On  Friday (5.30pm 21 June 2019), people involved with Extinction Rebellion will participate in a speakout, after approvals to begin works on the proposed Carmichael coal mine were given by the Queensland government last week.

They will assemble in Bourke Street Mall before marching through the city. The aim? To place pressure on the government to declare a ‘climate emergency’ and end its reliance on coal.

Anger is building over the disregard of the evidence that points to an environmental disaster to water resources and the Great Barrier reef. And the operation of a new and massive coal mine puts Australia in line, to deny responsibility for adequately reducing carbon emissions.

Most Australians want decisive action and they want it quickly. There is a growing feeling that if the politicians don’t act as they must, it is up to ordinary citizens to make the change.

Wales, Scotland, Britain and Ireland have all declared a climate emergency recently, after extensive campaigns of large-scale nonviolent direct action has brought the current global ecological emergency to the forefront of political conversation.

We can do the same in Australia.

Participants in Friday’s action will hear from a diverse array of speakers covering a range of relevant topics. For example, Dr Christine Canty will be talking about the necessity of leading the Australian public into emergency mode.

Spokesperson for extinction rebellion Miriam Robinson says:

“We have run out of time to wait for the existing political process to work. Our governments have failed us for 30 years. We needed a climate declaration yesterday, but our governments are not listening, which is why we have to get out in the streets to make ourselves heard. This might be disruptive for some people and we apologise for that. But if the climate runs out of control this kind of disruption will be nothing to what will come.”

“of which we haven’t seen since the global response to World War II. But it is absolutely possible – as soon as we get our priorities right. As 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg says: “I want you to act as if our house is on fire. Because it is”.