'Intergenerational' climate strike organiser hopes schools, businesses support protesters
Watch: Auckland organisers Gwyneth Parallag and Sarah Paton-Beverley speak to The AM Show. Credits: Video - The AM Show; Image - Newshub. An organiser of an "intergenerational" climate strike planned for next month says schools and businesses should support protesters "rather than acting against us". On September 27, a climate strike for "everyone", rather than just for students, will take place in Christchurch. The School Strike 4 Climate team says it is happy Environment Canterbury and the Christchurch City Council have declared a climate emergency but believes the Government could do more to tackle global warming and should declare an emergency. Efforts by Green Party MP Chlöe Swarbrick to declare a climate emergency have been blocked in Parliament. Climate strikes by students earlier this year were criticised by some educators and politicians as an excuse to skip school. But one of the protest's co-organisers, Mia Sutherland, hopes that next month's strike will garner the support of the wider community. "It will be really cool to see schools and businesses come on board to support us rather than acting against us because we all share a common goal at the end of the day," she told Newshub. "This is ultimately everyone's issue. Everyone has a role to play in pressuring the Government, and governments worldwide, to reduce the impacts of climate change. "We want the Government to do everything in its power to limit global warming to 1.5C and changing to a renewable economy that doesn't rely on so much single-use." The group has previously said it wants the Government to take urgent action to get to carbon zero by 2040 and end all new exploration and extraction of fossil fuels. The Government is attempting to tackle climate change with its Zero Carbon Bill which would create a legally binding objective to limit global warming to no more than 1.5C with a net-zero carbon approach. A 10 percent reduction in biological methane emissions by 2030 is the target set out in the Bill, with a provisional reduction ranging from 24 percent to 47 percent the aim by 2050. The School Strike 4 Climate group wants that Bill strengthened by locking in the 47 percent reduction target. This will be the third strike organised by the group after protests on March 15 and May 24. It will take place at Christchurch's Cathedral Square at 1pm. Newshub.