Category Archives: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The kids got it right: Climate Change, pollution and the system

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article by Silvia Swinden for Pressenza

Somehow for years vested interests had managed to keep a split between the two most damaging effects of burning fossil fuels: climate change leading to disaster in particular to the poorest areas of the planet and the millions of deaths and illnesses caused by pollution, also being the less well off the most affected. Failing to see them together was a way to weaken the arguments against the radical change in the production of energy necessary for our survival.

We had published in Pressenza (Failing to connect the fossil fuel dots of climate change and health ) a well researched paper from the Lancet referring to this combination, but the split remained both in the media and in most grassroots movements.

This is no longer the case. Yesterday’s schools strike carried the complete message. In the words of Greta Thunberg, “This movement had to happen, we didn’t have a choice. Last year’s UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s special report on global warming  could not have been clearer about the extreme dangers of going beyond 1.5C of global warming. To have any chance of avoiding that extreme danger emissions must drop rapidly – so that by the time we will be in our mid- and late-20s we are living in a transformed world.

“The students who are striking in cities, towns and villages around the world are uniting behind the science. We are only asking that our leaders to do the same.

“If those in power today don’t act, it will be our generation who will live through their failure. Those who are under 20 now could be around to see 2080, and face the prospect of a world that has warmed by up to 4C. The effects of such warming would be utterly devastating. Rivers would flood, storms would wreak havoc on coastal communities and coral reefs would be eliminated. Melting polar ice caps would lead to dramatically higher sea levels, flooding coastal areas. Places on Earth will become uninhabitable.

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Question for this article:


Are we seeing the dawn of a global youth movement?

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“Scientists have also shown us that burning fossil fuels is “the world’s most significant threat to children’s health”. Nine out of every 10 children around the world are breathing dangerous air. Our lives are being compromised before we are born. Toxic particles from exhaust fumes pass through the lungs of pregnant women and accumulate in the placenta. The risk of premature birth, low birth weight and cognitive dysfunction this causes is a public health catastrophe. Pollution from diesel vehicles is stunting the growth of our lungs, leaving us damaged for life. Toxic air from burning fossil fuels is choking not only our lungs but our hopes and dreams.

“And the worst effects of climate change are disproportionately felt by our most vulnerable communities. This is not just about cutting down emissions, but about equity – the system we have right now is failing us, working only for the rich few. The luxury so few of us enjoy in the global north is based on the suffering of people in the global south.”

In fact  The Guardian  reports that “The number of early deaths caused by air pollution is double previous estimates, according to research, meaning toxic air is killing more people than tobacco smoking.

“The scientists used new data to estimate that nearly 800,000 people die prematurely each year in Europe because of dirty air, and that each life is cut short by an average of more than two years. The health damage caused by air pollution in Europe is higher than the global average. Its dense population and poor air results in exposure that is among the highest in the world.

“The new research, published in the European Heart Journal, indicates that while air pollution hits the lungs first, its impact via the bloodstream on heart disease and strokes is responsible for twice as many deaths as respiratory diseases.”

The placards from the 100+ participating countries could not be clearer, children know the system is playing with their lives and they are inviting the adults to join in. In Silo’s 2004 words “Yes, it is worthwhile that this Message and that this Universal Humanism gain strength. It is worthwhile for young people to swell the ranks of this Moral Force as a variant of History… so that this current becomes unstoppable and its murmur heard in all the languages of the Earth. Then the new generations will begin to teach the adults with new affection and new understanding.”

In a world poisoned by cruelty and contradictions, the compassion and solidarity from the youngsters that reject this dehumanised system open the future for everyone, if we listen to them and choose to act now, not guided by the misinformation from the powerful but by listening carefully to the subtle call in the depths of our consciousness for compassion and coherence between our thoughts, feelings and actions. Then the violence will begin to retreat and our true human history will flourish.

(Thank you to Janet Hudgins, the CPNN reporter for this article.)

global, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Fridays for the Future: 25000 demonstrate in Berlin with Greta Thunberg

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article by Reto Thumiger for Pressenza

More than 25,000, mostly pupils and students, have gathered again in Berlin to give visible and audible expression to the climate strike “Fridays for the Future”.


