STRIKING_DICTIONARY_V1

Striking
dictionary!®

GENERATION Z
Genzeco.org

Welcome!
We are Generation Z! Twelve students
from all over Europe, fighting for an uncompromised future.
To ensure a sustainable future, we fight for our climate by
1) confronting global institutions with their objective failures,
2) publishing our knowledge and findings and by
3) creating climate change adverts
This is our Striking Dictionary.
Read it, react to it. Spread the words!
#cut11percent

First run: Feburary 2019
Published by Fysio Educatief in coöperation with ChildPress.org
Copyright ©2019 Childpress.org
Design: www.thisissaf.com
This publication is part of the Another Uncommon Dictionary series.
Another Uncommon Dictionary suits the deed to the word!
It reveals topics that matter to children in a straight forward
A-Z manner and supports children to actively explore their
skills, broaden their knowledge and obtain their universal rights.
Fysio Educatief • Groenburgwal 59 • 1011 HT Amsterdam
www.fysioeducatief.nl • office@fysioeducatief.nl

Striking Dictionary
This Striking Dictionary is meant for all those who are or want to become
involved in the wave of student strikes for the climate circulating the globe.
We admire all of you so much. We have to join together in action to stop
catastrophic climate change, and safeguard our future.
This Striking Dictionary is written to aid everyone involved in the strikes,
by defining the key terms and concepts. The basic demand is to reduce
emissions to a safe level - this is what common sense tells us is necessary.
In this short booklet are the words that will help us get that result in democratic
debate. This Dictionary does not pretend to say everything, it is simply
a handbook to the language we need when discussing a strike for the climate.
Our actions matter - and so do the words we frame them with.

Table of contents!
Action
Banners
Collapse
Demands
Emissions (gap)
Future
Greta
Horseshit
Increase
Justice
Knowledge
Law
Mr Pye
Julie Ward
Generation Z
Name Lastname
Ole Eikslund
Name Lastname
Name Lastname
Greta Thunberg
Matthew Pye
- 6 -

Table of contents!
Numbers
Objectives (or objective failure)
Prize (eyes on the*)
Quality, not quantity
Responsibility
Strike
Truth, target, transparency
Unity
Voice
Worry, world
Xtinction
Youth
Zero (emissions)
Name Lastname
Name Lastname
Nils Gauslaa
Name Lastname
Name Lastname
Name Lastname
Name Lastname
Name Lastname
Name Lastname
Name Lastname
Name Lastname
Name Lastname
Name Lastname
- 7 -

Action
Action is the act of doing something to achieve an aim. The aim is to stop
catastrophic climate change, by reducing emissions. For 50 years we have
known the dangers of man-made climate change and for 50 years nothing has
been done about it: greenhouse gas emissions - the cause of climate change
-increase year on year on year, and if we do not take action, will keep on
increasing to well after 2030.
Non violent action is a very powerful tool to to achieve the revolutionary
changes that are required to stop climate catastrophe. Different types of
action like strikes, protests, petitions, marches and public debates or meetings
brought success to the movements led by Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther
King, and more recently Leymah Gbowee.
Now we have an opportunity to demand that climate change be stopped.
It allows us to show our fear, our determination and our will to fight
for our future.

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Banners
A visual way of expressing the main message. There are no limits to creativity while
making a banner. Cardboards, badminton rackets and T-shirts - anything can be used.
However, the text has to be short, simple and most importantly clear - it must carry
the message. In all their variety, the banners have to communicate one big central
message. With coherence and unity the impact of the message becomes massive.
For example, women in the 1920s went out into the streets with banners “Votes For
Women”. In the Civil Rights Movement it was a demand for “Equal Rights Now!”.
Their message was obvious, and the government knew what was demanded.
For climate actions, the obvious message is to demand ‘Cut Emissions Now’, so that
the government knows exactly what we demand from them to stop catastrophic climate
change.

“Cut 11 percent,
No Planet B,
The right to know!”
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Collapse
Humanity is on a verge of a fragile tipping point. If no efficient action will take place
in the near future we will witness a total systemic, civilizational and environmental
collapse. In order to avoid such a catastrophe, ordinary civilians must put pressure
on politicians and lawmakers which are in charge of creating the necessary climate
policies and introducing restrictions on carbon emissions.

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Demands
Demanding change isn’t anything about aggression, or alarmism. Were the East Germans
wrong to demand that the wall came down? Was Martin Luther King wrong to
demand equality? What we are demanding is just as reasonable and achievable.
We have the right to demand a safe future, we have the right to demand a cut in emissions,
we have the right to demand - #cut11percent
Please don’t talk to us about “being realistic”, or “alarmist”. If you are not prepared
to act on these demands you are the ones who are being unrealistic, and you are the
ones who are really alarming us.

