Student strike over climate change gets support from teachers

Academics and teachers are throwing their weight behind students who plan to strike for climate change action.

The nationwide strike has been panned by principals, and a number of schools are threatening to mark the students as truants. 

But an open letter to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern penned by academics has received more than 1000 signatures in support of the strike.

Amanda Thomas, a lecturer in Environmental Studies at Victoria University who helped organise the letter, said although it had an "overwhelmingly positive" response from professors, researchers and individual teachers, but negativity surrounding the strike action is "very disappointing and sad".

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"They've invested a huge amount of organisation and time and thought into organising this action, so we really want to respect their leadership in this space," Thomas said.

The letter - also addressed to the Minister for Climate Change James Shaw, Minister for Education Chris Hipkins, Minister for Children Tracey Martin and Secondary Principals' Association - explains how "heartened" New Zealand's teachers are by the action and how great a lesson it will be for our students and our country's leaders.

Thomas, along with Dr Raven Cretney of the University of Waikato, and Bronwyn Hayward from the University of Canterbury, see the need for adults to show their support for this important cause, which is why the letter was written.

"The broad aim is that we provide greater momentum around action to address climate change and serious action by the Government," Thomas said.

The strike should be seen as more than just students missing a day of school, it is giving them a "sense of agency in their own power" and a chance to have their voice heard.

An issue that will affect their future, Thomas believes New Zealand's youth have "just been waiting for a moment to take leadership on this issue". She thinks the strike should be taken as a learning opportunity to see the issue of climate change from a different perspective.

"Students will have a greater sense of their own power and their own ability to rally a community around an issue."

But once the strike is over and the letter has been sent, the responsibility still falls with our country's leaders. It's hoped this letter will help implement change and teach students how to engage with issues they care about.

The letter reads:

"We, the undersigned, researchers, academics, teachers and educators, offer our support to the young people on climate strikes in Aotearoa New Zealand and others around the world calling for immediate and decisive action on climate change. Taking action now is crucial for the well-being and survival of current and future generations.

We would like to thank striking students for their leadership, and commitment to building a different world based on climate justice. Creating a future that does not rely on fossil fuels is going to take bravery and imagination and we are heartened by what we are seeing from young people. As the great leader and educator Sir Āpirana Ngata challenged us to see the leadership of rangatahi/youth, 'Ka pū te rūhā, ka hao te rangatahi' the old net is set aside, the new net goes fishing.

The striking students are learning practical lessons about an issue that will confront them throughout their lifetimes, as citizens, as future scientists, and as members of the global community.

The science on climate change is clearer than ever, yet action on climate change is still startlingly slow. In 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its strongest report to date. Two of the key messages from that report are that we are already seeing the consequences of 1°C of global warming through more extreme weather, rising sea levels and diminishing Arctic sea ice and that we need far reaching and rapid effort from all sectors of society to avoid even more severe impacts.

If the world is to have a chance to limit global warming to 1.5°C, it requires global net human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) to fall by about 45 per cent from 2010 levels by 2030, reaching 'net zero' around 2050.

Aotearoa New Zealand must act now, for a socially just transition to a low emissions future. Failing to do so places an immeasurable burden on current and future generations to adapt to an increasingly unstable, dangerous climate system. The burden of a changing climate is already falling heaviest on those who have contributed least to the problem including Indigenous communities, people in the Global South and the world's children and future generations.

In light of these circumstances we offer our full support to the youth climate movement in Aotearoa and globally. They have to live with the consequences of adult inaction. We call on the government to address their demands and to enact urgent measures to reduce carbon emissions to meet the ambition of the Paris Climate Agreement.

Note: The cut off date for signing this letter is the 12th of March 2019. Following this we will send this letter to the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Minister for Climate Change James Shaw, Minister for Education Chris Hipkins, Minister for Children Tracey Martin and the Secondary Principals' Association."

The letter is available for teachers, educators and academics to sign until March 12, 2019.

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