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Most of the participants were not at my eye level, as they were not yet fully grown. That’s why most of the cardboard signs were right in front of me. Apart from the physical aspect, I felt like a dwarf with my generation in the face of the joy, determination and will of these children and young people taking responsibility and the future into their own hands.

“We are the generation that can and must change the climate chaos,” said activist Luisa Neubauer, “because we are more global, connected and agile than the generation before us”.

The initiator of the worldwide movement, the 16-year-old Swedish climate protection activist Greta Thunberg, also took part in the protest action in Berlin, where she gave a speech at the closing rally in front of the Brandenburg Gate.

She then visited the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) together with Lisa Neubauer and met with scientists to discuss climate research, change and its consequences.

On Saturday, Greta Thunberg received the Golden Camera Special Award, which she dedicated to those people who supported the Hambach Forest and that fossil fuels remain in the soil. At the gala, which was broadcast live on ZDF, 2ndnational broadcast television, Greta called on the stars and starlets present to use their great influence on so many people and to work for climate protection.

It is a strange world in which children have to sacrifice their education to protest against the destruction of their future, Thunberg said. And in which stars were not committed to environmental and climate protection because “they would no longer be able to fly around the world to visit their favouriterestaurants, beaches and yoga seminars”.

While I walked along the demonstration for climate protection on Friday and looked into the faces of the other participants, I heard inside my head like an echo the words of Silo (Mario Rodríguez Cobos) in his speech in 2004:

“But nothing of what is said will be listened to. Nonetheless, events themselves […] will result in children rejecting the hypocrisy of their parents; and cause each person to reproach the contradiction that they generate in themselves and in those around them.

We are at the end of a dark period in history and nothing will ever be the same as before.  Little by little, the dawning of a new day will come. Cultures will begin to understand one another; the peoples will experience a growing yearning for progress for all, understanding that progress for the few ends up being progress for no one. Yes, there will be peace, and out of necessity it will be understood that the outline of a universal human nation is taking shape.”

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Question for this article:


Are we seeing the dawn of a global youth movement?

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Greta Thunberg’s speech, her Facebook page

My speech tonight at Goldene Kamera in Berlin. There is no recording available without me dubbed into German yet…
so here it is:


I dedicate this award to the people fighting to protect the Hambach Forest. And to activists everywhere who are fighting to keep the fossil fuels in the ground.

We live in a strange world. Where all the united science tells us that we are about 11 years away from setting off an irreversible chain reaction way beyond human control that will probably be the end of our civilization as we know it.


We live in a strange world where children must sacrifice their own education in order to protest against the destruction of their future.


Where the people who have contributed the least to this crisis are the ones who are going to be affected the most.


Where politicians say it’s too expensive to save the world, while spending trillions of euros subsidizing fossil fuels.


We live in a strange world where no one dares to look beyond our current political systems even though its clear that the answers we seek will not be found within the politics of today.


Where some people seem to be more concerned about the presence in school of some children than the future of humankind.


Where everyone can choose their own reality and buy their own truth.


Where our survival is depending on a small, rapidly disappearing carbon budget. And hardly anyone even knows it exists.


We live in a strange world. Where we think we can buy or build our way out of a crisis that has been created by buying and building things.


Where a football game or a film gala gets more media attention than the biggest crisis humanity has ever faced.


Where celebrities, film and pop-stars who have stood up against all injustices will not stand up for our environment and for climate justice because that would inflict on their right to fly around the world visiting their favorite restaurants, beaches and yoga retreats.


Avoiding catastrophic climate breakdown is to do the seemingly impossible. And that is what we have to do.


But here is the truth: we can’t do it without you in the audience here tonight.


People see you celebrities as Gods. You influence billions of people. We need you.


You can use your voice to raise awareness about this global crisis. You can help turn individuals into movements. You can help us wake up our leaders – and let them know that our house is on fire.


We live in a strange world.


But it’s the world that my generation has been handed.

It’s the only world we’ve got.


We are now standing at a crossroads in history.


We are failing but we have not yet failed.


We can still fix this.

It’s up to us.

* * * *

(Thank you to Janet Hudgins, the CPNN reporter for this article.)

Europe, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

New UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration offers unparalleled opportunity for job creation, food security and addressing climate change

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

A press release from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, declared today [March 1] by the UN General Assembly, aims to massively scale up the restoration of degraded and destroyed ecosystems as a proven measure to fight the climate crisis and enhance food security, water supply and biodiversity.


