New Zealand first in the worldBecause of the date line path, New Zealand was, today, the first country in the world to see the school children's climate strikes. I went to the Wellington demonstration - just an oldie in the background - and this is what I saw. Click a picture to enlarge it. They cameStudents - high school age mostly but some younger ones with parents or teachers - poured into Civic Square after 9 am. More and more came. Noisy chants increased until everyone marched off along the main streets to the lawns in front of Parliament House. Then followed student speeches, each followed by great applause. How many people were there I don't know but I was very proud that these young people turned out to try and pressure adults in power to make radical change. A high school teacher I chatted to told me that the students she knew were very knowledgeable about climate issues and passionate about the need to act now to save disaster. Not just New ZealandNew Zealand was first in the world to feel the children's strikes but Australia came soon after. Some Australian politicians were very critical of the whole idea over the past few weeks and because of that forecasters predicted low turn-outs. That hasn't been the case. See this picture. As today and tomorrow roll by we'll see pictures and reports from around the world. and I guess each of us will judge how large and universal this movement is. Will it have any affect on politicians and other power brokers? That's the key issue. Will our children have to continue doing this. Will they have the grit? Will their parents join them? ThinkingI'm ashamed of my failure to take action or be personally resolute over the last 20 years. Like many of my friends, I've just shuffled along with the crowd, living a comfortable New Zealand life without making enough noise. Yeah, vote Green - or Labour. But is that enough? I think we haven't read or listened enough. I wonder if many of we ordinary citizens have read The Paris Agreement? With that, signatory counties are supposed to be in line. It's worth a read. Its worth asking our politicians if they've read it. What about the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report from late last year? One commentator described it as 'scary stuff'. We should all read it. EndscriptToday's post is short beause it's simply descriptive of what I saw today. Moreover, it is now completely overshadowed by the mosque shooting tragedy in Christchurch. Nonetheless I've listed below links to the key documents I've referred to. They are necessary reading. I've also listed a Guardian article on Greta Thunberg the inspirer of the school climate strike. ########## John McInnes Friday 15 March 2019 References The IPCC Report - the document Why the IPCC report is so scary The Paris Agreement - introduction The Paris Agreement - the document Jonathan Watts The Guardian on Greta Thunberg. Special note There will not be a post next Friday 22 March as I will be away for a few days. Posts will begin again Friday 29 March. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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