This article is sponsored by Uniting, the Board of the NSW and ACT Synod of the Uniting Church responsible for the work of community services, chaplaincy and social justice advocacy. www.uniting.org
Uniting’s advocacy team is gearing up to support widespread public engagement in climate action, starting with the upcoming Global Climate Strike (#climatestrike) on September 20. Uniting, the service and advocacy arm of the Uniting Church in NSW-ACT, is creating the opportunity for as many staff as possible to attend rallies around the state.
As well as turning out to the strike, staff and supporters are creating placards for the event, and using their networks to encourage others to take part.
Uniting’s Earth advocates have been greatly encouraged by the commitment shown by the organisation to climate action. Recently, Uniting committed to 50 per-cent emission reductions over 2008 levels by 2030, and to advocate to government and industry to make it possible to achieve even greater reductions, given that Australia as a whole needs to achieve at least 65 per-cent reductions by 2030.
So far, Uniting is halfway there, with 25 per-cent reductions since 2008.
This was partly achieved by the installation of 7,000 solar panels. Uniting also invests in protection and restoration of native habitat at its aged care centres, planting over 40,000 trees at its Nareen Terrace property alone.
Most of Uniting’s services are directed towards older people and the poorest in our society – who bear the brunt of extreme weather events and traffic-based pollution. So, on September 20, Uniting staff will support the concerns of these people by joining the wider Uniting Church and the broader community in the Global Climate Strike.
Uniting and our diverse partners are urging our governments to take the unfolding climate emergency much more seriously – in particular, to halt the expansion of the fossil fuel industry, and to create strong incentives for renewables in the energy sector, and carbon neutrality in other areas of the economy.
Uniting believes Australia is well placed to achieve negative emissions, and become a clean energy exporter to the rest of the world – creating a just transition for our coal dependent rural towns, and healthy, clean, sustainable jobs we can be proud of for generations to come.
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More information at unitingearth.org.au
