Key Points
- Australian scientists have written a Climate Doctor’s Certificate for striking school students on Friday.
- Symptoms include "increased anxiety", "elevated stress" and "feelings of despair" due to the climate crisis.
- This is the fifth year students across Australia have taken part in the national School Strike 4 Climate.
A pair of self-proclaimed "climate doctors" have written a sick note for Australian schoolchildren who will be striking for climate action on Friday.
The letter, penned and signed by climate scientists David Karoly from the University of Melbourne and Nick Abel from the Australian National University, offers students permission to "take a sick day for a sick planet" by stating that they are "unfit due to a major health concern".
Symptoms highlighted on the Climate Doctors' Certificate include "increased anxiety from the Australian Federal Government's ongoing climate policy inaction".
"Elevated stress from seeing the impacts of the climate emergency now in Australia and worldwide," the letter reads. "[And] feelings of despair due to the disregard of leaders who won’t have to endure the future they’ll leave behind."
Thousands of schoolchildren across the country are expected to take part in the national School Strike 4 Climate on Friday to demand the government end coal and gas in Australia.
It's the fifth year students around the country have taken such action, with those in Sydney set to meet at midday and march to Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek’s office.
Plibersek has approved multiple new fossil fuel projects since the Labor government came into power 18 months ago.
“On Friday, the 17th of November, we are striking against the Australian Federal Government's approval of nine fossil fuel projects and the nine billion dollars worth of subsidies handed out to the fossil fuel industry,” the School Strike 4 Climate group posted on their website, where the Climate Doctor's Certificate is available to download.
"We're demanding that the Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, and the Minister for the Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek, #ShiftThePower away from fossil fuels to help save our deteriorating planet."
New research released on Tuesday found that young Australians overwhelmingly want the right to a healthy environment enshrined in law to keep pace with standards being set overseas.
The study from the Australian Conservation Foundation found nine out of 10 people aged 13 to 24 want Australia to follow the more than 160 countries worldwide which have legislated the right.
More than 160 countries have legislated a right to a healthy environment, but no Australian jurisdiction has done so.
"Australia is falling behind other nations by failing to enshrine in law the right to a healthy environment," Australian Conservation Foundation chief executive Kelly O'Shanassy said.
"This right is recognised in 161 other countries … a growing movement of children and young people are raising their voices for a safe, liveable future, taking action on the streets and in the courts."
That study came just days after another report by Climate Central, a United States-based non-profit science research group, revealed that the recorded – citing the burning of petrol, coal, natural gas and other fossil fuels as one of the leading causes for unnatural warming between November 2022 and October 2023.
