On Thursday 17th December, members of the Australian Youth Climate Coalition in Copenhagen and in Australia will be fasting for one day, to support people from the Climate Justice Fast, who have been fasting for over 40 days – asking for climate justice. We will also be involved in vigils in Australia and Copenhagen. Here are some stories about why we’re doing this.
Ramya
Young people speak the truth. They are the moral voice the world needs to hear, and that world leaders need to listen to. I first met Anna Keenan at the Conference of Youth in Copenhagen last week. Anna is one of the two young Australians who have been fasting for 42 days now as part of the global Climate Justice Fast, an international hunger strike calling for strong, just action on the climate crisis.
Meeting her in person was a profoundly emotional experience. More than her physical frailty, what struck me was her strength of spirit and courage. She talked about the urgency of climate action – the need to send a powerful message to our leaders of the importance and moral consequences of their decisions on climate change. And the time for courage is now. For me, the Global Day of Fasting is about showing this. Thursday, 17th December is our opportunity to step things up. It is the day when thousands of people from around the world will show solidarity with the millions that will suffer from the worst effects of climate change – hunger, disease and conflict. It is the day when we will send a strong signal to our world leaders that we are united and ready to overcome these global challenges together. Throughout history, powerful political movements have used fasting as a way of effecting change. Now more than ever, we need change. We need governments around the world, including Australia, to show true leadership because survival is not negotiable. Justice is not negotiable.
Lucy
About ten days ago I arrived in Denmark to take part in the UN climate change conference. Like thousands of other young people from all over the world, I have travelled to Copenhagen to ensure our message is not lost within the complexities of the political negotiations. Our message is straightforward: the survival of current and future generations is not negotiable. World leaders have a moral obligation to reach a fair and ambitious global deal. As a young Australian representing Australian youth, I want our government to lead rather than hold back the momentum for a strong global deal. I want our government to contribute substance rather than words, recognize that suffering and injustice can be avoided if it is met with political will rather than political self-interest. Most of all I want our government to understand that this is an issue of morality. This is a message that is already understood by millions of people all over the world, including many Australians who have already signed petitions, lobbied, marched or written letters. It is a message that was understood by a group of people who have been fasting for over forty days in order to illustrate both the magnitude of the problem and the moral simplicity of the solution. On Thursday the 17th of December, as the long-term fasters enter their forty-second day without food, I will join in a global day of fasting. One day without food is a tiny sacrifice, but thousands of people fasting across the world will send a powerful moral message to our leaders – and it is a moral message that they need to hear.