Preparing trees for planting at a nursery in Senegal.
”

The degradation of land and marine ecosystems undermines the well-being of 3.2 billion people and costs about 10 per cent of the annual global gross product in loss of species and ecosystems services. Key ecosystems that deliver numerous services essential to food and agriculture, including supply of freshwater, protection against hazards and provision of habitat for species such as fish and pollinators, are declining rapidly.

“We are pleased that our vision for a dedicated Decade has become reality,” said Lina Pohl, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources of El Salvador, a regional restoration leader. “We need to promote an aggressive restoration program that builds resilience, reduces vulnerability and increases the ability of systems to adapt to daily threats and extreme events.”

Restoration of 350 million hectares of degraded land between now and 2030 could generate USD 9 trillion in ecosystem services and take an additional 13-26 gigatons of greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere.

“The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration will help countries race against the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss,” said José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). “Ecosystems are being degraded at an unprecedented rate. Our global food systems and the livelihoods of many millions of people depend on all of us working together to restore healthy and sustainable ecosystems for today and the future.”

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Question for this article:

 

Despite the vested interests of companies and governments, Can we make progress toward sustainable development?

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“UN Environment and FAO are honored to lead the implementation of the Decade with our partners,” said Joyce Msuya, Acting Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme. “The degradation of our ecosystems has had a devastating impact on both people and the environment. We are excited that momentum for restoring our natural environment has been gaining pace because nature is our best bet to tackle climate change and secure the future.”

The Decade, a global call to action, will draw together political support, scientific research and financial muscle to massively scale up restoration from successful pilot initiatives to areas of millions of hectares. Research shows that more than two billion hectares of the world’s deforested and degraded landscapes offer potential for restoration.

The Decade will accelerate existing global restoration goals, for example the Bonn Challenge, which aims to restore 350 million hectares of degraded ecosystems by 2030 – an area almost the size of India. Currently, 57 countries, subnational governments and private organizations have committed to bring over 170 million hectares under restoration. This endeavour builds on regional efforts such as the Initiative 20×20 in Latin America that aims to restore 20 million hectares of degraded land by 2020, and the AFR100 African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative that aims to bring 100 million hectares of degraded land under restoration by 2030.

Ecosystem restoration is defined as a process of reversing the degradation of ecosystems, such as landscapes, lakes and oceans to regain their ecological functionality; in other words, to improve the productivity and capacity of ecosystems to meet the needs of society. This can be done by allowing the natural regeneration of overexploited ecosystems, for example, or by planting trees and other plants.

Ecosystem restoration is fundamental to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, mainly those on climate change, poverty eradication, food security, water and biodiversity conservation. It is also a pillar of international environmental conventions, such as the Ramsar Convention on wetlands and the Rio Conventions on biodiversity, desertification and climate change.

Currently, about 20 per cent of the planet’s vegetated surface shows declining trends in productivity with fertility losses linked to erosion, depletion and pollution in all parts of the world. By 2050 degradation and climate change could reduce crop yields by 10 per cent globally and by up to 50 per cent in certain regions.     

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Greta Thunberg—Swedish Teen who Inspired School Climate Strikes—Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article from Ecowatch

Greta Thunberg, the Swedish teenager who jump started the climate strike movement, has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. The news comes as Thunberg is helping to organize a massive global school strike March 15 that is expected to involve at least 1,659 towns or cities in 105 countries, The Guardian reported.


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“We have proposed Greta Thunberg because if we do nothing to halt climate change it will be the cause of wars, conflict and refugees,” Norwegian Socialist MP Freddy André Øvstegård said, The Guardian reported. “Greta Thunberg has launched a mass movement which I see as a major contribution to peace.”

Øvstegård was one of three members of members of Norway’s Socialist Left Party to nominate Thunberg, The Associated Press reported. Peace Prize nominations can come from anyone who meets the criteria, including national government officials, former winners and some academics. Nominations for the 2019 prize were due by February 1, and the winner will be announced in October and awarded in December. There are 301 nominations for the 2019 prize, including 223 individuals and 78 groups, according to the Nobel Prize website.

If Thunberg won, the 16-year-old would be the youngest winner ever and the second after 2007 co-winners former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to be honored for work on climate change, New Scientist reported. The current youngest winner is Malala Yousafzai, who was awarded the prize at age 17 in 2014.

