“We are the last generation with a real opportunity to save the world.”
Laurence Overmire, The One Idea That Saves The World: A Call to Conscience and A Call to Action
If we needed reminding that we are already in the midst of an existential global climate crisis, 2020 provided dramatic evidence to most people across Australia:
The Climate Council's latest report: Hitting Home: The Compounding Costs of Climate Inaction outlines the latest science on how climate change is driving more destructive droughts, heatwaves, fires, floods and other extreme events. The report finds that 2019-20 was the most intense period yet for extreme weather, capping off a decade of climate inaction that has cost the Australian economy more than $35 billion. Time is fast running out to take serious action to prevent runaway global heating. If you feel powerless to do anything meaningful in the face of this climate emergency, you are encouraged to join a local group of like-minded people. Don't underestimate the power of people! For example a grass roots campaign to push the Sunshine Coast Council to join more than 100 other jurisdictions in Australia and declare a climate emergency; set a target of net zero emissions by 2030 (rather than its current inadequate 2041 target); and start implementing policies and actions to attain this, achieved a significant milestone in less than 12 months of campaigning. The Council unanimously passed of motion on 10 November 2021 recognising that we're in a climate emergency and committing to report on progress on the Zero-net Emissions Plan by 31 March 2022. Local governments have a key role in achieving a nation-wide climate emergency response by demonstrating successful initiatives at a community level through education, mobilisation, mitigation and resilience building. They can also encourage other councils to implement climate emergency responses and lobby the state and federal governments to adopt and fund a full climate emergency response. SCCAN was instrumental in establishing a network of climate-focussed groups on the Coast: Urgent Climate Action Network Sunshine Coast (UCANSC), which is running the climate emergency declaration (CED) campaign. Contact Fergus FitzGerald at fergfitzgerald7@gmail.com or on 0458 880 572 to become involved, or for more information on the climate emergency declaration campaign. |
Sunshine Coast Climate Action Now (SCCAN) is an unincorporated organisation committed to local action and events to address the urgent social and political change needed to tackle the impacts of the global climate emergency.
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NOW is the time!
WE RECOMMEND VIEWING THE FOLLOWING TED TALKS FOR INSPIRATION:
The case for optimism...Why is Al Gore optimistic about climate change? In this spirited talk, Gore asks three powerful questions about the man-made forces threatening to destroy our planet — and the solutions we're designing to combat them. (Featuring Q&A with TED Curator Chris Anderson – Feb 2016)
Paris Climate Agreement...
What would you do if your job was to save the planet? When Christiana Figueres was tapped by the UN to lead the Paris climate conference (COP 21) in December 2015, she reacted the way many people would: she thought it would be impossible to bring the leaders of 195 countries into agreement on how to slow climate change. Find out how she turned her skepticism into optimism — and helped the world achieve the most important climate agreement in history.
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