Towards a Clean Energy Future: A Youth Climate Change Coalition

NOTE DATE CHANGE: 20TH - 22ND NOVEMBER

In 2005, the hottest year on record, Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma, as well as the cyclones such as Larry in northern Australia, provided a wake-up call for a world still largely asleep to our climate crisis. This awakening, coupled with an unpopular war and rising energy prices, has set the stage for a major shift in public concern over our current energy path, and renewed demand for aggressive action by our political leaders. We stand at a moment of critical opportunity, now ready to build a truly mass movement in Australia to stop climate change and build a clean energy future.

At other times in our history, youth have been the vanguards of such movements. Climate change is quickly becoming the hottest issue for campus organising, and youth are poised to lead the way once again. A major united effort from Australian youth organisations now could unleash tremendous grassroots energy towards making local, state and national change; influence the consumption and voting patterns of the critical 18 – 35 demographic; and inspire thousands of bright young people to become lifelong climate advocates.

The mission of the Youth Climate Coalition is to build a generation-wide movement to stop climate change. Through a carefully targeted strategy, we can help communicate the facts on climate change, along with a sense of hope that solutions are available. By empowering the generation most threatened by climate change to be front and centre in solving it, we can make this an urgent and mainstream issue for society as a whole.

Building such a coalition requires participation from all youth organisations in Australia. No matter what issue their ‘specialty’ issue is, climate change affects our entire generation in every area – health, social justice, poverty and development, economy, and environment.

This is a call-out to youth organisations, and organisations working with youth, to come together to form the most exciting project yet in the history of Australian youth and student organising: an Australian Youth Climate Coalition.

The Youth Organiser’s Summit for the Climate Coalition will be held in Melbourne, 20th-22nd November 2006. The idea is to have one or two representatives from a diverse range of youth organisations present to develop a youth statement on climate change and start creating joint action plans for change. So far, organisations we have contacted include GetUp!.org, Ethnic Communities Council of NSW, National Indigenous Youth Movement of Australia (NIYMA), Oxfam, Vision Generation, Vibewire.net, The Oaktree Foundation, Engineers Without Borders (EWB), the United Nations Youth Association (UNYA), Australian Student Environment Network (ASEN), OzGreen, YAPA, local Youth Councils throughout Australia, and many more.

Organising Collective

The kick-ass organising team for YCC is:
Anna Rose (Australian Student Enviro Network) Eric Knight (Sydney Uni law student) Wendy Hopkins & Allie Hughes (OzGreen), Richie Merzian (Legal Observer's Project), Shannon Higgs, (Melbourne Uni Climate Collective), Nick Moriatis, (GetUp!.org), Emma Kefford (Law Students for a Just Community), Wenny Theresia (LHMU), Carl Harris (ACON).

More Detail - Youth Climate Change Coalition

“We are playing Russian roulette with features of the planet's atmosphere that will profoundly impact generations to come. How long are we willing to gamble?” - David Suzuki

OUR VISION:
To build a coalition of youth and youth-friendly groups that will work together to change the way Australians act and think about climate change and climate justice

We invite your organisation to be part of a newly forming coalition of environmental and social justice groups working to build a youth climate coalition in Australia.

We hope that you will join us in catalysing this coalition of Australian youth to:
• pressure our local and national leaders to pass meaningful and effective climate change policy
• mobilise and activate more Australian youth across the country.

Founding Summit– November 19-21, 2006 in Melbourne

We will be hosting a Founding Summit to launch the coalition from November 19-21 to 2006 in Melbourne, Victoria. We hope that a representative from your organisation will be able to attend in order to shape and join this coalition and galvanise a movement of active youth across Australia.

At this summit we aim to:
1. Develop and adopt a coalition mission and operating principles,
2. Identify strategic opportunities for youth involvement and plan coordinated action to affect the political and broader national debate on climate change,
3. Create a Youth Climate Charter that lays out our vision for a clean and just climate future,
4. Engage a broader base of youth in taking action on climate change in their local communities and (when possible) at the regional, national, and international levels.

We are currently raising funds to hold the summit and we hope to have a few scholarships available for travel.

Why a youth climate coalition?

Young people have one of the most legitimate voices to speak out on climate change because it is OUR future that is at stake. The climate does not have time for voluntary commitments; we need drastic reductions, binding commitments and bold leadership today… so we want to build it!!

Fortunately, it’s not too late to turn the political tide in Australia but we need your voice, your energy, and you body in action to do it.

There is no doubt we can solve this problem. In fact, we have a moral obligation to do so. The time to come together to solve this problem is now – IT’S TIME TO TAKE ACTION.

This Coalition will allow us to:

• Perform strong, targeted national and local actions to raise awareness and pressure policy makers.
• Create and advocate for a better vision of Australia’s future, with broad support and diverse input.
• Share knowledge, resources, creativity and good humour to solve the most pressing problem of our generation.
• Develop coordinated media and campaign strategies to more effectively communicate the importance of climate change to young Australians.

Why are you telling me all this?

We are writing to you because we would like your organisation’s support and participation in this coalition building process. We want to bring as many different youth voices to the table as we can because this is an issue of national concern and scope while its affects and responses will vary locally.

We need your voice. We need your actions.

I LOVE IT! Now what do I need to do?

#1: Let us know whether you would be able to attend the founding summit November 19-21 in Melbourne. Find the application form attached or email anna.starr.rose@gmail.com or visit www.asen.org.au to get one. Applications are due Wednesday November 1st.

#2: Give us any suggestions or comments to help this process. In particular if you know of any groups working on climate change or energy issues from a social justice perspective, please let us know to invite them to this process in order to make it as diverse and inclusive as possible. Email wennytheresia@yahoo.com.au.

#3: Join one of the five working groups, based on our next steps above (Conference Organisation, Outreach, Drafting the Charter, Taking Action, and Fundraising). Just email anna.starr.rose@gmail.com and tell us which working group you would like to be a part of. You can also request more detailed descriptions of each working group.

#4: Spread the word, and invite others. Provide input into the Youth Climate Charter by emailing us and stay tuned for our request to endorse the Charter once it has been formulated.

In solidarity,

The Youth Climate Coalition Organising Team