Action!
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CUT EMISSIONS BY
11% PER YEAR
NOW!
#Cut11Percent

Emissions (gap)
Currently, the global temperature has risen by 1.1 degrees Celsius. If we continue to
not take any serious action, at the rate at which we are emitting, 1.5 degrees will be
blown in just 8 years time. If we continue like this even longer, we are on track for a
temperature rise of around 4.5 degrees by 2100.
Even if we follow the goals set by individual nations to tackle the problem (NDCs),
the global temperature is still on track to rise by 3.5 degrees.
To be honest, a 1.5 degree rise is already effectively locked in, the Greenhouse Gases
are already pretty much up there for that. We need a miracle breakthrough in technology
or a miracle in climate laws to avoid it. This temperature rise is a tragedy for
many communities - and a tragedy for amazing bits of nature like The Great Barrier
Reef. However, if we take the necessary steps, we can limit the global temperature to
a level compatible that could still be workable for most human communities as they
are today.

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Future
Adults repeatingly say that it is up to our generation to battle climate change - as if it
is some distant threat. They are totally wrong. By the time we are their age, if emissions
have not already been dramatically curved down all we will be able to do is pick
up the pieces - and battle the runaway climate change that will be playing havoc with
our civilisation. Our lives will be lived more in the future and we will have to face
most of the worst consequences of inaction.
Whether it’s directly or indirectly everybody will be affected either by food scarcity,
water shortages, rising sea levels, natural disasters or the influx of incoming climate
migrants. It is up to the youngest generation to fight for a future and the wellbeing
of humanity altogether. That future is not far away. There are already severe signs of
climate change present today. Stop wishing for distant future generations or future
technologies to sort things out. We are striking because everything has to start happening
immediately. This is the end game, now.

Action!
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Greta
Greta Thunberg, a 16 year old activist and our role model. Since August 2018,
she has been striking for climate change and for a stable future. Greta is inspirational
because she is not scared to get out there and fight for what she knows is
right. She states that her Asperger condition allows her to see our world from a
different perspective, a perspective that cuts out all the rubbish. For her, climate
change is black and white.
“Some people say that we are not doing enough to fight climate change.
But that is not true.
Because to “not do enough” you have to do something.
And the truth is we are basically not doing anything”.
Greta you are simply amazing.
Thank you for being so clear, so transparent, so correct.

“We have to understand
the emergency of the
situation. Our leadership
has failed us!”
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Horse shit
Horseshit. Despite being so much bigger in volume than, for example, dog shit, it
manages to surprise you every time you come across it, by the weird lack of smell.
This is, of course, due to how delicately the inside of a horse works; producing massive
amounts of, well, dung, that goes blissfully unnoticed by anyone who doesn’t
know what they’re looking for.
Politics is largely the same. We live in an era where nobody knows what to believe,
who to believe, and as a result, a lot of horseshit goes unnoticed right in front of
our faces. We have a ‘Not-too-bad-smelling’ set of percentages and statistics thrown
around in the media with promises that “we are increasing our commitments” or
that there is “hope in the future” - all to mask the steaming pile of horseshit that is
reality; that things are only getting worse with every passing day.
We are mad as hell and we are not going to take it more.

Action!
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Increase
As we live in the 21th century everything is constantly increasing. Our knowledge
about space and time, our technological abilities, and even the number of garden
gnomes (shout out for garden gnomes!). But as we live in the 21st century the world
population and the habit of consumption is increasing too. Such an increase naturally
leads to the increase of resource extraction and our carbon footprint. All of this ends
with increase of CO2 concentrations (or equivalent) in the atmosphere.
We need to know and respect the laws of physics and chemistry, which demand that
governments increase their efforts. To end the climate crisis the EU needs to cut
emissions by 11% starting today.

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Justice
We have to deal with two main injustices with climate change.
The first one is generational injustice. Older members of society don’t seem to understand
the damage they are causing, by ignoring the overheating of the planet, for the
younger generations. Young people deserve the same chances that past generations
have had.
Secondly, there is a huge economic injustice. Developed countries are the most polluting.
The demand for resources is continuously rising in highly developed countries,
which leads to an oversized carbon footprint. Yet perversely, less developed
countries are the first ones who are affected by it. This is unfair.

Action!
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Knowledge
Currently the bare facts and the pure science regarding climate change are not clearly
known by or shown to the public. If people do not know a problem exists, logically
they are not going to solve it. The lack of knowledge and information about our
highly unsustainable emission and resource extraction rates is one of the core reasons
for humanity’s inaction to solve these problems. How many people really understand
the deep trouble we are in? How many people think that a strike is an over-reaction?
How many people still think that recycling and being a bit careful is going to fix the
problem?
We are demanding the facts, transparency and clarity because we have a right to
know.
We need the media to report on these strikes properly. This is not about some rebellious
youths, this is not a trend. We are asking adults to take our points seriously. Climate
Change has not been taught properly in schools for decades - how would adults
know the truth?
We are here to fix the problem.

