After months of lockdown, parents are rising to the challenge to express their hopes for a climate-safe future in innovative ways, to support the School Strikes for Climate on Friday October 15.

“From gathering for storytime with their children outside Barnaby Joyce’s office in Tamworth; creating “rock art” activism at Parliament House in Canberra, upcycling climate t-shirts in Pakenham, to hosting a mini eco-festival on the Sunshine with electric vehicles and live music, I am inspired by the growing momentum of parents who are concerned about climate change and now they are calling our politicians to act”, said Australian Parent for Climate Actions National Community Organiser Laura Grufus, who herself is creating a School Strike 4 Climate themed Spoonville in her local park in Geelong.

How do you overcome the awkward, have great climate conversations and transform your community to take more action on climate?

Welcome to our recording of this free online training, to help empower yourself.

You’ll learn 5 top tips for effective climate conversations – to build your confidence and knowledge in having conversations from Climate for Change’s Ajaya Haikerwal.  And have an exclusive opportunity to hear about upcoming key political opportunities to make the next year a huge one for climate action.

FIND OUT MORE:

Poll after poll shows the vast majority of the Australian community want climate action urgently.

But many people who are concerned about climate change – people we all know, like friends, family and colleagues – do not act on climate change, they may even find it hard to engage in conversations about it. Why is that? Find out and empower yourself to have effective conversations that will help shift the inactive into action. Only then will we gain the momentum needed to shift the dial on this issue. 

DURING THE WEBINAR WE EXPLORE:

• 5 top tips for effective climate conversations – build your confidence and knowledge in having conversations through these handy frameworks with Climate for Change’s Partnership Manager Ajaya Haikerwal. 
• Plus have time to connect with amazing community members from across the movement – and work together to identify which people in your life you will have conversations with this year
• The why and who of climate action – hear the inside scoop from ACF’s Climate Change Program Manager Gavan McFadzean on:
  • The key political opportunities we have to make 2021/22 a huge year for climate action
  • Why people who are concerned about climate are so politically relevant, and important for us to motivate them to act.

• Federal election plans – movement partners Australian Parents 4 Climate Action, CANA Network Support Team, Climate for Change, Doctors for the Environment Australia and Australian Conservation Foundation will all share their plans for the federal election with you.

We can’t wait to work together on using our voices to motivate others to act. 

This webinar was co-hosted by a team of Climate Action Network Australia (CANA) partners: Australian Parents 4 Climate Action, CANA Network Support Team, Climate for Change, Doctors for the Environment Australia, Australian Conservation Foundation

Your voice is powerful. Will you commit to using your power? Make the Parent's Pledge, and find out how you can influence your community to use our vote for strong action on climate.

Signing the Parent's Pledge will enable you to be part of our election campaign. We will update you about critical news and actions you can take to shift the politics towards climate action.

Australia can be a renewable energy superpower - through manufacturing solar and batteries, energy harvesting, mining for materials for renewables, export of goods and the export of clean energy itself. The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report has signaled that the global community must rapidly phase out fossil fuels. We need our federal government to embrace the opportunities of a carbon-neutral economy, to implement a just transition and provide for the economic welfare of Australian families and our future generations.

THE RISKS FOR OUR CHILDREN:

The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report revealed Australia has already warmed 1.4C, which is much higher than the global average of 1.1C.  Not every country or region is warming at the same rate. 

Australian children are at great risk of inheriting a dangerous climate, which will see more fires, floods, droughts and extreme temperatures. And yet, our government is described as a “laggard” on climate. It fails to act, placing our children at risk. This is not a political issue, it is a moral issue. We call on all political candidates to recognise their global obligations as well as their moral obligations to act on climate.

THIS IS HOW WE CREATE A SAFE FUTURE FOR OUR CHILDREN:

• Embracing the opportunities of a carbon-neutral economy, ensuring equity and fairness in the transition
• Agreeing to an Australian net-zero emissions goal by 2035
• Creating a roadmap to 75% reduction in emissions by 2030
• No new fossil fuel investment or development from 2021

Parents Pledge for Climate Action:

I pledge to use my voice and my power, between now and the federal election, to influence my community to use our vote for strong action on climate. 

As a parent, I need the Australian Federal Government to embrace a just transition to a climate-safe future, in line with the science, to protect my child's wellbeing and chances for prosperity.

Australian kids just made history:

The Federal Court of Australia has enshrined more climate protection for our children into law.

On July 8, Judge Bromberg confirmed that the Federal Environment Minister has a duty of care to avoid causing personal injury and death to Australian children from carbon emissions when approving a coal extension project (Sharma v Minister for the Environment). 

But that protection for our children is now under threat.

The Federal Government has signaled its intention to appeal the declaration and to avoid its duty of care to protect Aussie kids from injury or death from climate change. 