“Honoured and very grateful for this nomination,” Thunberg said in a tweet.

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Question for this article:


Are we seeing the dawn of a global youth movement?

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Thunberg started a movement with a one-woman school strike in front of Swedish parliament last August. Thunberg had been part of a group inspired by the Parkland students’ movement against gun violence who wanted to do something similar around climate change. When the group could not agree on a plan, Thunberg was motivated by wildfires in Sweden’s Arctic region and a record northern European heat wave to go it alone, according to a recent profile in The Guardian.

“I painted the sign on a piece of wood and, for the flyers, wrote down some facts I thought everyone should know. And then I took my bike to the parliament and just sat there,” she said. “The first day, I sat alone from about 8.30am to 3pm – the regular schoolday. And then on the second day, people started joining me. After that, there were people there all the time.”

Her action inspired student strikes from Australia to Brussels, and earned her invitations to speak at the COP24 talks in Katowice, Poland in December 2018 and at Davos this year, where she excoriated world leaders for their lack of action.

“Our civilization is being sacrificed for the opportunity of a very small number of people to continue making enormous amounts of money,” she said at the Poland conference, as USA Today reported.

Thunberg told The Guardian that she suffered from depression when she was younger, partly because of climate change and the lack of action it seemed to inspire. It was talking to her parents about the issue and having them listen to her concerns seriously that helped her realize she could persuade others, too.

“That’s when I kind of realised I could make a difference. And how I got out of that depression was that I thought: it is just a waste of time feeling this way because I can do so much good with my life. I am trying to do that still now,” she said.

Friday’s upcoming strike is proof that Thunberg’s activism has had an impact. The Guardian said it was likely to be one of the largest environmental protests in world history.

However, Thunberg is focused on her goal of actually seeing governments take adequate climate action, and will strike every Friday outside the Swedish parliament until her country’s policies match up with the Paris agreement. She told New Scientist that she was frustrated with some of the responses the strikes had generated.

“They talk about our age, our looks and so on. The emissions are still rising and that is all that matters. Nothing has happened, that is crucial to remember,” she said.

global, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Voices of young climate action activists ‘give me hope’ says UN chief

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article from UN News

In the wake of Friday’s demonstrations by schoolchildren across the world against climate change inaction, the UN Secretary-General has said he understands their fears, but is hopeful for the future.


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In a direct message to the youth activists who took to the streets, UN chief António Guterres said that he understood the anxiety and “fear for the future” behind their actions but added that “humankind is capable of enormous achievements. Your voices give me hope.”

Writing in an opinion piece for The Guardian, Mr. Guterres said that the more he witnessed the “commitment and activism” of young people who were fed up with the pace of the international response to global warming, “the more confident I am that we will win. Together, with your help and thanks to your efforts, we can and must beat this threat and create a cleaner, safer, greener world for everyone,” he added.

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Question for this article:


Are we seeing the dawn of a global youth movement?

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“These schoolchildren have grasped something that seems to elude many of their elders”, he said, adding that “we are in a race for our lives, and we are losing. The window of opportunity is closing; we no longer have the luxury of time, and climate delay is almost as dangerous as climate denial.”

The Secretary-General acknowledged that his older generation “has failed to respond properly to the dramatic challenge of climate change.  This is deeply felt by young people. No wonder they are angry.”

Global emissions are reaching record levels, and continuing to rise, he said, adding that concentration of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is the highest it has been in 3 million years.

“The last four years were the four hottest on record, and winter temperatures in the Arctic have risen by 3°C since 1990,” he added, noting also rising sea levels, the death of coral reefs, and a growing threat to human health worldwide, as made clear in the UN’s Global Environmental Outlook, published this week.

The historic 2015 Paris Agreement  signed by more than 190 countries to keep global emissions well below 2°C, “itself is meaningless without ambitious action,” said the UN chief.

“That is why I am bringing world leaders together at a Climate Action Summit  later this year. I am calling on all leaders to come to New York in September with concrete, realistic plans to enhance their nationally determined contributions by 2020, in line with reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 45 per cent over the next decade, and to net zero by 2050.”

The latest analysis shows that if we act now, we can reduce carbon emissions within 12 years and limit global warming to 1.5°” said Mr. Guterres. “But if we continue along our current path, the consequences are impossible to predict.”
 

