September 15, 2019

Global Climate Strikes: With 1 week to go, strikers say ‘the dirty fossil fuel party is over’

 

At an online press conference held on the 12th of September climate strikers and experts call on the world to stand together for the climate strikes to safeguard the planet’s future. 

“We are calling on everyone to join us, we need a truly diverse and multi-generational movement, made of people from all ages and backgrounds, not just the youth. We need adults to stand up and call for action and to support young people and do things that young people can’t do. We should be fighting for our future.” Jerome Foster II, youth climate activist 

“The protection of the environment should not be a movement or a moment in time, it should be part of our culture. The youth are working towards this goal, and we need everyone to join us.” Xiye Bastida, Fridays for Future, New York

“The dirty fossil fuel party is over, we now have to clean up the mess. Whoever caused the biggest mess, has the most responsibility. Rich polluting countries must kick their addiction to fossil fuel and create a total transformation in ten years. Millions of people in the global South are already experiencing the devastating effects of extreme weather, rising sea levels and hunger.” Harjeet Singh, Global Lead on Climate Change, ActionAid International

“The good news is the fossil industry is beginning to lose the fight, we need to replace them now to keep temperature below 1.5 degrees. September 20th to 27th will be the biggest climate mobilisation we have ever seen, the world is going to demonstrate that it is ready for a change.” Bill McKibben, author and founder of 350.org

“I spend a lot of time very close to the realities of the climate crisis watching impacts expand and magnify and I know that the youth of today face a frightening time. And it’s why thousands of scientists around the world are going to be striking with them on Friday the 20th September.” Doreen Stabinksy, Scientist

 

The climate strikes movement, which was inspired by teenager Greta Thurnberg,  has spread rapidly across the world in the last 12 months. Strikers are demanding that governments step up to take urgent action to prevent catastrophic climate breakdown, and the only way to do it is by phasing out fossil fuels, and beginning the urgent transition to a sustainable, renewable energy powered future with climate justice and equity at its core. 

 

Huge demonstrations are expected across the globe with numbers surpassing the March 2019 record of 1.6 million people. 

 

In New York City, the strike on September 20th will be led by youth strikers including Greta Thunberg, who arrived in the city to take part in the UNSG summit. The weeklong movement will surround the UN Climate Summit being held on the 23rd of September, which will gather world leaders in an attempt to accelerate real actions to implement the Paris Agreement and meet the climate challenge – top of their agenda should be phasing out fossil fuels.

 

Whilst the UN meets to discuss taking urgent action on climate breakdown, activists are planning to target the global fossil fuel CEOs conference that will be taking place in New York on the same day as the UNSG summit. 

 

Full recording of the press conference is here 

 

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Further Information

 

350.org is supporting the global climate strikes. We have a large list of strikers and influencers from across the globe who are available for quotes, interviews and background information. We will also have videographers and photographers in key locations across the globe and can provide images and footage for press (see locations below). 

 

Locations

ASIA

New Delhi – India 

Jakarta – Indonesia

Bengkulu – Indonesia

Yogyakarta – Indonesia

Bali – Indonesia

Bandung – Indonesia

Aceh – Indonesia

Semarang – Indonesia

Surabaya – Indonesia

Malang – Indonesia

Kupang – Indonesia

Medan – Indonesia

Pekanbaru – Indonesia

Manila – Philippine

Tokyo – Japan  

Nepal

Pakistan

Singapore 

Hong Kong

Cambodia

Vietnam 

 

NORTH AMERICA 

New York – US 

Washington DC – US 

San Francisco – US 

Oregon, Portland – US

 

CENTRAL & LATIN AMERICA

Mexico City – Mexico

Bogotá – Colombia

Santiago – Chile 

 

OCEANIA & PACIFIC

Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, – Australia

Suva – Fiji 

South Tarawa and Betio Islands – Kiribati 

Bourail – New Caledonia

Auckland and Wellington – New Zealand

Papua New Guinea

Republic of the Marshall Islands

Apia – Samoa

Western Province – Solomon Islands

Tokelau

Tonga

Funafuti – Tuvalu

Port Vila – Vanuatu 

 

EUROPE 

London – UK 

Berlin – Germany 

Paris – France 

 

EECCA

Kyiv – Ukraine 

St Petersburg – Russia 

 

AFRICA

Johannesburg – South Africa

San Pedro – Côte D’Ivoire

Nairobi – Kenya

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