“You can’t expect a mother to do nothing when their child’s whole future is at risk.”
Parents across the world will be joining youth climate strikers taking part in a global day of climate action on 25th September 2020. Parents from countries including Brazil, Nigeria, India, Australia, Poland, Israel, UK, and Germany, will be taking part in the day to support their children in the fight for climate action.
These parents are part of the Parents for Future Global network, which consists of 130 groups in more than 27 countries.
Rowan Ryrie of Parents for Future UK who is helping to organise a shoe strike action in Oxford on 25th September to visually represent the impact of the climate crisis on future generations said:
“We need brave leaders to act decisively based on scientific advice and to think long term - beyond the next election and forward to what legacy today’s generations are going to leave to our children? I have two young children and my love for them is what motivates me. For the children of today and for all those yet to come we need to focus on the CO2 curve as well as the Covid curve.”
In Brazil, parents are demanding that the Brazilian government urgently and effectively fight fires in the Amazon and the Pantanal and reverse the dismantling of the enforcement structure to combat illegal deforestation.
Clara Ramos, a mother of two kids, from Parents for Future Brazil said:
"Brazil has been evolving a lot in the fight against deforestation over the last 15 years and this process has been interrupted by the current government. This puts at risk the Paris Agreement, by which Brazil has committed to zero deforestation by 2030. The global strike is an opportunity to bring these serious problems to the attention of Brazilian society.”
In Poland, parents are pushing for their government to declare climate neutrality, to move away from coal by 2030, stop deforestation and to take care of water resources.
Kamila Kadzidłowska, a mother of three kids, from Warsaw in Poland said:
“I believe that my responsibility as a parent is not only to take care of my children today, but also to care for the world in which they will live in 20... 40 years. This means putting pressure on politicians whose decisions nowadays have a key impact on the future of my children.”
In Australia, parents are campaigning for a shift to renewable energy and an end to fossil fuels.
Leanne Brummell, a mother of one, from Australian Parents for Climate Action said:
"You can’t expect a mother to do nothing when their child’s whole future is at risk. Australia’s plan for a gas led recovery puts the whole world in danger and there are many parents in Australia determined to ban fossil fuels.”
Parents from Israel are also calling on leaders to do more for the sake of the next generation.
Chen Gazit-Naor, a mother of two from Parents for Climate Israel, said:
“The time to act is now. We want every leader in the world to take responsibility and start making hard, life-changing decisions: stop corruption and pollution. We need leaders who use their voice and advocate for climate and biodiversity and be part of the solution to help protect the children’s future.”
The day of action, initiated by Fridays For Future, will involve a range of Covid-safe forms of action adapted to the local situation and all focussed on calling for urgent climate action as part of Covid-19 recovery plans. The action that parents will take depends on their individual country contexts and includes protests in city centres and local communities, creative protests, individual actions, litter picks, letter writing initiatives, and school-focused actions.
Parents For Future Global are also encouraging online engagement with Olafur Eliasson’s new project Earth Speakr, which enables young children to record their own messages and encourages adults to listen to the voices of children.
The parents are also hosting an online event on 24th September so that interested parents and journalists from around the world can hear first-hand about parent-climate activism. Climate parent activists from Brazil, Nigeria, India, Australia, Poland, Israel, UK, and Germany will be speaking about their experiences at this event.