“Momentum is building:, he added, “people are listening and there is a new determination to unleash the promise of the Paris Agreement. The Climate Summit must be the starting point to build the future we need.”

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Kids on strike for the climate in New York

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

by CPNN Coordinator

I had a chance to go to the march and demonstration of school students in New York against climate change on Friday, March 15. There were a series of demonstrations ending up with a big enthusisastic crowd at the Museum of Natural History.

The average age was under 20. I’d have to back to the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s to remember big demonstrations with majority youth. Are we seeing the dawn of a global youth movement?


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Here are some of the chants that they sang out loud and clear :

Stop the pollution; We have the solution!

Show me what democracy looks like; This is what democracy looks like!

Hey Hey Ho Ho, Fossil fuels have got to go!

We speak for the trees; we speak for the trees!

What do we need: a system change; When do we need it? NOW!

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Question for this article:


Are we seeing the dawn of a global youth movement?

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Here are some of their colorful, hand-lettered placards :

There is no plan(et) B

One people One planet

I always wondered why somebody didn’t do something. Then I realized I was the somebody!

“I want you to act as if the house is on fire – because it is! – Greta Thunburg

It’s not nice to frack with Mother Earth

No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that ceated it – A. Einstein

Respect existence or expect resistance !

Dear T-rump, climate change will get you too ! (with the image of a Tyrannosaurus dinosaur)

Break the climate silence !

Youth strikes harder when climate change strikes !

Change is coming whether you like it or not !

And here’s one from the next generation:

Marching with these kids becuse I’m too scared to have children of my own.

North America, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Spanish youth rebel against climate change and begin to strike: “Friday for the future”

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article by Simone Renn in La Politica (translation by CPNN)

Spanish youth demand to achieve the 17 goals and goals of sustainable development of the UN by 2030. They have listened to the young Swede Greta Thunberg, who started the “Friday Strikes on Climate Change” last year and decided to join her.


Video by the youth

At the end of August 2018, this young activist stood every day for three weeks in front of the Swedish Parliament to demand that her Government comply with the Paris Agreement on climate. Greta was also present at the UN Climate Summit, COP24, which was held in the Polish city of Katowice from December 2 to 14, where she said loud and clear what she thought and how we should begin to act immediately to save the Earth and save the future of today’s youth.

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(Click here for the original Spanish version.)

Question for this article:


Are we seeing the dawn of a global youth movement?

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The collective “Youth for the climate” was formed in Spain by groups of young people who joined as a collective last February and who are organized in assemblies. Eight weeks ago these young people decided that they had to strik along with young people in Europe and around the world.

Today, Friday, March 15, young people from more than 1,000 cities around the world have joined the “Fridays for future” movement. In Spain, 45 mobilizations have been called, all of them with great success.

The young people of the world are denouncing the economic interests that lead people to “do nothing to stop climate change”, which means that they will not have a future.

They accuse the adult generation, with all the reason in the world, of leaving them an inheritance of a land without a future, due to selfishness, to the comfort of not facing policies based on “constant growth” on a planet whose resources are finite, as Ecology Economics explains very well.

The 15-year-old Greta, who gives speeches about the environment with implacable coherence, has become a symbol of adolescent activism and young people are listening to her.

Today has been the largest strike of young people for the environment in the history of our country, and they warn that they will continue with strikes each Friday, if we adults do not behave as responsible beings carrying out the environmental measures demanded by the UN to be carried out by 2030.

Europe, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Global Climate Strike in Pictures: Millions of Students Walk Out to Demand Planetary Transformation

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article by Julia Conley in Common Dreams reprinted according to a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License

All over the planet on Friday, millions of children and young adults walked out of their classrooms in an unprecedented collective action to demand a radical and urgent shift in society’s energy and economic systems in order to avert the worst impacts of human-caused global warming and climate change.

In the United Kingdom, thousands of young people were among the millions worldwide who called on their governments to declare a climate emergency and take action to stop the climate crisis. (Photo: Chris J. Ratcliffe/Getty Images)

With demonstrations in more than 100 countries and tens of thousands of schools, the worldwide Climate Strike is the largest since 16-year-old Greta Thunberg sparked a wave of increasingly huge marches and walkouts with her one-person strike outside the Swedish Parliament last year.  


