The first half of 2019 has been characterised by the eruption of a huge movement around climate change, sparked by protests and walkouts of millions of school students internationally, writes Monika Janas. This reflects the growing understanding of the peril which our planet is in and the need for urgent and radical action to reverse this. In reality the term ...

By Darragh O’Dwyer Last year, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that we have a mere 12 years to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels, after which point the more catastrophic effects of climate change – floods, droughts, heatwaves – will greatly worsen. Such a goal can only be achieved through a drastic reduction in ...

A very significant surge for the Greens, huge loss of seats for Sinn Fein, and losses for the Left were the headline stories of Local and European Elections May 2019. While the elections absolutely did not represent any ringing endorsement for the Government or political establishment, the combination of the impact of a late Greens surge, and a low turnout amongst the harder pressed sections of the working class, impinged significantly on the Left’s vote.

In recent months a new movement of school student strikes and protests has emerged globally demanding “system change, not climate change”. Harper Cleves looks at the significance of this movement and why the fight against climate change is bound up with ending the rule of capitalism. “Be moderate,” the trimmers cry, Who dread the tyrants’ thunder. “You ask too much ...

By Elan Axelbank, Socialist Alternative (sister organisation of the Socialist Party in the US) “The one thing we need more than hope is action. Once we start to act, hope is everywhere. So instead of looking for hope, look for action. Then, and only then, hope will come.” – Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old Swedish climate activist, who helped kick off ...

“Climate over Capitalism!” was the call of hundreds of school students in Manchester, protesting for effective measures to tackle climate change. This call is echoed throughout Europe in a myriad of school student protests in the past number of months writes Megan Oglesby. The movement was sparked by Greta Thunburg, a Swedish 16-year-old who began the first school-student protest outside ...

By Sam Belton Food production is the biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions and the primary contributor to ecosystem destruction and biodiversity loss. In 2050, it’s estimated that the global population will have risen to 10 billion, placing an even greater strain on the planet’s food production systems. Two-year research efforts of an EAT-Lancet Commission on healthy diets and sustainable ...

Mass protest can force ministers to leave. After two months of protest, mainly pushed forward by young people, one of the four Belgian ministers responsible for climate had to resign. The Flemish regional minister, Joke Schauvliege, of the Christian-Democrat party, CD&V, announced his resignation on February 5. Earlier blunders by the same minister had been made in the past, but ...

By Gary McDonald “We have come here to let you know that change is coming whether you like it or not. The real power belongs to the people”. These were the prophetic words spoken by 15 year old school student and climate activist Greta Thunberg in a stunning speech delivered at the COP24 UN climate change conference in Poland. Her ...

More people are concerned and anxious: the future of our planet is on the line. The recent IPCC-report claims we have only 12 years to avoid irreversible environmental disaster. Despite the warning signs, the political establishment do not seem to grasp the seriousness of the situation. Many workers and youth do understand the need of urgent action. An historic climate ...