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A child holds a sign at Town Hall during the School Strike 4 Climate rally on May 21, 2021 in Sydney, Australia. School Strike 4 Climate rallies are being held across Australia, with students protesting government inaction on the climate emergency. (Photo: Don Arnold/Getty Images)
Tens of thousands of demonstrators took part in protests across Australia on Friday, demanding Prime Minister Scott Morrison stop funding fossil fuels and start treating the climate crisis as an emergency.
Actions were scheduled to take place at nearly 50 locations including in Perth, Sydney, Adelaide, and Hobart.
\u201c\u201cAs a First Nations woman it\u2019s important that we\u2019re here leading the fight on the frontlines, because this always was and always will be Aboriginal land.\u201d Proud First Nations woman Tamika Sadler standing strong at the #Meanjin #ClimateStrike today\ud83d\udda4\ud83d\udc9b\u2764\ufe0f #AlwaysWasAlwaysWillBe\u201d— School Strike 4 Climate Australia (@School Strike 4 Climate Australia) 1621575632
School Strike 4 Climate Australia, which heralded the in-person actions as "the biggest climate strike since pre-pandemic," said that Morrisson "can't ignore the tens of thousands of students, First Nations people, union workers, and others who were marching through the streets today!"
\u201cThis is the BIGGEST #ClimateStrike since pre-pandemic. Gajillions marched the streets in 50+ locations today to demand that Morrison\u2019s Government #FundOurFutureNotGasFireFire \ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udd25 We left school because the gov won\u2019t leave its plutocrat-supplicating gas investment behind \u274c\u270a\ud83c\udffd\u201d— School Strike 4 Climate Australia (@School Strike 4 Climate Australia) 1621580549
\u201cthe #ClimateStrike crowd in Melbourne is segsy\u201d— School Strike 4 Climate Australia (@School Strike 4 Climate Australia) 1621601700
\u201cSit down in Perth to help bring the climate emergency to the attention of our fossil fuel loving politicians and Woodside. School Strike for Climate. #FundOurFutureNotGas #ClimateStrike @AYCC @FFMurdochUni @StrikeClimate @XRebellionWA #auspol\u201d— 350 Boorloo Perth (@350 Boorloo Perth) 1621582553
\u201cTishiko King, a Torres Strait Islander woman & inspirational organiser with @SeedMob speaks passionately about the challenges communities in the Torres Strait & Pacific are already facing die to Climate change.\n\nShe got a huge cheer from the #ClimateStrike on Melbourne.\n#auspol\u201d— Dylan Quinnell (@Dylan Quinnell) 1621569359
Among the youth "striking" from school to take part in the Sydney rally was 17-year-old David Soriano.
"We're scared and concerned," Soriano told the BBC.
"We're doubtful that there might not be a future in store for the generations after us, and even our own generation," he said.
According to organizers' event description:
The Morrison government could be protecting our climate, land, and water, and creating thousands of new jobs by growing Australia's renewable energy sector and backing First Nations solutions to protect [our] country.
Instead, they are lining the pockets of multinational gas companies, which are fueling the climate crisis, devastating our land and water, wrecking our health, and creating very few jobs.
On May 21, we're striking to tell the Morrison government that if they care about our future, they must stop throwing money at gas.
Further catalyzing anger at Morrison's government was its recent announcement that it's committing $600 million of public funds to a new gas-fired power plant New South Wales--a plan that makes "zero sense," according to the Climate Council --and that, while aligning with his government's push for a "gas-led recovery," stood in stark contrast to the International Energy Agency's declaration the same day that there is "no need for investment in new fossil fuel supply in our net-zero pathway."
Erin Shutter, a high school student in Brisbane, welcomed demonstrators young and not-so-young who came out for the protests on Friday.
"Our future is incredibly important and currently our government isn't doing enough to protect and fight for it," she told The Age, "but clearly a lot of people will."
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Tens of thousands of demonstrators took part in protests across Australia on Friday, demanding Prime Minister Scott Morrison stop funding fossil fuels and start treating the climate crisis as an emergency.
Actions were scheduled to take place at nearly 50 locations including in Perth, Sydney, Adelaide, and Hobart.
\u201c\u201cAs a First Nations woman it\u2019s important that we\u2019re here leading the fight on the frontlines, because this always was and always will be Aboriginal land.\u201d Proud First Nations woman Tamika Sadler standing strong at the #Meanjin #ClimateStrike today\ud83d\udda4\ud83d\udc9b\u2764\ufe0f #AlwaysWasAlwaysWillBe\u201d— School Strike 4 Climate Australia (@School Strike 4 Climate Australia) 1621575632
School Strike 4 Climate Australia, which heralded the in-person actions as "the biggest climate strike since pre-pandemic," said that Morrisson "can't ignore the tens of thousands of students, First Nations people, union workers, and others who were marching through the streets today!"
