'They're not being bold enough': Local climate activists call for action from world leaders
Dozens of climate activists gathered at the legislature Friday afternoon, in solidarity with Global Climate Strikes taking place all over the world.
Most of the activists down at Capital Plaza were students who say it’s important to make their voices heard now that the federal election is over, and to hold politicians accountable for the promises they’re making.
“We want the parties to recognize that what they’re doing is not enough for combatting the climate crisis,” Monica Figueroa with Edmonton Youth for Climate said. “We need to stop investing in oil and gas, because fossil fuels are not going to sustain us in the long run. We also need to invest in greener energies that would allow us to move forward with a just transition, and a Green New Deal in the future.”
A just transition refers to re-training oil and gas workers so they can be employed by new, greener energy industries.
Figueroa says she believes politicians are listening, and know that climate change is a major issue for Canadian youth - but it’s time for that to translate into aggressive action to combat climate change.
“We didn’t ask for this. And it’s going to be a part of our lives forever,” she said. “They’re not moving fast enough, and they’re not being bold enough in the targets that they’re setting.”
She says it’s crucial that the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement are met, in order to prevent what activists say would be a catastrophic rise in global temperature.
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