Students right to demand urgent climate action

ETUC congratulates and supports students and pupils across Europe for demanding more urgent action to prevent climate change.

“We are proud of your responsibility and enthusiasm” said Montserrat Mir, Confederal Secretary at the European Trade Union Confederation. “Young people are right to demand that politicians across the globe deliver decisive action to protect the world that the young will inherit.”

“Long overdue action needs to be increased and speeded up to save us from catastrophic climate change. As the trade unions have been saying for many years – there are no jobs on a dead planet.

“Our jobs depend on our planet and the move to a low-carbon economy needs to be planned and managed urgently to get communities and people working in cleaner safer and sustainable industries. Climate action can benefit everyone if it is properly planned and we achieve a socially just transition to a low-carbon society.

“If the world’s political leaders had the sense of urgency and responsibility shown by the students, we could save our planet and create more and better jobs for the future.

“I am enormously encouraged by the care shown by young people, and hope it pushes our political leaders to increase their efforts to tackle climate change.”