The School Strike 4 Climate is back on for 2021, with thousands of students expected to attend nearly 50 strikes that are taking place around Australia. More than 350 businesses will also be taking part in the strike this year, with the likes of Canva, Atlassian, Patagonia, Bank Australia, Who Gives a Crap and Future Super granting their employees permission to attend, in a show of solidarity.
The School Strike 4 Climate on 21 May aims to tell the Morrison Government that if they care about the future of young Australians, they must stop throwing money at gas. The strike calls on the Government to take the future of young Australians seriously and treat climate change as what it is – a crisis – as climate change is already intensifying the risk of flooding and heavy rainfall across the country and the world.
“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 Country. Instead, they are lining the pockets of multinational gas companies, which are fuelling the climate crisis, devastating our land and water, wrecking our health and creating very few jobs.”
– School Strike 4 Climate
Supporting the youth strike is the Not Business As Usual alliance, which is led by Future Super and is made up of a collective of businesses that between them have around 15,000 employees, all of whom will be allowed to attend the strike on Friday, alongside the School Strike 4 Climate activists. The NBAU action is demanding:
1. No new coal, oil and gas projects
2. 100% renewable energy generation & exports by 2030.
3. Fund a just transition and job creation for all fossil-fuel workers and communities.
Canva co-founder Cameron Adams told The Australian that he was encouraging his own employees to take a long lunch on Friday and join the Not Business as Usual alliance, given what he said was an absence of political leadership on climate change.
“It‘s fantastic to see the younger generation really taking a stand on this and send a message,” Mr Adams said.
The organisers say all Strike events are COVID-safe and ask that attendees follow local restrictions, bring face masks and hand sanitiser, practice physical distancing of 1.5 metres, and stay home if they have cold or flu-like symptoms.
