & treat climate change as what it is: a crisis. We demand just three things: ONE - No new coal, oil and gas projects, including the Adani mine; TWO - 100% renewable energy generation & exports by 2030; THREE - Fund a just transition & job creation for all fossil-fuel workers & communities.
ABOUT AP4CA
Australian Parents for Climate Action is Australia’s leading organisation to engage, organise and empower parents and carers to advocate for a safe climate for our children’s future. With over 14,000 supporters and 30 local groups, our supporters are from across the political spectrum, in every Australian electorate, and from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. We seek non-partisan responses from government and business to climate change and its impacts. We’re on a mission to engage and empower millions of parents across Australia to advocate for climate action in their communities, in the media and to politicians and businesses. Our vision is for our children to live safe, healthy, full lives because Australian governments and businesses have implemented the solutions required to ensure a safe climate.