Since then, Thunberg has admonished and appealed to world leaders at COP24 and Davos, successfully securing a commitment from the European Union to fight the climate crisis while inspiring strikes all over the world. European students began holding weekly walkouts in Brussels in December, while Australian, and German young people are among those who have organized strikes as well. 

“We have been born into this world and we have to live with this crisis, and our children and our grandchildren,” Thunberg told a crowd of her peers in Stockholm in Friday. “We are facing the greatest existential crisis humanity has ever faced. And yet it has been ignored. You who have ignored it know who you are.”

In Pictures:


People hold up signs and vent their frustrations during a Climate Change Awareness rally at Sydney Town Hall on March 15, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. The protests are part of a global climate strike, urging politicians to take urgent action on climate change. (Photo by Don Arnold/Getty Images)


The scene on Westminster bridge as school children block traffic and march across the river on March 15, 2019 in London, England. Thousands of pupils from schools, colleges and universities across the UK will walk out today in the second major strike against climate change this year. Young people nationwide are calling on the Government to declare a climate emergency and take action. Similar strikes are taking place around the world today including in Japan and Australia, inspired by 16-year-old Greta Thunberg who criticised world leaders at a United Nations climate conference. (Photo by Guy Smallman/Getty Images)


Environmentalists and concerned citizens gather and hold a picket to voice out concern on environmental and climate issues on March 15, 2019 in Quezon city, Philippines. Students around the world took to the streets on March 15 to protest a lack of climate awareness and demand that elected officials take action on climate change. Inspired by Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old environmental activist who started skipping school since August 2018 to protest outside Sweden’s parliament, school and university students worldwide have followed her lead and shared her alarm and anger. (Photo by Jes Aznar/Getty Images)


Greta Thunberg participates in a strike outside of the Swedish parliament house, Riksdagen, in order to raise awareness for global climate change on March 15, 2019 in Stockholm, Sweden. (Photo by MICHAEL CAMPANELLA/Getty Images)


Schoolchildren take part in the Global Climate Strike For Future on March 15, 2019 in Rome, Italy. Today, thousands of students took part in the Student Global Climate Strike to demand for urgent measures and concrete action to combat climate change, the global warming and to protect our future. The strike is inspired by Greta Thunberg, a Swedish school girl who in 2018 went on school strike to make adults and lawmakers take climate change action. (Photo: Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)


@Greenpeace #FridaysForFuture #climatestrike #schoolstrike4climate Uganda it’s happening

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Question for this article:


Are we seeing the dawn of a global youth movement?

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@MikeHudema LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THE MARCH IN BRUSSELS!!! Young people are rising in 2052 places in 123 countries on every continents.


@EricHolthaus Sign in St. Paul Minnesota:
”If you don’t act like adults, we will.”#climatestrike #FridaysForFuture

@Greenpeace Officially more than 150,000 students on #ClimateStrike in Montreal, the number just came in!! #FridaysForFuture #schoolstrike4climate #YouthStrike4Climate


@lifelearner47 Oh boy, look what happened in Lisbon, Portugal.#FridaysForFuture #ClimateStrike


@350 In Kyiv, Ukraine, 100+ students appealed to Prime Minister Volodymyr Groisman and the govt to recognize climate change as one of the most pressing nationwide problems and to take appropriate action. #Climatestrike took place in six cities in Ukraine.
Photos: Olena Angelova


@MikeHudema HUGE! crowd out in #Barcelona as far as the eye can see. Young people are rising in 2052 places in 123 countries on every continents.


@MauroAstete Mientras algunos discuten por control de identidad a menores, #AdmisiónJusta u otras pequeñeces, los jóvenes solo piden tener un futuro para vivir ¿Se lo daremos? @sebastianpinera @MMAChile @CarolaSchmidtZ #FridaysForFuture #Santiago #climatechange


Oladosu Adenike @the_ecofeminist Its my 16 weeks
”Our earth is on fire”#ClimateStrike#FridaysForFuture in Nigeria.
Now is the time for us to actions.


