Nearing the end of a 24-hour protest in Wollongong, climate activist Maneesha Todd was still hopeful Prime Minister Scott Morrison would deliver a climate jobs plan at the Glasgow COP26 Conference.
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The Tomorrow Movement Wollongong leader and other young people "fighting for a society with good jobs, great public services and a safe climate", argued Australia's stance of achieving net zero emissions by 2050, was "too little, too late".
Before the overnight protest at Wollongong Lighthouse ended yesterday at 2pm, the "tired" group leader pleaded for Mr Morrison to act urgently on climate action and guarantee a climate jobs plan.
"We feel that the climate crisis and the economic and unemployment crisis that we face is inherently linked and needs to be solved together," Miss Todd said.
"We don't feel that there is a binary between climate action and jobs. We can actually solve the climate crisis through the government investing in creating thousands of good jobs that decarbonise our society, stop our reliance on fossil fuels and invest in new industries, and new technologies that care for our communities and create a safe and sustainable future for everyone."
Hundreds of world leaders will be in Glasgow for the COP26 conference, which runs from October 31 to November 12. The summit will bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Miss Todd hoped the "talkfest" would deliver "real, desperately needed solutions".
"The time for fear campaigns is over. For too long we've seen big businesses and the fossil fuels' lobby co-opting and buying our politicians to push a message of division," she said.
"We are asking the government, 'whose side are you really on? Are you on the side of big business or are you on the side of people because at the moment it doesn't seem like you are on the side of the people'."
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