The WAW Youth Bloc Speaks!

Below are a number of the speeches from the Youth Blocs at Walk Against Warming.

KATE FLETCHER: Wollongong Youth Bloc

The impacts of climate change will be the challenge of our generation – it's quickly going to become our problem and the current 'leaders' of this country are refusing to give us a voice. Many of the young people here today won't be able to vote at the election, but it is important that our voices are heard because climate change isn't going to go away, not after this election, not next year and certainly not before I get the chance to vote – it is an issue of the future, thatboth major parties are floundering on today. We have forced our government to acknowledge that climate change is a fact and they can no longer dance around and try to claim that it's a myth. Now, we need real solutions; not false, time-delaying ones. Howard likes to tell us that nuclear power is the way to go, but the amount of energy it takes to mine, enrich, transport and dump uranium, as well as to commission and decommission power plants, not to mention how incredibly dangerous nuclear power is, we can see that nuclear is not the solution. The opposition, on the other hand, argues that "clean coal" is going to solve all our problems, provided we are willing to take the time to wait for 'that one break through'. Nuclear power is a terrifying concept: We could see disasters such as Chernobyl. In 1986 the Nuclear Power Plant had a meltdown, sending highly radioactive fallout over a massive area, seeing far spread destruction and suffering. The city was evacuated, but the environmental and human impact still exists today. But nuclear is not just being pursued in the name of power; it is also being developed as a weapon. History should have already taught us the horrific tragedy that is inflicted when humans drop atomic bombs on each other. Hiroshima and Nagasaki. On August 6, the Allied forces of World War II dropped the nuclear weapon 'Little Boy' on the city of Hiroshima, directly killing 70 000 people and leading to total causalities of 70-140, 000. On August 9, Nagasaki became the second city to be subjected to nuclear warfare, seeing a 60 000 foot mushroom cloud. These disasters are a shame and an indictment on the ambivalence of today's governments. I'm fourteen and in year 9 at high school and I have never been taught about these horrific events. This is despite Howard's insisted 'dedication' to Australian history – how about learning about Australia's complicit involvement in the murder of Japanese people? I think it speaks for itself. It has become clear, however, that people won't stand for a nuclear Australia. So in the mean time, 'clean coal' is playing a key distracting power to allow our government to continue their unhindered relationship with the coal industry. 'Clean coal' is NOT a solution – it is expensive, there is no scientific value, no proof that it is a viable option and it's still coal! Coal will never be clean, and, as with all the other false solutions the government has been offering up as a diversion, it's gonna run out. Young people such as myself, cannot afford to tolerate these non-solutions. Using these options to solve global warming is like switching to plastic shopping bags instead of paper ones to save forests. We need to be pushing for real action, bigger demands on the incoming government – whether Labor or Liberal – and save this planet for our future. We need great change – a move away from burning coal for electricity, end our economy's addiction to oil, become more energy efficient, invest in renewable energy and set strict targets to reduce carbon emissions. Throughout history, young people have played a significant role in changing the world; we see no other way, so we take action and we inspire others and in the process have challenged government's and changed society. So we stand here today so that we have a tomorrow.

Shantell Munro: Wollongong Youth Bloc

We are gathered here today on behalf of the Earth. We are standing here to make our voices, the voices of youth, be heard. WE are the last generation with the ability to make a change - to STOP climate change. We are in a race against time, a battle of ethical and economical wills. Climate change IS an ethical issue; an issue of social justice and survival. Currently, a sixty-odd year-old man, behind a group of aging politicians, is calling the shots on Australia's fight against climate change. John Howard is ignoring the pleas of people who will be affected by our non-existent greenhouse gas reduction laws. Our future, Australia's environmental prosperity, is in the hands of a man who won't be around to experience the worst of climate change. John Howard doesn't CARE about the Earth! He doesn't CARE about Australia! He doesn't CARE about the people! He cares about the economy. He's worried about keeping the big industry bosses happy. He isn't willing to listen to reason, or compassion. That's why we have to make him listen! The bastard will hear us! Through this protest and many more, we're making him listen!We're telling him we protest to his lack of commitment to the climate change crisis we are experiencing! We are living in desperate times. It IS a crisis we are experiencing. Scientists have given us only ten years to make a tremendous change in our society. This means it's up to us to put the pressure on the powers that be to make a change!Society is OURS. Australia is OURS. We have to act now, not bury the problem with lies and distractions like clean coal and nuclear energy. Climate Change is real. Our power as a united youth force is real. But to work as a united youth force is real. But to work as a united youth force, we have to get angry. We have to get worried. We have to be passionate and enraged at the obvious injustice we are faced with! We've got to take the power back! The powers that be aren't willing to accept climate change as a national problem, let alone provide real, enforced solutions and strategies to combat the crisis. Our own pathetic excuse for the Environmental Minister Malcolm Turnbull isn't willing to accept the only real solution to climate change is renewable energy. "Cleaner" coal, as he put it in a recent interview is not the answer to the climate change question. Australia needs a renewable energy revolution! And we here to demand it! We are the youth! Renewable energy is the future! Up yours, Howard!

