Dear world leaders,
We represent the youth climate movement in more than 100 countries, including 19 of the G20 economies. Together we represent the next generation, and we demand our right to a safe climate future.
We are compelled to write this letter because we believe that the coal lobby, led by Peabody Energy (the largest coal company in the world), is trying to unduly influence the outcome of the G20 Summit. Their agenda represents a threat to young people and future generations, and we urge you to listen to our message over that of vested interests.
They claim that their industry will benefit the world’s poor. But we know that the rapid expansion of the industry will cost those living under the poverty line their health and clean air - and they are also the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
As young people, we witness the impact of the fossil fuel industry and climate change every day. Thousands of children die each year from coal particulate pollution, Indigenous people are having their lands taken from them for exploration and extraction, and as fossil fuels warm our planet,
the impacts of climate change are harming our communities.
The transition away from polluting industries to clean energy is already underway, in both developed and developing countries, but the coal lobby is trying to stand in our way. As young people, we are absent from the negotiating table but will feel all of the consequences of your decisions.
Climate change is the biggest issue facing our generation. We urge you to resist the voice of the coal lobby. We urge you to address climate change like the economic, environmental and social justice emergency that it is.
Yours sincerely,
Young people and future generations.
