- Helen Clarkson, CEO of international non-profit The Climate Group, calls on businesses and governments to listen and learn from school climate strikers
- Young people are bringing the energy and urgency needed to transform the conversation on climate change
- It is in the power of governments and large businesses to implement the solutions to climate change at a bigger scale
This Friday (12 April 2019), hundreds of thousands of children and young people globally will once again take to the streets worldwide to demand more action on climate change. Together, they will call on politicians, businesses and others with the power to change policy to go further in implementing solutions to counteract the devastating impacts of climate change.
Commenting on the upcoming strikes, Helen Clarkson, CEO of The Climate Group, an international non-profit with a mission of accelerating climate action said:
“These striking school children and young people may not be able to vote yet, but they’re certainly changing the face and pace of the debate.
“Together they are bringing exactly the energy and urgency that is needed to transform the conversation on climate action. They have captured headlines and attention worldwide. They’ve come out in demonstrable, physical numbers to be counted, photographed, and shared on social media. They’re raising the issue of climate change higher on the political agenda.
“Our work with businesses and governments globally shows that real commitment and leadership on climate action is taking place globally. But in order to cap global warming at 1.5°C, we need even more ambition. It is in the power of governments and large businesses to implement the solutions to climate change at a bigger scale – because the solutions are available. We urge them to listen and learn from these young people – the generation with the most to lose from continued inaction. Limiting climate change is not an issue of top down versus grassroots engagement – the two approaches need to work together to achieve the biggest impact at the fastest possible speed.”
The Climate Group is driving forward the climate action of over 200 multinational businesses, in 140 markets worldwide. Through our work with the Under2 Coalition, we work with over 220 governments globally, representing more than 1.3 billion people and over 43% of the global economy.
Annually, The Climate Group hosts Climate Week NYC, this year taking place 23-29 September 2019. The UN Secretary-General’s Climate Action Summit will also take place during this week, on Monday 23 September. Run in coordination with the UN and City of New York, Climate Week NYC continues to grow as the time and place for the world to showcase amazing climate action and drive further ambition.
ENDS
For further enquiries contact:
Hannah Prime or Nazneen Nawaz, The Climate Group
[email protected] / [email protected]
020 7960 2970 / +44 7912 514 445