with Rev Dr Chris Walker
Climate Strike
On 20 September 4 million people took part in Climate Strikes around the world. In Australia 300,000 were involved including 80,000 in Sydney. I was one of the older people present supporting the young people. The impetus for this action was 16 year-old Greta Thunberg from Sweden. She began a lone protest in August 2018 when she, at age 15, began spending her school days outside the Swedish parliament to call for stronger action on global warming holding up a sign saying (in Swedish) “School strike for climate”. Her hashtag #howdareyou went viral on social media. Soon other students engaged in similar protests in their own communities.
I find it significant that these climate change actions have been initiated and organised by young people, children really. The key figures are young women concerned about the world environment and the effects of climate change, and want something done about it. The ABC Foreign Correspondent program highlighted this recently. Greta Thunberg is the person who has rightly received the most attention. She spoke at the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York. She had some blunt words for them. She said, “you have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words.” She accused them of ignoring the science behind the climate crisis. She said, “we are in the beginning of a mass extinction and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth – how dare you.” United States President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison chose not to attend.
While Greta Thunberg is the person with the highest profile, there are others. In the USA Alexandria Vilasenor, a 14 year-old, has conducted a similar action to Greta Thunberg protesting with signs outside the United Nations headquarters in New York. She has gone on to other involvements seeking to have an influence. In Australia Jean Hinchliffe, a 15 year old, offered to help with a protest in Melbourne and found herself the key figure for the Sydney protest. She has since gone to New York to meet with others. In Germany Luisa Leubauer is a 23 year old student in Berlin who has been very active speaking and being involved in action for climate change.
These young women and their fellow participants in protests and actions, are not naïve or foolish. They understand the science which has been telling us for years that temperatures are rising, the world’s climate is being affected, and we need to change. The trajectories are dire and we have to act before it is too late. We are heading for a tipping point beyond which we will not be able to reverse drastic consequences. They rightly want action by politicians and businesses now not later. They know it will be their future which will experience the brunt of climate change: temperatures will increase, storms and fires will be more severe, sea levels will rise inundating many places, many people will suffer. The environment itself is under threat whether it be rain forests, marine reefs, melting ice, or the suffering and extinction of many creatures.
At the other end of the age scale, David Attenborough at 93 years of age was interviewed recently on the ABC and expressed his concern at what it happening. He has seen the world’s natural wonders, such as the Great Barrier Reef, change in his lifetime and is very aware of the effects global warming is having. Young people listen to scientists and people such as Attenborough and want the politicians to do something before it is too late.
The response of some politicians to the Climate Strike was disappointing. Scott Morrison was patronising in saying he is concerned that children and young people are anxious about their future. He does not want them to be so worried. He does not get it. They are concerned because there is a climate crisis. Action is needed now. They perceive this but he does not. He was not willing to support Pacific leaders in their call for greater action. Pacific nations are already experiencing the negative effects of climate change with rising ocean levels and more severe weather events. Instead Australia is likely to allow Indian company Adarni to open a massive new coal mine despite protests from environmental groups.
Even former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark, gave a response that I felt was lacking. As Prime Minister and then working for the United Nations, she has a positive reputation as a concerned person. However, what she said was that while protesting is one thing, and she was involved in protests against the Vietnam war and Apartheid in South Africa as a student, what is needed is to get into politics to do something about it. This response downplayed what the children and young people were doing. They recognize the climate crisis is now. They are calling on current politicians to act to make changes. Some may well go into politics in the future, but that is years away for a 15 or 16 year old. By then we may well have passed the tipping point. We do not have the luxury of time. Today’s politicians need to act, companies need to move away from fossil fuels especially coal, businesses need to become more efficient and emit less carbon, plastics need to be dealt with so they do not continue to pollute the ocean and damage marine life.
Where does the Christian faith and church come into all this? I am pleased to belong to the Uniting Church which officially supported the Climate Strike. In Sydney a worship service was held in Pitt Street Uniting Church prior to the strike. Uniting Church leaders were present, a Pacific Minister spoke strongly, and we followed the children and young people connected to the Uniting Church to lead us as we joined the large rally in the Domain. The Uniting Church has national statements on climate change going back to 2003. Politicians need to listen to concerned voices of all ages.
Chris Walker
Chris is currently serving the Assembly of the Uniting Church as the National Consultant for Theology and Discipleship.
He has served in a range of positions and places in the Uniting Church including local church ministry in three congregations in NSW, as a regional education and mission officer, and consultant for evangelism and discipleship, in Queensland, as principal of Parkin-Wesley College in SA, and as a mission resource officer for Parramatta-Nepean Presbytery.
He has a passion for theology, mission and discipleship. His interest in writing has resulted in various publications including five books, most recently Peace Like A Diamond: facets of peace (Spectrum, 2009) and Living Life to the Full: Spirituality for today’s baby boomers (Openbook, 2005).