When the first School Strike for Climate was announced in 2019, Robin and Warwick Mosman, grandparents living in the Blue Mountains of NSW, decided to take action to support the young Australian students standing up to demand government action on climate change.  With some like-minded friends they advertised the local strike event widely throughout the mountains, helping to ensure a large attendance.

Afterwards they thought about other ways they and other concerned grandparents might be able to take action to increase the pressure on the Australian Government, and businesses funding fossil fuel industries, to introduce major policies to reduce carbon emissions.

They formed Grandparents for Climate Action Now (Grandparents CAN) and –  understanding that for many grandparents some of the usual protest actions such as rallies in the city might be too hard for reasons of age or health – they devised this easy way for grandparents to continue pressure for political action without leaving home! 

There are now many non-government organisations concerned with the need for urgent climate action that regularly make available well-researched actions such as petitions and emails to governments and financial corporations to maintain community pressure. The Australian Conservation Foundation, the Climate Council, Market Forces and the Environmental Defenders Office are some that we regularly research.

Simply enter your email address below, and you will be sent a weekly suggestion of an action you can take from your phone or computer with just a click.

Choose the ones you want to do and, most important, talk to your friends and encourage them to join too! They don’t even have to be grandparents – this easy way to take action can be done by anyone!    

Since Grandparents CAN (GCAN) was formed, the COVID-19 pandemic has hit, limiting our ability to gather together to protest about government and business decisions that support fossil fuel industries. With parliaments significantly closed during lockdowns and debate stifled, and with COVID news dominating the media, it’s been very difficult for Australian citizens to let our governments know how strongly we feel about the need for climate action.

The good news is that with GCAN we can keep up the pressure even when socially isolating in lockdown.

Grandparents CAN is perfect for the pandemic!