MEJC is proud to support the local student climate strikers group: MBYouth4Climate. They have proved how engaged Manitoba's youth are in the need for rapid, revolutionary climate policy. As part of the international student climate strikers movement, they work in collaboration with other student groups to advocate for radical policy on all levels of government, striking regularly on Fridays.
Their demands for all levels of government are as follows:
Bold Emissions Reductions Targets: Legislate greenhouse gas emission reductions of 65% by 2030, reaching net zero emissions by 2040.
Separation of Oil and State: Reject all new fossil fuel extraction or transportation projects, eliminate fossil fuel subsidies, and price pollution.
A Just Transition: Transition to renewable energy and sustainable transportation infrastructure while guaranteeing opportunity for fossil fuel workers in the new economy.
Environmental Rights: Enshrine in law the fundamental right to a healthy environment. This would include, but is not limited to, the right to safe air, clean water, and healthy soil.
Indigenous Rights: Commit to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in full.
Conservation of Biodiversity: Maintain and protect old growth forests, restore cut blocks, reduce habitat fragmentation and strengthen the protection of at risk species.
Protection for Vulnerable Groups: Recognize Canada’s disproportionate role in the climate crisis and subsequent responsibility for the protection of the most vulnerable. Include the addition of climate displacement as a basis for refugee status. Provide climate aid to lower and middle-income countries, as well as Arctic Canada, which disproportionately experience the impacts of the climate crisis.
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While we are trying to be specific as we envision a fair transition off fossil fuels that protects us all, we also want to recognize that these demands are steps on the path, and not the final destination. We understand that Indigenous land stewardship has preserved the majority of the earth's biodiversity and to follow Indigenous leadership means respecting Indigenous nationhood and right to self-determination and that recognizing the rights of First Nations, Metis and Inuit people will do more to protect life on earth than any government measures.
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