@AntoineTifine We are thousands of people in #Paris for the global strike for climate ! #Youth4Climate #FridayForFuture @GretaThunberg @FYEG @YouthFrance


@munwarenj #climatestrike #fridaysforfuture #Bangladesh #barishal

(Thank you to Janet Hudgins, the CPNN reporter for this article.)

global, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Mission Statement of American Youth Climate Strike

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Statement on website of the Youth Climate Strike Campaign

We, the youth of America, are striking because decades of inaction has left us with just 11 years to change the trajectory of the worst effects of climate change, according to the Oct 2018 UN IPCC Report. We are striking because our world leaders have yet to acknowledge, prioritize, or properly address our climate crisis. We are striking because marginalized communities across our nation —especially communities of color, disabled communities, and low- income communities—  are already disproportionately impacted by climate change. We are striking because if the social order is disrupted by our refusal to attend school, then the system is forced to face the climate crisis and enact change. With our futures at stake, we call for radical legislative action to combat climate change and its countless detrimental effects on the American people. We are striking for the Green New Deal, for a fair and just transition to a 100% renewable economy, and for ending the creation of additional fossil fuel infrastructure. Additionally, we believe the climate crisis should be declared a national emergency because we are running out of time.

Our Demands

Green New Deal

*An equitable transition for marginalized communities that will be most impacted by climate change


* An equitable transition for fossil-fuel reliant communities to a renewable economy


* 100% renewable energy by 2030


* Upgrading the current electric grid


* No creation of additional fossil fuel infrastructure (pipelines, coal plants, fracking etc.)


* The creation of a committee to oversee the implementation of a Green New Deal

. . That has subpoena power


. . Committee members can’t take fossil fuel industry donations


. . Accepts climate science


A halt in any and all fossil fuel infrastructure projects

* Fossil fuel infrastructure disproportionately impacts indigenous communities and communities of color in a negative way


* Creating new fossil fuel infrastructure would create new reliance on fossil fuels at a time of urgency


All decisions made by the government be tied in scientific research, including the 2018 IPCC report

* The world needs to reduce GHG emissions by 50% by 2030, and 100% by 2050


* We need to incorporate this fact into all policymaking


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Question for this article:


Are we seeing the dawn of a global youth movement?

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Declaring a National Emergency on Climate Change

* This calls for a national emergency because we have 11 years to avoid catastrophic climate change


* Since the US has empirically been a global leader, we should be a leader on climate action


* Since the US largely contributes to global GHG emissions, we should be leading the fight in GHG reduction


Compulsory comprehensive education on climate change and its impacts throughout grades K-8

* K-8 is the ideal age range for compulsory climate change education because:

* Impressionability is high during that developmental stage, therefore it’s easier for children and young adults to learn about climate change in a more in-depth manner, and retain that information


* Climate change becomes a nonpartisan issue, as it truly is because it’s based solely on science from the beginning


Preserving our public lands and wildlife

* Diverse ecosystems and national parks will be very impacted by climate change, therefore it’s important that we work to the best of our abilities to preserve their existence


Keeping our water supply clean

* Clean water is essential for all living beings, when we pollute our water supply, or the water supply of someone else, it’s simply a violation of an essential human right


Our Solutions

* The extraction of Greenhouse Gases from the atmosphere

. . Reforestation– replenishing our forests by planting trees and allowing them to thrive, sustainable forestry


. . Reduced food waste– methane emissions from rotting food in landfills contributes immensely to overall Greenhouse Gases emissions


* Emission standards and benchmarks

. . We need to create standards and benchmarks for reducing Greenhouse Gases that align with those expressed by the science community to avoid 2° Celsius warming


* Changing the agriculture industry

. . Less carbon-intensive farming


. . More plant-based farming


* Using renewable energy and building renewable energy infrastructure


* Stopping the unsustainable and dangerous process of fracking


* Stop mountaintop removal/mining

. . It is very harmful to our environment and people working in these fields


* These are not the sole solutions, these are just some solutions that we approve of

* To be effective, these solutions need to be implemented at a large scale by the United States government

North America, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

World animal protection: Five amazing Sea Warrior women tackling ghost gear on a global scale

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article from World Animal Protection

Five sea warriors – women from different corners of the globe are leading our work to tackle the problem of ghost gear in our oceans.


Left to right: Chris Dixon, Elizabeth Hogan and Ingrid Giskes

*Note: While job titles and roles may have changed, we continue to applaud and celebrate the work of these five inspiring women.*

This remarkable group of women – and their colleagues across the world – are fighting together to stop the unnecessary slow and painful deaths of millions of animals.