Eight kids won this declaration for all Australian children alive today. Now they need our support.

We must defend the rights of children not to suffer injury or death from climate change as a result of any government intent on approving new fossil fuel projects. If Australian families show their support, we can demonstrate the public mandate is for the government to support this declaration and not to waste public funds in fighting it.

Demand the Federal Environment Minister support the rights of children to be protected from climate harm and to wholeheartedly apply this lawful duty of care in all decisions made by the Environment Minister.

21 May 2021

Thousands of parents and grandparents around Australia are being schooled by student Climate Strikers, at colourful local events calling for climate action.

Suzie Brown, mother and National Director of Australian Parents for Climate Action said: “Australian parents are joining their kids to take the day off work and school to attend the Climate Strikes today. The School Strike 4 Climate leaders are still teenagers, but they are showing Australian adults what leadership on climate change looks like.”

“As parents we have to be there in solidarity with our kids who, let’s face it, are going to be the ones to really bear the brunt of more droughts, storms and fires if we don’t act on the dire science warnings about climate change,” said Brown.

We have local AP4CA groups across all Australian states and territories, where parents get together to support, inform and empower each on climate, take action and have fun!

Check out the locations below. They're welcoming and supportive, and would love to meet you online or in person! 

If there is no local group near you listed here, please email us to see if we can connect you with local parents who want to take action on climate.

Or perhaps you'd like to start a group in your local area? We'd love to support you.

You can also post in our very active national Facebook group to find other parents in your area.

Join us in fighting for climate solutions!

We are 14,000 + concerned parents like you who want our government and big business to take more action on climate.

Together we advocate for positive solutions, aiming for a safer future for our children.

- Simple, parent-friendly actions you can do to make a difference on climate: personally, local and through widespread change.

- Invitations to join free events like the Climate Strike, Solar Our Schools actions and local climate action gatherings, including crafter-noons, climate related play dates and coffee meet ups!

- Support being a parent, carer or teacher in a changing climate.

- Be part of a community of parents who are actively pushing solutions to climate change!

Join us in fighting for climate solutions!

We are 14,000 + concerned parents like you who want our government and big business to take more action on climate.

Together we advocate for positive solutions, aiming for a safer future for our children.

We need your help to make a colourful, memorable impact on Federal Education Minister Alan Tudge to get him on board our Solar Our Schools campaign — to install solar panels and batteries at every school and preschool in Australia.

Australian Parents for Climate Action lodged a Pre-Budget Submission to the Federal government to include funding for Solar Our Schools in the May 2021 budget, and many of our supporters wrote a personal submission in support of Solar Our Schools — thank you, legends!

But so far our requests for Federal funding for Solar Our Schools, and our request for a meeting with Minister Tudge, have fallen on deaf ears, so we need to make sure he can hear the voices of the 11,000-plus parents and children across Australia who support Solar Our Schools!

Insiders tell us that letters and artwork from children make it to the top of the pile of Ministers' correspondence — so your kids artwork will get noticed in a way that letters from us adults won't!

Here’s how you can help:

1. Make a Time to Shine artwork with your child (check out our inspiration board below)

Create a sun artwork with a “sun clock” theme to convey the message to Minister Tudge that the clock is ticking on the need to reduce our carbon emissions, and we need him to advocate for funding Solar Our Schools! 

Older kids can write a letter — or make a TikTok video! — explaining why Solar Our Schools is a no-brainer. Here are some points they could mention:

• Solar and batteries on every school and preschool in Australia will lower school energy costs, create local jobs and lower carbon emissions!
• The Federal Government has fallen behind the states on renewable energy infrastructure investment. It’s time for the Federal Government to come to the party and shine on our schools!
• With a Federal election and the Glasgow COP26 conference both looming, now is the time for our Federal government to invest in renewable energy infrastructure that reduces our carbon emissions and creates green jobs across Australia!

2. Send your Time to Shine creations to Federal Education Minister Alan Tudge

Hon Alan Tudge MP

Minister for Education and Youth

PO Box 6022

House of Representatives

Parliament House

Canberra ACT 2600

(02) 6277 7350

[email protected] 

NB: If you are sending Minister Tudge your Time to Shine artwork or letters in the mail, take a photo of them before you send them off. 

3. Share your Time to Shine creations with us

Share photos of your artwork and letters and/or your videos on social media with the hashtags #SolarOurSchools and #TimetoShine, and our handle @ap4ca. 

If you want to tag Minister Tudge, his handles are: @tudgeMP (Facebook), @alan_tudge (Instagram) and @AlanTudgeMP (Twitter).

Also, please email them to [email protected] for us to share with our supporters so we can encourage others to send a message to Minister Tudge!