Global Climate Strike
This weekend, millions of people around the world will take to the streets to demand a rapid, just, and equitable transition away from fossil fuels as world leaders gather at the UN in New York. This year, the masses will be led by youth of Fridays for Future and by Fight Fossil Fuels.
People of many faiths and spiritualities will join together and with others to demonstrate that loving creation, caring for the earth and each other, mean a rapid and just transition away from fossil fuels to an energy and economic system that is efficient, fair and equitable. This system must be based on clean energy sources and produced with respect for nature and the sovereign rights of Indigenous peoples.
Fridays for Future and the global campaign Fight Fossil Fuels, have six joint demands:
- No new fossil fuels. No new projects, finances and subsidies and no new approvals, licenses, permits, and extensions.
- A rapid, just and equitable phase out of existing infrastructure in line with the 1.5C temperature limit and a global plan, like a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, to ensure that each country does its fair part.
- New commitments for international cooperation to drastically scale up financial and technology transfers to ensure renewable energy access, economic diversification plans, and Just Transition processes so that every country and community can phase out fossil fuels.
- Stop greenwashing and claiming that offsets, carbon capture and storage, nature-based solutions or geoengineering are solutions to the climate crisis.
- Hold polluters responsible for the damage they’ve caused and make sure that coal, oil, and gas corporations pay reparations for climate loss and damage and for local rehabilitation, remediation and transition through global corporate tax justice and accountability mechanisms.
- NO to corporations writing the rules of climate action, bankrolling or participating in climate talks, or undermining the global response to climate change.
KAIROS Canada echoes these demands from the youth, who are leading the climate movement and showing us that another world is possible. KAIROS supports Fridays for Future and End Fossil Fuels and is an official supporter of the Time to End Fossil Fuels action in Ottawa on Friday, September 15 and the March to End Fossil Fuels Toronto on Saturday, September 16. Check out the Fridays for Future map for details about the strikes happening near you.
Through For the Love of Creation, KAIROS is also supporting the Creating for Creation campaign as part of this year’s Global Climate Strike actions.
This year, the For the Love of Creation Youth Climate Strike Advisory Team calls on all people of faith across Canada to “fold up” their commitment and send it to decision makers. Write your commitments to change and your calls to governments and corporations for climate justice on a square of paper and fold it into a simple or more complex shape, representing one of the many species that are endangered by climate change and related harms to the earth. Visit the FLC website for more information about #creating4creation, including folding patterns.
For the Love of Creation is encouraging Multifaith Climate Justice Prayer Gatherings to feed into the Global Climate Strike. Check out the map to see if a prayer gathering is happening near you. If you know of any Multifaith Prayer Gatherings feeding into the Climate Strike, regardless of who is organizing it, please also include them on the map.
Can’t attend a strike in person? Here are other actions you can take to support the movement:
- Amplify the demands from Fridays for Future and Fight Fossil Fuels on social media or by putting them in an email to your political representatives.
- Participate in the Creating for Creation Campaign from home.
- Make a donation to your local Fridays for Future or another youth-led climate group in your community.
- Amplify posts from your local Fridays for Future, youth climate leaders and other youth-led climate organizations on social media this weekend and every day!
See you on the streets this weekend!
