“Young people are desperate, angry and scared.”
~ Anna Taylor, 18, co-founder of the UK Student Climate Network
“A climate emergency declaration is kind of like a restart button for us to go into the future.”
~ Kammy Cordner-Hunt, scientist and candidate running for Independents for Climate Action Now, ICAN, Australia
“Declaring an emergency means absolutely nothing unless there is action to back it up. That means the government having to do things they don’t want to do.”
~ Eamon Ryan, Green Party leader, Ireland
“This is an emergency. The timescales are different to those that we regularly respond to, but if we don’t act, the consequences are horrendous.”
~ Paul Netherton, Deputy Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall Police, leader of the newly formed Devon Climate Impacts Group, United Kingdom
“Crisis is throw your hands up. Emergency is roll your sleeves up.”
~ Rachel Reese, Mayor, Nelson City Council, New Zealand
“This emergency is not just about the numbers, it is about our communities, and its impacts are felt by us all, particularly the poorest amongst us – the vulnerable, the marginalised and those that live in remote communities.”
~ Clover Moore, Sydney lord mayor
“A rising tide of communities across the country from the ground up are having their views represented by local leaders.”
~ Nic Seaton, deputy program director of Greenpeace Australia Pacific