Letter from ΄Fridays for Future΄ to Meropi Ydraiou
environment
01 Dec 2019
/ 08:36
CORFU. Fridays for Future Corfu handed in a letter to the Central Corfu & Diapontia Islands Municipality following Friday΄s demonstration demanding that measures be taken to tackle climate change.
In the letter that the young people handed in, while they recognise that tackling climate change is beyond what one Municipal Authority can do, they listed measures that can be taken on a local level such as stopping hydrocarbon drilling in the Ionian Sea.
They also submitted the report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
This is the letter that Fridays for Future handed in following Friday's demonstration:
"To Corfu Municipal Authority,
We are sending you this letter as representatives of the 'Fridays for Future' movement in Corfu. Fridays for Future is a youth environmental movement which acts globally to tackle the problem of climate change.
We urge you to take action on this issue, both on a local and wider level, and fight with us to find a solution to the problem. Based on the findings of climate science and the report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), we find ourselves in an emergency situation as regards the climate and it is our duty to act immediately as time is extremely limited.
We are addressing this message to you who are in positions of responsibility. Your responsibility is above and beyond your term of office and the generation that voted for you - it is directly connected to the common fate of the human race. Climate change is both a global and a local problem. This is because on the one hand the consequences will affect us locally and on the other we ourselves have our own share of responsibility which we must accept.
The report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is quite clear.
We must reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 45% by 2030 in order to prevent a rise in temperature of 1.5°C.
We have 11 years to prevent the disaster. If we don't act, the consequences of our behaviour will be incalculable. Human civilisation and a majority of natural resources will be destroyed. These consequences have already begun and it won't be long before they reach our small island. In this century coastal areas will be submerged by the sea, the changes in season will directly affect food production, a large part of biodiversity will be lost forever, some areas of Greece will become desert and there will be large-scale migration.
These are the warnings from science.
These are not sinister predictions - you must listen to the scientists. But instead of this we are continuing the same practices that have got us to where we are now - we are even increasing emissions. We are heading for the edge of the cliff. We don't have the luxury of time and those of us on this small island have to open our eyes, face the problem and fulfil our share of responsibility.
As the representatives of local citizens a great responsibility rests on your shoulders and you have no alternative but to show that you are equal to the task.
We, as young people, are adding our voices to this global youth movement of millions. We do not want half-measures just so that we can claim that we've done something.
We want you to listen to science. We want you to take firm action focussed on the objectives set by scientists. Before it's too late."
They also submitted the report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
This is the letter that Fridays for Future handed in following Friday's demonstration:
"To Corfu Municipal Authority,
We are sending you this letter as representatives of the 'Fridays for Future' movement in Corfu. Fridays for Future is a youth environmental movement which acts globally to tackle the problem of climate change.
We urge you to take action on this issue, both on a local and wider level, and fight with us to find a solution to the problem. Based on the findings of climate science and the report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), we find ourselves in an emergency situation as regards the climate and it is our duty to act immediately as time is extremely limited.
We are addressing this message to you who are in positions of responsibility. Your responsibility is above and beyond your term of office and the generation that voted for you - it is directly connected to the common fate of the human race. Climate change is both a global and a local problem. This is because on the one hand the consequences will affect us locally and on the other we ourselves have our own share of responsibility which we must accept.
The report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is quite clear.
We must reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 45% by 2030 in order to prevent a rise in temperature of 1.5°C.
We have 11 years to prevent the disaster. If we don't act, the consequences of our behaviour will be incalculable. Human civilisation and a majority of natural resources will be destroyed. These consequences have already begun and it won't be long before they reach our small island. In this century coastal areas will be submerged by the sea, the changes in season will directly affect food production, a large part of biodiversity will be lost forever, some areas of Greece will become desert and there will be large-scale migration.
These are the warnings from science.
These are not sinister predictions - you must listen to the scientists. But instead of this we are continuing the same practices that have got us to where we are now - we are even increasing emissions. We are heading for the edge of the cliff. We don't have the luxury of time and those of us on this small island have to open our eyes, face the problem and fulfil our share of responsibility.
As the representatives of local citizens a great responsibility rests on your shoulders and you have no alternative but to show that you are equal to the task.
We, as young people, are adding our voices to this global youth movement of millions. We do not want half-measures just so that we can claim that we've done something.
We want you to listen to science. We want you to take firm action focussed on the objectives set by scientists. Before it's too late."
