Young People Strike And Submit In #unitebehindclimate Launch

Friday, 15 May 2020, 5:59 pm
Press Release: Generation Zero

Youth-led climate campaigners School Strike 4 Climate and Generation Zero launched their #unitebehindclimate campaign website today, coinciding with New Zealand’s first digital School Strike 4 Climate event

The website (www.unitebehindclimate.com) is a platform for young people to call for placing climate justice at the centre of future Government spending as the country recovers from COVID-19. As youth-led organisations, both groups are also calling for intergenerational justice - meaning a resilient and secure future for all generations.

School Strike 4 Climate and Generation Zero are calling on the Prime Minister and Finance Minister to prioritise climate in decisions on post-budget COVID-19 spending, including in the selection of shovel-ready projects for funding and distribution of the $20 billion currently unallocated in the 2020 Budget.

“Over the past couple of months, the Government has spoken a lot about kindness and uniting the country to address COVID-19. We now need to apply those same words and actions to unite behind climate,” says Generation Zero’s Bruce Kidd.

“This website is a hub showing how young people are taking action: not only striking to demand climate and intergenerational justice, but also making their voices heard by signing open letters and submitting on important legislation,” says School Strike 4 Climate’s Coco Lovatt.

The website offers a range of ways for young people to engage in the campaign, including a #submitbehindclimate tab to add their voices to open letters and key pieces of legislation and social media frames for people to show their support for the campaign. The #unitebehindclimate homepage also features an interactive app showing how young people around Aotearoa are using the hashtag on social media.

“Money being borrowed by our government now must address climate change, or else young people will be saddled with a double burden of climate change and economic debt,” says Lovatt.

“We will keep amplifying the voices of young people to demand that we #unitebehindclimate, because we owe it to ourselves and future generations.”

Generation Zero is a nationwide, volunteer, youth-led organisation formed in 2011 to progress New Zealand toward a zero carbon future. www.generationzero.org.nz

School Strike 4 Climate NZ includes students aged 8-18 from cities and towns in every corner of New Zealand, united by their concerns for the planet.

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