#047 Strike, Summit & Song
What difference does it make?
The Global Climate Strike on the 20th of September saw upwards of four million people strike worldwide. A few hundred thousand of these were in Australia, including thousands of businesses and dozens of union groups, as adults were invited to join in and support the burgeoning student movement. It was all timed to lead in to the UN Climate Action Summit a few days later, where Greta and other young leaders also had a strong presence.
The Perth climate strike in Australia. Pic: Anthony James.
“I don’t want your hope. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day. And then I want you to act. I want you to act as if the house is on fire, because it is. ”
This episode is dedicated to taking a look at this significant moment in time, and to getting some sense of the difference being made. You’ll hear a spread of voices from around Australia and the world, including Greta, a host of other impressive young people and some of their guest speakers at the strike, through to UN Chief António Guterres on what came out of the subsequent Summit.
The film 2040 also screened at the Summit, so we’ll hear from award-winning director Damon Gameau about his impressions of the meet too. And while at the strike in Perth, Anthony spoke with a diverse range of adults around the margins of the march, asking what is moving them to step up, and how they are doing it.
So here’s a look at these significant few days, some of the extraordinary context leading to it all, and the systemic and cultural changes starting to gear up.
Get more:
School Strike 4 Climate Australia.
Greta Thunberg: the speeches that helped spark a climate movement, from The Guardian News.
Global climate strike: Millions take to the streets to save the world, from Channel 4 News.
The Greta Thunberg HelpLine, from ABC’s 7:30 Report.
Alexandria Villaseñor, a 14 year old climate advocate: opening speech at the first meeting of UNICEF's Second Executive Board Regular Session.
David Attenborough tells world leaders at COP 24 that the 'Continuation of civilisation is in your hands', from The Guardian News 13.12.18.
UN Secretary General António Guterres, participating as a ‘keynote listener’ at the Youth Climate Summit. Followed by his close of the Climate Action Summit 2019.
Music:
Far Away Castle, by Rae Howell & Sunwrae.
The acoustic tune at the end of this episode is by Jeremiah Johnson.