When grade 8 student Mishca Linden spoke up in 2019, local North-West Tassie Mums were listening. We have recently written to all new Tasmanian Parliamentarians to let them know what Mischa has inspired us to do.

Here is what we wrote:

 

Hello, and congratulations on being elected to the Tasmanian Parliament in 2024 and we sincerely wish you well in navigating the challenges and rewards as an elected community leader.

 

We would like to take this chance to introduce ourselves as the overwhelmed and doggedly determined mums of the North-West Parents for Climate group. We loosely came together in September 2019 when a young Grade 8 Wynyard High School student, Mishca Linden, led a school strike for climate in Wynyard coinciding with enormous school strikes across Australia and the globe. Mishca called on us all to respectfully work together because climate change ‘is not a mainland issue, it is not a young person's issue or a wealthy person's issue. This is an EVERYBODY issue. This is our issue.’

 

Mishca is now 18 years old and studying at University.

 

Our group first contacted our local Members of Parliament and Councillors in December 2019 as the first of the Black Summer bushfires had taken hold in New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia and we hosted a #ThisIsClimateChange solidarity event in Burnie while raising money for the Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Appeal.

So much has happened since then.

 

 

It is honestly hard to know what to write at this point. The gap between what needs to be done to tackle our climate pollution and what is being done is still wide. Unfortunately, we are still consistently seeing our governments delivering actions, policy and legislation which knowingly exacerbates or delays climate action.

 

A survey released last week found hundreds of the world’s leading climate scientists expect global temperatures to rise to at least 2.5C above preindustrial levels this century, blasting past internationally agreed targets and causing catastrophic consequences for humanity and the planet.

 

“I think we are headed for major societal disruption within the next five years,” said IPCC Report author and University of Tasmania Professor Gretta Pecl, “[Authorities] will be overwhelmed by extreme event after extreme event, food production will be disrupted. I could not feel greater despair over the future.”

 

The experts were clear on why the world is failing to tackle the climate crisis. A lack of political will was cited by almost three-quarters of the respondents, while 60% also blamed vested corporate interests, such as the fossil fuel industry.

 

We are hoping that in 2024 our Tasmanian Parliament can show the political will to take bold action to tackle our pollution, protect our carbon sinks and remove the toxic influence of the fossil fuel industry from our beautiful island home.

 

It is clear that most people are not fully aware of the seriousness of our climate predicament- it is a complex and depressing space to engage in. We ask that you, as our decision makers, make it a priority to seek up to date information from the experts on the latest climate science and the best course of action to mitigate Tasmania’s climate emissions. We are lucky in Tasmania to have so many climate experts, including IPCC report authors and excellent science communicators.

Can we ask that you please add this to your ‘to do’ list today?

 

Also, do not be afraid to engage with climate advocates and activists. It has been our experience over the last few years that Tasmania’s climate activist are often scientists, ex-government policy experts or other professionals who have been hamstrung within their professional roles and have taken to various forms of activism in an attempt to enact the change that is required, including many of our Parents for Climate members.

We haven’t mentioned our kids. We are the mums (some dads, grandparents and carers, but predominantly mums) of the North-West Tasmania Parents for Climate local group. Becoming a parent is such a life altering experience and it is our immense love and duty to protect our kids which drives us. Our kids are growing with us on this journey and they can see the effort that we put into consistently advocating for their right to a safe climate future.

We look forward to working with you for strong climate action.

Kind regards,
North-West Parents for Climate

We are so proud of what our small, yet passionate group has been able to achieve together.

If you want to get more involved we are always in need of fresh energy, ideas and skills. This climate advocacy business is for the long haul and it is often exhausting but also so powerful and uplifting.

You can connect with our North-West Tassie group on Facebook and sign up to receive our updates here

Frustrated (yet hopeful) Mum,
Hannah (pictured below with the fabulous Mishca)





Hannah Sadler is a mum of two who grew up on a dairy farm in north-west Tasmania. She loves the ocean, fresh air, seeing the ripple effect of good people doing good things. Hannah lives on palawa/pakana land in NW lutriwita/Tasmania. The Tommeginne people were coastal people, who lived in this productive area. Shell middens and rock fish traps are abundant around the beaches and rock shelters of this mild coastline which was once connected to mainland Australia via a land bridge.