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Hundreds turn out to ‘Zero Hour for Climate action’ protest
Isla Day of the School Strike 4 Climate NZ team, speaking to a crowd of around 200 Zero Carbon Act supporters. Photo: V Komarovsky
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“Hundreds turn out to Generation Zero’s ‘Zero Hour for Climate action’ protest”
Around 200 people from all walks of life rallied at Parliament on Tuesday to protest the slow progress of the Zero Carbon Bill, and the snail pace of climate action more generally, from both current and previous Governments.
“We have come to Parliament today because we are impatient,” said spokesperson Grace Carr. “We are angry, we are hungry for legislative change, and we have waited far too long for this change to come. This is zero hour for climate action. Today we are seeing climate change’s devastating effects both locally and internationally, and what was once thought of as a scary future is now ever-so-present. We don't have any more time to waste, or to impose superficial legislation that is weak, ineffective, or fails to prioritise kaitiakitanga and honor Te Tiriti O Waitangi. Climate change is not going to wait for political indecision - we need these politicians to urgently band together and pass a bold, effective Zero Carbon Act.”
Isla Day from School Strike 4 Climate NZ took time out of school to speak at the protest. She implored the Members of Parliament to “take our futures seriously, and legislate now to limit global warming to no more than 1.5°C. We will not stay in school, learning facts for a future that is being stolen before our very eyes.”
At the rally, Minister for Climate Change James Shaw promised that he would have an announcement “in three weeks” about the timeline for the Zero Carbon Bill. In response, organisers of the protest, Generation Zero, promised to show up to Parliament to hear the announcement in three weeks, on March 12th, and come back every day until it is made. “We are destroying the climate before our very eyes - there is simply no time to waste.”
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