Friday, September 13, 2019

Press Release for MN Climate Strike




COMMUNICATIONS
Minnesota Youth Climate Strike
Janani Srinivasa | (612)-800-4673| srinvasajanani@gmail.com 
Juwaria Jama | (612)-876-7428 | juwaria.jama@gmail.com
Mia DiLorenzo | (612)-817-4673 | miabelladilo@gmail.com



September 20: Youth Activists Strike to Declare a Climate Emergency 

We invite you to join us in this strike to take back what yours, save our homes, and stand up against injustice! 

St. Paul, Minnesota—September X — On Friday, September 20th, hundreds of thousands of young activists across the globe will strike from school to protest the government's failure to reverse the effects of climate change. We demand change, and as the generation set to inherit this world, we strike to regain control of our future and will not settle for any action that fails to recognize the extent of this crisis. 

Political leaders in Minnesota and around the world have failed to prioritize — and in some cases, even acknowledge — climate change. Our very own Governor is no different. Line 3 calls for the building of an oil pipeline through Northern Minnesota, an area filled with diverse wildlife and ecosystems. This pipeline would endanger the Mississippi River headwaters, wild rice waters, forests and wetlands, not to mention the intrusion of Native American reservations. 

According to the United Nations, minority groups and low-income communities are the hardest hit by climate change. In Northern Minnesota, 1 in 10 babies are born with dangerous levels of mercury in their system due to poor conditions of the water filtration system. in Southern Minnesota many babies are found with high amounts of nitrate in their blood, a potentially fatal condition. The communities with the highest risk are often ones with high minority groups and  the communities affected are disproportionately low-income people of color. 

We make the following demands:

  • Safe removal and a halt on construction of Line 3 and similar pipelines
  • Declare the climate crisis to be a local, state, and national emergency — because that’s what it is.
  • Enact powerful legislation to combat climate change on local and state levels in Minnesota.
  • Recognize trash incineration as a harmful form of energy and transition the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center away from using trash to create power.
  • All politicians in Minnesota public offices must refuse campaign funds from the fossil fuel industry.
  • Adopt the Green New Deal and the Minnesota Green New Deal to shift our country and state to 100 percent clean, renewable, and net-zero emission energy sources through a fair and just transition for all communities and workers.
  • Enact legislation and regulations on the lead content in cities around Minnesota and provide safe drinking water for Minnesota families.

Climate strike locations around Minnesota:
Minnesota Youth Climate Strike  
WHERE: Western Sculpture Garden, then a rally to the Capitol
WHO: Youth climate activists, elected officials, influencers, and environmental changemakers. A complete list of speakers will be sent out at a later date.
WHEN: 11:30 AM to 2 PM on Friday, September 20th, 2019

We will continue to share information about actions around Minnesota on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and at https://www.youthclimatestrikeus.org.

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On September 20th, the Minnesota Youth Climate Strike will focus on influencing local elected officials and leaders. We will have elected officials speaking on issues such as climate justice, the power of youth, and ways that young activists can further get involved. We call for the state of Minnesota and the United States of America to adopt the demands and policies of the US Youth Climate Strike in order to protect our future and individual liberties.

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