Youth Contingent Speech: Perth Youth Bloc

Karl Amati I could stand up here today and give a spiel of facts and figures – facts and figures showing the tremendous and sustained impact human consumption and human industrialisation has had on our surrounding environment over the last one hundred years. However, by showing up here today, by voicing your indignation at this inaction and by giving your support for this student collective protest, you have demonstrated that you do not need a mindless repetition of doomsday scenarios. What you have shown is that you need action. You have shown that more needs to be done, by everybody, and that an issue of such magnitude and importance cannot—and indeed should not--be left to a mindless political process ending in a repeated major party procrastination. You have shown that climate change control cannot be left to liberal politicians, who give such ambitious emission curbing targets of fifteen percent of energies in Australia being produced by renewable sources by 2020. Fifteen percent! Spain and Denmark, who are not featured in many mainstream news bulletins as being particularly proactive on the issue of climate change, have twenty percent of their energy ALREADY being provided by renewable sources! Indeed, the Liberal party would deem it reasonable to not even reach emission-reduction targets already met by many countries—in another twelve to thirteen years! “Maintaining a healthy economy” seems mutually exclusive to “keeping our earth and, by definition, ourselves alive”. But of course those greenies, those lefties, those hippies in the Labour party would obviously have a real target for curbing emissions and responsibly dealing with climate change. Wouldn’t they? Wouldn’t they?!...Well it would seem to depend. It depends if only five percent more energies coming from renewable sources are regarded as a real or a responsible climate change policy. But let’s not kid ourselves, and indeed by showing up here today, you have proved you are not! Neither party is or has been making realistic policies and strategies towards seriously tackling one of the direst situations faced by the human race in modern history. The way that politicians are currently handling it, I may as well start regurgitating those awful doomsday scenarios. But we can have a brighter future! A future that is free of coal-powered and nuclear-powered energy stations. If the Australian Federal Government invested the same amount of funding that it currently does on a single Fighter Jet for the Australian Air force into renewable energies, it would be possible to convert the entire energy base of Victoria into being produced by wind power alone. We have the resources. We have the funds. We simply need to use them wisely, thinking about the health of our planet instead of the pockets, and the invasion capabilities provided by the military, of multinational energy companies. And this is where you, and this is where I, and this is where everyone who has attended this rally must come in. We are the tomorrow, ladies and gentlemen! What we do, and what therefore politicians do today is going to affect us, and it’s going to affect our children and it’s going to affect our grandchildren. It is not going to affect, however, seventy-year old politicians, who are currently deciding our fate. If we don’t get this right, if we don’t do anything and everything humanly possible to avert rapid climate change, there may not even be a tomorrow. So let’s walk out into Fremantle as a united youth front. A front that shows that we care about our future! That we care about our tomorrow! We may not have the largely useless vote. But sure as hell have something greater. We have our feet, and we have our voices, and most importantly we have each other. Let’s show them that we can, and we will do this. We can have a brighter tomorrow.

Tess O'Brien: Wollongong youth bloc

Ladies, gentlemen, boys, girls, and small furry beings. I’m not here to prattle on to you about the fact that Climate Change and Global Warming exist. Due to your presence here I am going to make the assumption that you have accepted this. Instead, I’m going to stand up here and talk about some of the things which contribute to it then suggest a few ways that you may be able to help combat the global warming trends. I’m sure everyone here eats food and as such I’d like to bring to your attention a slight issue with the nature of fresh produce in shops around the place. I can buy strawberries from America, kiwifruit from Italy and garlic from China in my local shops. Does anyone else see this as ever so slightly un-necessary? We grow our own produce, in all of these delightful forms, so why is it that we still import from other countries with all the carbon-cost to the environment? To the businessman, the answer is simple. It’s cheaper in the short-term to do so, a better return for investors at the next annual report. This sort of mindset is one thing that I hope our generation can get past, as it’s going to be necessary. In the long term, it is far better for the environment that we buy and use locally produced products. It’s not just food transport that is kicking the shit out of our environmental stability. People travelling from place to place is also a contributor. I highly doubt this is news to any of you, but the fact that people in Australia have the highest per capita emission rate might just be. If our beloved government was to get off their backsides and say, put some of their 34 billion dollar budget surplus into a complete reorganisation of the public transport system, making it free to all users, it would be a job damn well done. Just think of the difference it could make to our carbon clodhoppers. But no, I do believe that they are more concerned about pouring millions into the military for equipment to fight an enemy which no-one can name or see than actually doing something worthwhile to fix our little heat problem. Now onto the less depressing part of this little rant. As I have said in the past, youth movements and protests do tend to get spread around the media, along with the message that they wish to promote. That influence can be used to quite powerful effect if properly co-ordinated, and actions such as this Walk Against Warming are platforms for this to happen. There is also a fair bit that we can do in our own lives. Simple things like walking, riding bikes or taking public transport are a start, but there are other ways to reduce both your impact and that of those around you. Turn lights off when you leave the room, avoid buying things imported long distance and most of all, get involved in movements and groups who work against climate change. To those of you who do go to school, I would suggest trying to start up some sort of environment club. It’s tacky and no doubt ‘uncool’, but such groups may just help nudge some of the school populace to action especially if the local school environment starts to change to something a little more eco-friendly. And to all of you, talk to people. It may sound simple, but there are still many out there who don’t realise that global warming is going to affect them, to some degree or another. Spreading the word about both the climate shift and ways to work against it is something which is fairly easy to do, and can be quite effective. Another possibility is to join an already existing group that is environmentally concerned. At the risk of sounding like a zealot, I’m going to suggest Resistance as I’ve had a great experience with the group and received huge amounts of support for my own attempts to influence people around me. Whether you take what I say on board, become proactive and put in huge amounts of effort or not, I do hope that all of you take something at least away from this. Spread the word far and wide, as we’re the ones who will have to live and die with the consequences of climate change. Thankyou.