+3
CLIMATE
ESSAYS
> P. 262
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Law
Climate change is the largest challenge ever posed to the human race. As we have
stated before, individual action - recycling, showering less - is just not going to cut it.
What is needed are laws. Fact-based, robust, restrictive legislation which demands
of companies and governments to reduce carbon emissions. It is really a no-brainer.
We have laws which protect us from speeding in front of schools, from food poisoning
in restaurants, from robbery. Why should we not have laws which protect us from
climate system collapse? Legislation is, in the end, all that can stop climate collapse.
We can no longer rely on the good-will of governments or individuals. We demand
legislation which will #cut11percent.

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Mr. Pye
Matthew is an author, teacher and a thought leader in climate change. He recently
wrote a book - “No Common Sense, Philosophy Tackles Climate Change ”. His book
is not only easy to read, but also witty, clever and highly informative. These are two
topics that sound quite heavy - but he makes them approachable - like him!
He has worked closely for 8 years with Michael Wadleigh (Oscar winning director -
‘Woodstock’), and Sustainability expert Dr Birgit Van Munster. Known affectionately
as Mr Pye - he has set up an Ecology Academy in his school which guides young people
through the challenges that our Ecological Debt brings to our hearts and brains.
We need more education like this. Thank you for helping us understand more about
our world, and how to move about in it.

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Numbers
When talking about global warming in particular, scientists use the temperature levels of pre industrial times as ‘0C’ to
be able to measure any human caused temperature rise in comparison to before we started emitting.
The planet is a biologically sensitive system, which responds to seemingly small changes in the environment.
Ask anyone with a fever of 1°C or more how they feel, and they will probably be pretty miserable about it.
It is the same for any species. A sustained rise of 2°C is a major problem. A rise of 4°C is a crazy emergency -
anyone with that condition is in danger of dying and needs to be rushed to hospital.
At a 1°C temperature rise, the effects on our planet can be seen in hurricanes, the bleaching
of coral reefs, and the increase in diseases. All of which is happening right now.
At a 2°C increase, there is a serious sea level rise, which in turn causes flooding, and thereby human
migration. The longer this temperature is held, the more damage and ice melt it causes.
At a 3°C rise, the intensity of floods and storms hugely increase. The overall change is fatal to 3.5 million species.
The Amazon Basin will break down and everything in nature really starts to get very wild and chaotic.
Anything above this is basically a living nightmare. The big issue would be the thawing of the permafrost which
would release a simply unimaginable level of methane into the atmosphere - dwarfing all our emissions so far.
At a 5°C rise, the world is unrecognisable - there’s crocodiles swimming in the north pole, the Atlantic is at 45°C. Even
Hollywood would struggle to put the destruction of human civilisation into a movie with temperatures like this.

11%
#Cut11Percent
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Objectives
(& objective failure)
Almost 30 years ago the United Nations agreed upon the UN Climate Objective,
“to prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system”.
Already then scientists had realised the destructive impact and consequences of
human activities on our planet. Since 1992 every nation of the world agreed
to reduce the amount of fossil fuels burnt, hence decreasing the amount
of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere.
However, we have failed. Emissions continue to rise and almost
every year becomes the hottest year on record.
Previous generations have objectively failed to take action.
Let’s not be polite about this failure. We need to be honest,
look at where we are now, and move on, fast.

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Prize (eyes on the *)
When it comes to standing up for your beliefs, you have to stand up for them,
no matter what. Otherwise, what are they really, other than just a temporary change
of mind? Even on the worst of days, you have to be ready to fight, get up from
knock-backs, treat people with respect when they don’t understand what you are doing,
carry on when things are just always going against you. Is it exhausting?
Yes, without a doubt. However, every protest you put in, every article you write,
every message you send, every speech you give in determination to reach your goal,
is part of it. In one of his last speeches, just 4 days before his assassination,
Martin Luther King said, “the time is always right to do the right thing”
(‘Remaining Awake during a Great Revolution’).
We are a generation who have been handed the debt of our parents’ and grandparents’
consumption, and we are being forced to pay. The longer we wait, the more it stacks
up, extending further and further into the lives of our children and grandchildren.
Even if the effects of your words and actions are not clear, you have to just believe
that they will accomplish something. What other choice do we have?
Who knows when our emissions will reach sustainable levels, all we can do
is keep doing the right thing - and keep our eyes on the prize.

