A Huge Climate Emergency Rally Is Happening Today In Sydney, So Here’s What You Need To Know
"If we don't act now, when will we act?"
Our politicians have been insisting that now isn’t the time to talk about climate change, but organisers of a rally taking place in Sydney today beg to differ.
Today at 5.30pm people will gather at Sydney’s Town Hall for a climate emergency rally in response to our current bushfire crisis.
Hundreds of P2 face masks will be handed out to participants, who are pushing for genuine action on climate change at a state and federal level, increased funding for fire fighters and an increase in public health resources needed to address the impacts of the bushfire smoke.
The rally is being hosted by Greens Uni Students For Climate Justice, Extinction Rebellion and Greens MLC David Shoebridge.
David told Junkee the rally was in response to the “near silence” we’ve had from NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian and Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
“There’s no doubt the student protests have been inspiring and they’ve shown the kind of leadership that our politicians have lacked,” he said.
“It’s the job of political leaders to step forward with answers, to show leadership and explain to people what the steps are to avert this crisis. We’ve had silence, or worse still, distractions like the launch of the religious discrimination bill while we’re facing this very real climate crisis.”
David also said there was a sense of anxiety and disorder across the state.
“We’ve already had six deaths this fire season. Over two million hectares of our forests and bushland has been burnt, now they biggest city in the country is blanketed in hazardous smoke,” he said.
“If we don’t act now, when will we act?”
Speakers at the rally will include students and members of the fire fighters union, and they will be marching from Town Hall to Hyde Park.
And since the existential threat of climate change isn’t going away — no matter how hard our prime minister prays it will — they’re hoping for as many people as possible to join them.
Sydney. Tomorrow. Pass it on. pic.twitter.com/pZ35GcoxYi
— Benjamin Law 羅旭能 (@mrbenjaminlaw) December 10, 2019