Media release – XR Tasmania, 27 October 2021
Elders March for Climate Action Thursday
At lunchtime Thursday 28th October older generation Tasmanians will gather in Salamanca Square, Hobart, and march to Parliament Lawn in support of younger generations who will face the greater consequences of the climate crisis. Their cry is ‘Climate Distress – Elders for Kids’ and they call on parliamentary leaders to meet and develop a common ground statement for climate action.
Phil Tapper from the group Grey Power Extinction Rebellion Tasmania said: “After decades of denial and inaction, governments are now making moves to combat climate change. But we are sceptical of their true commitment to action, which if not taken now, will constitute the greatest ever crime against humanity.
We will rise on the eve of COP26 to not only get the federal and state governments to make meaningful commitments but to also demonstrate how they plan to meet those commitments. This must include a strong increase in 2030 targets and roadmaps for every aspect of society as to how our nation and our state will move forward in concert with the rest of the world.”
Paul Costin, a climate activist elder, said “Some years ago we acknowledged that the older generation in the Western world have lived an incredibly privileged life and it has been at the expense of others and of nature itself. We have relentlessly exploited the planet’s resources for our own comfort and now nature is calling us out. Time is up. We stand with younger generations who are going to feel much greater impacts of climate change than we have so far. I’m not a climate scientist. I respect and listen to them (refer to recent IPCC Report). Our governments need to act on their advice with urgency.”
Dr Clare Smith said “It is Code Red for the planet, and our kids know it. Research by UNICEF has revealed that children and young people in Australia today are overwhelmingly worried about the threat of climate change and the ongoing failure of successive governments to take any effective action to mitigate what they consider to be a formidable threat – and that was in 2019! We need to support our kids in every way we can – there is still hope, if we can all pull together and work on solutions.”
Tony Richardson will ask parliamentary leaders on Thursday to join him and three other XR people to explore their common ground regarding what they believe is their leadership responsibility to young people. They will complete together “For us to provide leadership about climate which addresses the anxiety and distress of the youth of Tasmania, we must…..”. The need for this united political approach is a finding of Lancet Planetary Health Research. Tony has worked world-wide within organisations and communities seeking common ground as a basis for whole community plans.
Extinction Rebellion have commenced a week of Spring Rebellion in Southern Tasmania highlighting the need for the world to embrace strong climate action targets and strong plans to meet those targets by way of a just transition for society.