Every year, more than 100,000 whales, dolphins, seals and turtles are caught in ‘ghost gear’ – abandoned, lost and discarded fishing nets, lines and traps which can take up to 600 years to decompose.

A staggering 640,000 tons of fishing equipment is left in our oceans each year. The vast majority of ghost gear is made of plastics that take centuries to degrade.

Animals caught in this incredibly durable fishing gear then suffer a prolonged and painful death, usually suffocating or starving to death over several months. Devastating reports show that over 817 species of marine life are affected by this marine litter. Some lost nets drifting in the oceans are enormous – far bigger than football pitches. The nets drift stealthily under the surface trapping and killing marine life under the surface.

Lynn Kavanagh is our Oceans and Wildlife Campaign Manager and is based here in Canada.

One of the most exciting projects Lynn was involved in for the Sea Change campaign was working to remove a 25-year-old purse seine net situated near Pender Island, BC. The derelict net had been in the same location for many years where it killed large numbers of marine animals. Lynn’s team removed a whopping 4,600 pounds of deadly netting.

Elizabeth Hogan works for World Animal Protection in the United States, where she specializes in marine wildlife entanglement, reducing marine debris, working on whaling policy and wildlife in captivity.

For the last five years, she has researched the impact of derelict fishing gear on marine mammals and worked on establishing rescue networks and protocols for entangled marine life.

Elizabeth is a contributing author to two books on corporate social responsibility. She has a degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and a dual Master of Science in Marine & Coastal Natural Resources as well as a Master of Science in Sustainable Development from the University for Peace in Costa Rica and American University in Washington, DC.

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Question for this article:

What is the relation between the environment and peace

Do women have a special role to play in the peace movement?

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Elizabeth recently traveled to Alaska on a mission to rescue and free entangled seals and sea lions along the Alaskan coastline, an area where animals are especially vulnerable to entanglement.

Ingrid Giskes leads the global Sea Change Campaign at World Animal Protection. Originally from Belgium, she has worked for the organization for more than six years and is now based in Sydney, Australia.

On any one day, Ingrid could be talking to governments at the United Nations, working with companies such as Young’s Seafood on corporate social responsibility, and meeting with generous supporters.

Ingrid has worked on projects all over the world, but the start of a project in Indonesia earlier this year was a highlight. Ingrid went to Jakarta with an idea of what a project on gear marking could look like but developed the actual project proposal with local partners over several days to ensure it would be practical and sustainable. Hearing about the realities of the local people, considering their livelihoods and food security was eye opening.

Ingrid previously worked for Amnesty International on refugee issues after a stint of studying and working in Hangzhou, China.

Ingrid lives in a cottage next to the beach and is a keen swimmer, runner and snorkeler – the ocean and the life within it, inspires her every day.

Christina Dixon is based in London and is World Animal Protection’s Oceans Campaign Manager. Chris has worked on a huge number of projects to help remove ghost gear from the oceans.

From joining a dive vessel in Wales to remove ghost gear, writing a proposal for a project in Scotland to map and recover lost gear, and organizing meetings with seafood companies to talk about how addressing ghost gear can be beneficial to their supply chains, Chris’ job is varied.

Her most inspiring trip was working with a team of divers in Scapa Flow in Orkney, Scotland where she spent five days eating, sleeping and working on a boat at sea to problem solve the issue of lost gear collected on the WW2 wrecks in Scapa Flow. The project is now entering its third year and a staggering amount of gear has been removed.

When not saving whales and dolphins and campaigning at the United Nations, Chris plays bass in two punk bands and is a roller derby athlete, hoping to compete in the world cup next year.

Chiara Vitali is the wildlife campaigner for our UK office. Chiara has been passionate about animal welfare since starting her first petition at the age of 11 against the fur industry in Italy, where she grew up. Chiara spends lots of time with the amazing people who are working on the ground at the local level to remove ghost gear from the sea, where they rescue entangled animals and prevent more gear from ending up in the oceans.

One of Chiara’s most rewarding field trips was a visit to a Cornish wreck off the coast of Penzance where she helped retrieve a huge trawler net that would have killed many animals over the next few hundred years.

(Thank you to Janet Hudgins, the CPNN reporter for this article.)

global, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT