Worried about the long term impacts of climate change, students from Cleveland District High School took to the streets and presented Andrew Laming MP with a letter signed by dozens of their school mates.
Locals students speak-up
The Cleveland rally was well organised and well attended by students and their supporters. key organisers were Taikina Kane-Potaka and Tess Conaghan, both of Cleveland High. About 30 students took action by attending and there were people attending to hear the students first hand. Some street debate ensued but all in a respectful and peaceful manner, which accords with community expectations in Cleveland.
Those in attendance could not help but be impressed with the public speaking skills and the arguments put forward by students. Their passion showed through as they put a series of questions to Mr Laming.
The letter presented to the Member for Bowman reads:
Andrew Laming,
As young people, we have an interest in our future and the future of the planet. Therefore, we would like to see climate change policies that reflect the severity of the environmental situation!
In 11 years, we will no longer be able to reverse the climate catastrophe due to constant carbon emissions, pollution, and lack of acknowledgement to the effects of climate change. These effects will devastate our planet, on unprecedented local, national, and international levels.
By signing this petition, we ask that as a local politician and the member of Australian parliament for bowman, you commit to:
- #stopadani
- No new fossil fuels
- 100% renewables by 2030
Commit to the urgent climate action we all deserve!
#climateelection day of action
The organisers and student body are anticipating Mr Laming’s response.
Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed, that’s all who ever have.
Origins of the worldwide climate change day of action and the School Strike 4 Climate Change are attributed to the efforts of one 15 year old Swedish school girl Greta Thunberg and her call to action resulted in over 2000 rallies in over 120 countries. Her pleas were received by world forums such as EU leaders, UN Climate Change COP24 Conference and the United Kingdom Parliament.
Taikina Kane-Potaka and Tess Conaghan were subsequently invited to take their message to members and supporters of Redlands2030. At that meeting Taikina and Tess demonstrated the same tenacity and convictions. They were warmly received as they outlined their concerns and the concerns of young people generally about climate change. From their research they were adamant that climate change was at dangerous levels. Their presentation was recorded and, with the students’ permission, the video is available on the Redlands2030 YouTube channel.
What did they say?
The street presentation in front of Andrew Laming’s office was focused on the issues of climate change and the text of the presentation has been made available to Redlands2030 for the information of readers. Tess and Tainika said:
I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we meet on, the Quandamooka peoples. We must keep in mind that climate change affects indigenous communities the most, despite the fact that they leave the least negative impacts on the environment. This is unjust, that these communities are forced to suffer the harshest effects due to emissions.
Climate change affects our future!
Welcome, and thank you everyone for your selflessness and for taking the time out of their Friday to start a much-needed discussion on climate action. It’s really important that, as global citizens, we know the facts and are able to discuss topics such as climate change. It’s important that we use our voices and fight to be heard by our local and national politicians, with respect and honesty. We are young, but many of us are turning eighteen, just months after the federal election. We will be able to vote by the next election, and because of this, it is essential we take part in these matters now. It affects our future, so we must have a voice.
But the sad thing is, we can’t wait until the next federal election to change Australia’s policies regarding climate change. The UN has warned the international community that we have 11 years left to avoid a total climate catastrophe, so every moment counts. Eleven years isn’t a long time, and if things don’t change now, our environment will get worse.
We are on a path to irreversible destruction.
I want to have a future in forty years’ time. I want to be able to give back to and protect the planet that has been our home for millions of years. When our generation has children, we want to be able to give them the best the world has to offer. At this rate, we can’t do that. At this rate, we are on a path to irreversible destruction.
Each year, heat temperatures have broken new records. So many species of animals are now considered severely endangered, with the combination of unnecessary deforestation and the destruction of natural habitats by rising temperatures. Our landscape is changing for the worse, with many negative consequences. Each year, we see unprecedented natural disasters that have only strengthened with time. Yet on the radio, we hear our politicians ignoring and ineffectively addressing the very few and very ineffective strategies to reduce carbon emissions.
The scientists agree that climate change is real
We know that 97% of scientists agree that climate change is real and that it has devastating effects on our planet. On an individual level, we can do all we can to save our planet, but it’s ultimately up to our local, state, national and international politicians and governments to combat climate change by implementing aggressive policies that make a significant difference.
That’s why we’re here today. Right now, we’re outside the front of Andrew Laming’s office, who has been the member of the Australian Parliament for Bowman since 2004. As a member of the Liberal Party and without any effective climate change policies in place, we would like to present Dr Laming’s office with a petition for greater climate action and use this opportunity to discuss what we can do to make sure that climate change is in the forefront of this election.
Adapting to climate change is not good enough
What’s concerning to see is that when we look through Andrew Laming’s website, we’re given a list of the policies that he and the LNP have put forward. The sad truth is, that despite the public call for meaningful climate action from our politicians, climate change is referred to scarcely within any of the Party’s policies. In fact, in cases such as agriculture, the LNP has created policies to adapt to climate change, rather than actually addressing it. That’s a really worrying thing to see from our government.
The government, including Scott Morrison, has constantly misled the public to believe that Australia is on track to reduce their emissions by 2030 and that we have a great policy for climate action. That is not true. If we look at the government’s own 2018 report into the Emissions Reduction Fund, Australia is not on track to reduce emissions. In contrast, if anything, our emissions are starting to rise again, and now there is not a significant decline in emissions since 1990.
We are the future
As the next generation, we need to take our future into our own hands and push for more meaningful, significant, and effective climate action.
Andrew Laming, will you push for climate action with us?
A You Tube reminder
Readers are encouraged to see for yourself the excellent speaking skills and the depth of knowledge that Taikina Kane-Potaka and Tess Conaghan bring to their cause. Again, view the Redlands2030 You Tube record of their presentations..
Further reading on Redlands2030:
Climate change needs action from politicians
Redlands2030 – 5 June 2019
Please note: Offensive or off-topic comments will be deleted. If offended by any published comment please email thereporter@redlands2030.net
5 Comments
These children would have been better off at school, not complying with the wishes of climate change activists who blame mankind for the changes. Too many of the public have been brainwashed into believing mankind’s CO2 emissions are the cause of the present global warming. The subject is better understood by reading the paper at:
https://www.scribd.com/document/383385011/Global-Warming-Misunderstood.
97% of scientists do not agree about global warming. This is just another attempt to hoodwink the public. This is explained in the paper.
I’m no expert so i don’t know if 97% of scientists agree, but there’s definitely a general scientific consensus that accelerated levels climate change ARE due to human activity. It’s been confirmed by the United Nation, World Health Organisation, NASA, National Geographic, and about a million other credible scientific international sources and research papers that these girls should be concerned about their future. We are treating our home with such carelessness, you don’t need to look hard to see how we’re destroying our planet and how close it is until mother nature can’t take our exploitation anymore
I think the vast majority of people agree the planet is slowly warming, we’ve heard and seen the evidence provided by science from at least as far back as the eighties, things like observed elevated measurements and readings, ice core samples from the Antarctic dating back 100,000 years that divulge the heightened levels of C02 measured from the air bubbles trapped within, etc etc.
What we are never told, is the amount of human carbon emissions, as a percentage of what is naturally generated by the planet. Whenever this question is asked, there will usually be references made to various sites of information that parrot what we already know, but never expands on mans contribution as a comparison to what the planet is doing by itself.
Of course, if this information was known, it would be on the tip of everyone’s tongue. Is it the fear of being placed in a compromising position that we hardly ever see eminent climate scientists prepared to quote anything other than a general overview, and not properly address the climate debate by providing accurate figures that map mans contribution as a percentage of overall carbon in the atmosphere.
Accurate and freely available information such as this would no doubt help Governments formulate appropriate policy, therefore avoiding the constant bickering and wasteful expense of time and energy as evidenced in Australia’s political scene for years, as well as avoiding comments like ” we only have 12 years to address climate change”. Where did the 12 years emerge from, funny how this figure is deemed reportable?
I also think much of this generalised and highly emotional information being fed to school children exposes the ignorance and partisan views of their teachers, and only results in inflamed conversation and actions.
The really big worry is that these gullible, misinformed and possibly semi educated kids will be our leaders in the short future – now that should make your bowels rumble!
It’s a relief that our future leaders are passionate, very educated and respectful of our current local leaders (even though they don’t share the same views as Andrew Laming). It’s better that then keyboard warriors calling our young people gullible and misinformed about the subjects they’re passionate about. Good on you girls!