Australian Young Christian Students

Campaign Newsletter No.2

 

 

Dear friends of this planet that we call “home”, We are pleased to bring you the second edition of the monthly Campaign Newsletters for 2016-17. In this newsletter, you will find updates on what is happening around the country in YCS to try and tackle the issue of climate change, news headlines from April that we have found alarming, and a passionate account of what is happening to our common home in Australia due to rising temperatures from one of our students in the Melbourne YCS Movement. April has been a busy month for everyone involved in the YCS Movement. The students have been holding diocesan-wide camps and conferences in order to conduct a super in-depth Review of Life on our campaign, Climate Justice. The camps and conferences have been very successful. The student leaders of each diocesan camp have been receiving positive feedback about the reviews and cannot wait to review the issue again in September at their next camp. We have also been busy collecting as much information as we can about the issue over the past month so that we can begin educating others and advocating for change over social media. After completing their first Review of Life on Climate Justice, the national executive students are ready to begin spreading what they have learned and use their passion to ignite a flame for change. We hope you enjoy this issue of the campaign newsletter! Peace,

Annie Purbrick National External Campaign Coordinator Ph; 0433161020 Email; annie.purbrick@aycs.org.au

 

 

 

Climate change:

{The Great Barrier Reef}  

Latitude 16.4473 S. Longitude 145.8173 E.

Area of around 344,400 km2. Established 1975.

 Climate change is a relatively new concept in today’s world. Go back 15 years ago and tell someone on the street that 15 years from now 90% of the Great Barrier Reef’s magnificent coral will be bleached by a process that the human’s inadvertently created called global warming. They would be, to say the least, sceptical. Nowadays, everyone with half a brain knows the name of the impending catastrophe that is global warming, and those that choose to deny it like American presidential republican candidate, Ted Cruz, will soon have to succumb to the facts. Global warming is a problem. Future generations will be minimally affected by things like the potential presidency of Donald Trump or Kim Jong-un’s constant ignorance towards those he angers compared to the impacts of global warming. It may not affect the way of life of the current generation, perhaps not even the next but make no mistake our misguided attempts to make a huge profit will be the root of future generations problems if we do not act now.

Above:  Coral  bleaching.  Picture  from  The  Australian  Financial  Review.  

 

 

Climate change will soon affect all of Australia, whether it be through rising temperatures, drought or food security. Those reading this article will likely think that these changes will

not happen for years. You are wrong. These changes are happening all around us, but I am not writing this article to discuss huge international issues that will become the forefront of thousands of arguments whether they be on the international level or simply in a backyard. I am writing article on something that has already happened: the bleaching of 90% of the Great Barrier Reef. A place some would argue is the backbone of Australia’s tourism industry. When bleaching is mentioned in relation to coral it does not mean literally

pouring hydrogen peroxide into the reef and letting that do its thing, it refers to rising temperatures in the ocean which causes the corals natural food source known as algae to leave its system leaving the coral a bleached white. As is mentioned earlier in the article, currently on the date of 4th of May 2016 90% of the coral in the Great Barrier Reef is bleached varying in severity, which to put lightly is dismal. This is due to global warming and will not stop if the human race continues on the path that it is currently on. We are currently in a state of mind where we think that the earth’s resources are unlimited; by resources I do not just refer to things like oil or gas but also to things like trees and fresh water. Something that in the future will be considered a luxury. As most would know trees absorb carbon dioxide in order to produce oxygen that we use to survive. Carbon dioxide also contributes to the destruction of the ozone layer, which without UV rays are able to penetrate the earth’s surface making the overall temperature hotter. As we kill the planet we do not simply just kill the planet, we kill the future generation’s ability to survive. That is a right that no one is at liberty to change. The future should be green, but if the world keeps going down the path it is currently then the path will not be green, but rather a desert like environment in which survival is almost non-existent. Save the future. Save our future.

- Patrick Lachal, grade 9 student from Melbourne YCS

Above:  drought  in  Australia  due  to  global  warming.  Picture  from  The  Business  Insider.  

 

 

BREAKING NEWS April 2016

11th April Scientists have finally discovered the reason why our earth does not spin uniformly on its axis, but rather wobbles irregularly – and it is not ideal. Climate change has been causing masses of ice to melt, causing a difference in weight distribution over the course of time. This new revelation has explained many old wobbles in the past couple of centuries.

https://astronomynow.com/2016/04/11/climate-change-creates-wobbles-in-earths-spin-axis/

13th April

Zambia is home to one of the world’s largest hydroelectric dams, which has helped with political stability and has made Zambia one of the fastest growing economies in Africa. However, this dam has now been struck by drought caused by the ever growing severity of climate change. The record low water levels have caused blackouts throughout the nation, having a negative impact on the people who rely on business for their livelihood.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/13/world/africa/zambia-drought-climate-change-economy.html?_r=0

22nd April

A meeting at the United Nations headquarters in New York has marked a historic moment for the whole world. 155 countries signed the Paris agreement on Climate Change, agreeing to work together towards making an absolute limit of temperature rise of 2˚C.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/record-number-of-countries-to-sign-paris-agreement-of-climate-change-on-earth-day/56844796

27th April Climate change seems to be impacting everyone in unexpected ways. Soldiers in the US Army have even started complaining that the record high temperatures are impacting on their performance and anxiety levels at training. Although it sounds far-fetched and, albeit, fairly strange, there have been claims that climate change has started to threaten national security. Hmmm…

https://www.army.mil/article/166803/Climate_change_affecting_Army_training/      

 

 

- Climate Justice Campaign decided upon at National Conference.

- The Adelaide and Port Pirie dioceses joined forces to conduct their Review of Life camp. Students say that their review was super successful, and truly in the Spirit of Cardijn (it was held at Cardijn College!).

- Parramatta held a three day conference for their Review of Life. The students had a lot of fun conducting the review, focusing on their impact on the environment in their communities. With this in mind, Parramatta has decided to get recycling bins in their schools.

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2016

Australian Young Christian Students

A timeline of what has happened and what to expect!

 

 

- Perth held their camp in a bush setting to centre their minds around the natural environment. The students decided that they had enough of damaging the environment, and so came up with a service action to help restore what we have lost. Perth will be volunteering to help plant trees over the next year.

- Melbourne YCS decided to do their Review of Life on the greenest grass available in Melbourne, which was fitting for such an important review on the environment and the way they are impacting on the world. Melbourne YCS students decided that their over-consuming ways were leading to a lot of wastage. In light of this, they decided that they would hold a stall that sells only second hand clothes and other items to encourage minimising wastage and raise awareness of the issue.

- Townsville YCS will be conducting their Review of Life camp during the second weekend of May. We wish them the best for their review and we cannot wait to see what actions they come up with! - The Australian YCS Facebook and Instagram pages are set to be updated very regularly, so make sure you have liked and followed our pages to receive the latest news on our campaign as well as keep up to date with our local and diocesan actions!

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facebook.com/australianycs @ausycs

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For more information on the AYCS Campaign contact Annie Purbrick

Ph: 0433 161 020 Email: annie.purbrick@aycs.org.au

Or follow our Facebook and Instagram pages.