SYDNEY, AUGUST 8, 2018: With one month to go, thousands of Australians in more than 20 locations from Broome to Hobart and Coffs Harbour to Perth are organising events across Australia for the global protest Rise For Climate on September 8.
Across the world, thousands of people are expected to take part in the peaceful protest, demanding real leadership from government to fast forward energy action to protect the climate.
Events around Australia will happen in every capital city as well as Cairns, Yeppoon, Wee Jasper, Byron Bay, Coffs Harbour, Bendigo, Moruya, Cooktown, Rockhampton, Port Macquarie, Broome and LaTrobe. More events are being arranged each week.
The #Rise team in Coffs Harbour will be in front of the Big Banana demanding big renewables. Sydneysiders will be sailing on a tall ship with sails spelling out the need for climate action. In Brisbane the Pacific Islander community will hold a festival, bringing together music and dance and raising the existential threat that climate change represents for their homelands.
“This week the National Energy Guarantee policy dominates headlines but fails fundamentally on climate grounds, guaranteeing an end to the boom in renewables. Tens of thousands of Australians have contacted their state Energy Ministers to reject the policy. We’re asking anyone angry about the Australia’s energy policy mess to rise for the climate and join this protest,” said Glen Klatovsky, deputy CEO of 350.org Australia.
Around the world under the Rise For Climate banner, Pacific Island nations will petition their local institutions to commit to 100% renewable energy; affected communities in Thailand will be marching outside the UN climate change conference in Bangkok; there will be climate summits for local leaders to accelerate the just transition to fair and equitable energy systems for all across Africa; in Latin America groups will rise up to challenge dangerous fossil fuel extraction methods including fracking; and in Europe communities, including areas already experiencing climate impacts, will challenge their local municipalities to ditch dangerous fossil fuels and accelerate a just and swift transition to 100% renewable energy.
Rise for Climate will be highly visual, creative and unique with renowned artists in Brazil, Canada, Samoa, New Zealand, Ukraine, Portugal, Netherlands, Uganda, and Indonesia as well as community groups across the planet taking part to help bridge language, culture and geographic gaps and find the common core to build a groundswell of support for real climate leadership and a fast and just transition to an equitable world.
In 2018 there have been severe impacts of climate change including: extreme heat waves across North Africa, Europe and Japan where a national emergency was declared; devastating wildfires in Greece, Sweden and the USA; and massive Antarctic ice-melt that contributes to global sea level rise threatening our coastal cities and island nations.
The global Rise for Climate days lead up to the Global Climate Action Summit in California on 12-14 September. This event will be attended by governments, cities, businesses, community leaders and other stakeholders, aiming to showcase climate action taking place around the world and inspire deeper commitments from all levels of government globally.
NOTE TO EDITORS:
Website: riseforclimate.org
For interviews: Glen Klatovsky on 0410 482 243
Media contact: Lou Fraser, 350.org: 0438 993 068.