\u201cThis is the BIGGEST #ClimateStrike since pre-pandemic. Gajillions marched the streets in 50+ locations today to demand that Morrison\u2019s Government #FundOurFutureNotGasFireFire \ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udd25 We left school because the gov won\u2019t leave its plutocrat-supplicating gas investment behind \u274c\u270a\ud83c\udffd\u201d— School Strike 4 Climate Australia (@School Strike 4 Climate Australia) 1621580549
\u201cthe #ClimateStrike crowd in Melbourne is segsy\u201d— School Strike 4 Climate Australia (@School Strike 4 Climate Australia) 1621601700
\u201cSit down in Perth to help bring the climate emergency to the attention of our fossil fuel loving politicians and Woodside. School Strike for Climate. #FundOurFutureNotGas #ClimateStrike @AYCC @FFMurdochUni @StrikeClimate @XRebellionWA #auspol\u201d— 350 Boorloo Perth (@350 Boorloo Perth) 1621582553
\u201cTishiko King, a Torres Strait Islander woman & inspirational organiser with @SeedMob speaks passionately about the challenges communities in the Torres Strait & Pacific are already facing die to Climate change.\n\nShe got a huge cheer from the #ClimateStrike on Melbourne.\n#auspol\u201d— Dylan Quinnell (@Dylan Quinnell) 1621569359
Among the youth "striking" from school to take part in the Sydney rally was 17-year-old David Soriano.
"We're scared and concerned," Soriano told the BBC.
"We're doubtful that there might not be a future in store for the generations after us, and even our own generation," he said.
According to organizers' event description:
The Morrison government could be protecting our climate, land, and water, and creating thousands of new jobs by growing Australia's renewable energy sector and backing First Nations solutions to protect [our] country.
Instead, they are lining the pockets of multinational gas companies, which are fueling the climate crisis, devastating our land and water, wrecking our health, and creating very few jobs.
On May 21, we're striking to tell the Morrison government that if they care about our future, they must stop throwing money at gas.
Further catalyzing anger at Morrison's government was its recent announcement that it's committing $600 million of public funds to a new gas-fired power plant New South Wales--a plan that makes "zero sense," according to the Climate Council --and that, while aligning with his government's push for a "gas-led recovery," stood in stark contrast to the International Energy Agency's declaration the same day that there is "no need for investment in new fossil fuel supply in our net-zero pathway."
Erin Shutter, a high school student in Brisbane, welcomed demonstrators young and not-so-young who came out for the protests on Friday.
"Our future is incredibly important and currently our government isn't doing enough to protect and fight for it," she told The Age, "but clearly a lot of people will."
Tens of thousands of demonstrators took part in protests across Australia on Friday, demanding Prime Minister Scott Morrison stop funding fossil fuels and start treating the climate crisis as an emergency.
Actions were scheduled to take place at nearly 50 locations including in Perth, Sydney, Adelaide, and Hobart.
\u201c\u201cAs a First Nations woman it\u2019s important that we\u2019re here leading the fight on the frontlines, because this always was and always will be Aboriginal land.\u201d Proud First Nations woman Tamika Sadler standing strong at the #Meanjin #ClimateStrike today\ud83d\udda4\ud83d\udc9b\u2764\ufe0f #AlwaysWasAlwaysWillBe\u201d— School Strike 4 Climate Australia (@School Strike 4 Climate Australia) 1621575632
School Strike 4 Climate Australia, which heralded the in-person actions as "the biggest climate strike since pre-pandemic," said that Morrisson "can't ignore the tens of thousands of students, First Nations people, union workers, and others who were marching through the streets today!"
\u201cThis is the BIGGEST #ClimateStrike since pre-pandemic. Gajillions marched the streets in 50+ locations today to demand that Morrison\u2019s Government #FundOurFutureNotGasFireFire \ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udd25 We left school because the gov won\u2019t leave its plutocrat-supplicating gas investment behind \u274c\u270a\ud83c\udffd\u201d— School Strike 4 Climate Australia (@School Strike 4 Climate Australia) 1621580549
\u201cthe #ClimateStrike crowd in Melbourne is segsy\u201d— School Strike 4 Climate Australia (@School Strike 4 Climate Australia) 1621601700
\u201cSit down in Perth to help bring the climate emergency to the attention of our fossil fuel loving politicians and Woodside. School Strike for Climate. #FundOurFutureNotGas #ClimateStrike @AYCC @FFMurdochUni @StrikeClimate @XRebellionWA #auspol\u201d— 350 Boorloo Perth (@350 Boorloo Perth) 1621582553
\u201cTishiko King, a Torres Strait Islander woman & inspirational organiser with @SeedMob speaks passionately about the challenges communities in the Torres Strait & Pacific are already facing die to Climate change.\n\nShe got a huge cheer from the #ClimateStrike on Melbourne.\n#auspol\u201d— Dylan Quinnell (@Dylan Quinnell) 1621569359
Among the youth "striking" from school to take part in the Sydney rally was 17-year-old David Soriano.
"We're scared and concerned," Soriano told the BBC.
"We're doubtful that there might not be a future in store for the generations after us, and even our own generation," he said.
According to organizers' event description:
The Morrison government could be protecting our climate, land, and water, and creating thousands of new jobs by growing Australia's renewable energy sector and backing First Nations solutions to protect [our] country.
Instead, they are lining the pockets of multinational gas companies, which are fueling the climate crisis, devastating our land and water, wrecking our health, and creating very few jobs.
On May 21, we're striking to tell the Morrison government that if they care about our future, they must stop throwing money at gas.
Further catalyzing anger at Morrison's government was its recent announcement that it's committing $600 million of public funds to a new gas-fired power plant New South Wales--a plan that makes "zero sense," according to the Climate Council --and that, while aligning with his government's push for a "gas-led recovery," stood in stark contrast to the International Energy Agency's declaration the same day that there is "no need for investment in new fossil fuel supply in our net-zero pathway."
Erin Shutter, a high school student in Brisbane, welcomed demonstrators young and not-so-young who came out for the protests on Friday.
"Our future is incredibly important and currently our government isn't doing enough to protect and fight for it," she told The Age, "but clearly a lot of people will."
