93% of children are still breathing toxic air. From asthma to
cancer, to premature births caused by the air breathed in by
expectant mothers ... toxic pollution from fossil fuels is
wrecking the health of the children we love.
On Friday, a powerful delegation of determined mum activists from
South Africa, Nigeria, India, Brazil, Poland and the UK came
together in the biggest parent mobilisation in history to
meet face-to-face with COP26 President Alok Sharma.
These mothers handed him a letter signed by over 500 parent
groups from 44 countries calling to stop funding new fossil
fuels and secure a safe, healthy future for our
children.
The mothers’ stories of how their children have been affected by
toxic air pollution in all parts of the world, moved
Sharma to tears.
Today, we need your help to make sure that Alok Sharma will
effectively take their message into the heart of the COP
negotiations to secure action from world leaders this
week.
Vladimir, can you support the parents’ critical pledge by
calling the COP26 hosts, Alok Sharma and Boris Johnson on social
media?
To
world leaders: DO NOT betray our kids. ACT NOW and stop financing
any new fossil fuel projects today!
SEND YOUR TWEET
Air pollution from burning fossil fuels, and bush- and
wildfire smoke made worse by the climate crisis, is robbing our
children of their futures. Toxic fumes lodge inside
our children’s bodies, stunting the development of their lungs,
brains and hearts, with tragic consequences.
Children in marginalised communities are victims of a
double penalty: they are more vulnerable to air pollution
as children and more exposed because of their socioeconomic status
and that of their parents.
In 2013, the fatal asthma attack that took the life of
nine-year-old Ella Kissi-Debrah from London was linked unequivocally
to air pollution.
Without fossil fuels, these heart-wrenching tragedies can
be avoided.
Ella’s mother, Rosamund handed over the open letter,
while playing a recording of a child struggling to
breathe, to the COP President, Alok Sharma, himself a
father of two. As mums, dads, step-parents, speaking to fellow
parents, the letter asks world leaders to use their power to do
everything necessary to keep our children safe: follow
the science, stop financing new fossil fuels and help secure a safe,
hopeful future for the next generation.
SEND YOUR TWEET
If you don’t have Twitter, no big deal! You can still
support the action on Facebook by going onto Boris
Johnson’s page and writing one of these comments under his
latest post on COP26:
- Parents from around the world - come together to ask leaders
at #COP26 to secure a safe, healthy future with no new fossil
fuels for all our kids. We need YOUR help to get this message
heard!
- World leaders: do everything in your power to keep our
children safe: follow the science, secure their future, stop
financing new fossil fuels.
- At #COP26, I’m sending world leaders a simple message: Please
STOP funding toxic fossil fuel projects that threaten the health
and lives of our kids and planet.
- Children are the future, and they deserve to have one. That’s
why we are asking leaders at #COP26 to stop fossil fuel expansion
that is destroying our children’s lungs, hearts and futures.
Our
Kids' Climate and Parents
For Future Global are the two global sister networks
who brought together the parent groups that signed the letter.
Mums handing over the letter, from left
to right: Amuche Nnabueze (Parents for Future Nigeria), Mariana
Menezes (Familias Pelo Clima), Xoli Fuyani (Our Kids’ Climate), Alok
Sharma, Rosamund Kissi Debrah, Rowan Ryrie (Parents For Future
Global)