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Quality, not quantity
Consumption is the number one driving factor of climate change. We simply consume
too much. We should remodel our society to focus on quality: buying products that
last us as long as possible, instead of needing or wanting to buy a newer version
or more of the same product every other month. The same goes for companies,
factories and the rest of the suppliers: the focus should be on a quality,
on products not meant to be constantly replaced.
Fast Fashion, phones, and most of consumer culture is just about quantity -
and its not good enough. Reducing our consumption through focusing on quality
instead of quantity is one of the most important ways to decrease
our carbon emissions and to reach a sustainable world.
We love quality in every part of our life.
We need quality to tackle climate change too.

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Responsibility
We all share the same earth, the same atmosphere.
All of us are going to feel the effects of climate change.
All of us, whether individuals of entire countries, without exception,
contribute to the emitting of greenhouse gasses.
All of us, therefore, are responsible for climate change.
We want countries to recognise this responsibility. Each individual should do what they can
- but those with most power and the most responsibility should do the most.
Each country should tackle their own emissions, to get them to a level that avoids
“dangerous interference… in the climate system” (UNFCCC, Objective, 1992).

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Strike
As the climate crisis has really become more obvious in the past year, today’s young people
are starting to become more and more worried about their future. We as students can see that
current politicians and world leaders are “shitting on our future” (thank you for being so direct
Greta!) by their inability to take concrete action to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
Individual actions and small steps are not enough anymore; global emissions continue to
increase every year. We are being left with no other choice but to follow Greta’s example
that has inspired teenagers all over the world who are now joining forces and organising
strikes in their own countries.
The objective is not to be difficult, but to take the decision to be disobedient and show intolerance
towards the current situation. What is the point of education if there is no future to live in?
These strikes seek to disturb the normal system and make people realise the urgency of
the climate crisis, in the hope that they will one day no longer be necessary.
We don’t want to do it on a weekend or after school because then you would be able to ignore it
as a ‘concern’. You would be able to applaud us and then not do anything. We are sacrificing our
precious education because you have not acted decisively before - and so we are doing it now.

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Truth, tragedy, transparency
“Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and
to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
Article 22, Human Rights Declaration
As human beings, we deserve education. We deserve information. We deserve
transparency, both from governments and supranational institutions.
Transparency is at the heart of today’s debates; how can we make a choice, vote,
think, plan our lives, if we don’t have all the information? The very institutions which
are meant to keep us updated on the dire situation we are in, have chosen to obfuscate.
Instead of transparency with loud and clear messages, institutions like the UN have chosen
to hide reports in the encroaching climate collapse in the dark corners of their websites
academic literature. We demand climate transparency; we demand correct, clear,
accessible information to be given. We demand to now what is and what can be done for
the issue. It is a staple of democracy, crucial to its vitality.
We demand the truth, whatever it may be - to be taken out of the dark,
to know where the climate is going, how fast, and why.

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Unity
Individual action is, should anyone listen to the news, the key to avoiding
climate collapse. Shower less, eat less meat, recycle, fly less.
Individual action, however, is never going to reach the finish line.
To avoid climate collapse, unity and strength in numbers is what’s required.
We are only strong when we march together, when we strike together,
when we express our demands together. This message applies
to our school strikes, as well as to entire countries.
Unity is vital for all efforts to counter climate change.

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Voice
You’ve got a voice and the right to use it. Change can only occur
when we begin to talk about the issue and as hard as it seems,
it is possible to make a difference.
Your voice is powerful. Use it.
Spread the message, spread the determination.
Unite and demand change.
It is not too late.

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Worry, world
Worry is what drove us here. Worry for our future, for our lives, for our planet.
We deserve to not live in constant worry about what our lives will be like,
we deserve to not feel trapped by what our system has done to this planet.
Without an overpowering worry for all we hold dear, we would not go on strike;
we are not here to skip school or work, to have fun or meet friends.
We are here to take action towards a way of thinking, of consuming,
of burning up resources that cannot be replaced. We are here
because action is the only way to stop worrying.
Because we care about our lives.
We worry - and with gritted teeth,
but also with a love of life,
we are acting on it.

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Xtinction

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Youth
No matter the age, you have the right to express yourself and be taken seriously.
Young people are stepping up for their rights and won’t stop fighting for them.
This generation has the right to know what is going on and is demanding
imminent change in our climate policies. We will develop our skills and
our knowledge, but now we simply have to demand changes.
Without effective laws we will have no liveable future to grow into.
We have dreams and ambitions - don’t ruin them.

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Zero (emissions!)
The ultimate goal of our mission = Zero Emissions.
Right now we are planning on leaving it too late. So far, the best proposals have been
made for the end of our century. But we can’t expect that climate system to act like
a easy bit of elastic. If we don’t get the emissions under control soon, the climate
system will run out of control and our efforts will become useless. We need to run
towards zero emissions now, not start a little jog, hoping to speed up some time later.
It is easy to think: Why not delay looking at the uncomfortable truth?
Why not delay the bother of rearranging things for people who will come after me?
Let’s begin by demanding an 11% emission cut now.

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#Cut11Percent