Action Consensus
On Saturday 1st October 2016, „System Change, not Climate Change!“ is hosting a day of action, including a bike tour and demonstration at the airport, in Vienna.
The invitation to join is open to anyone who can envision a cleaner, fairer future beyond fossil fuels, and who wants to take action to stop the expansion of airports across Austria and around the world.
Hundreds of us will demonstrate our opposition to the third runway in Schwechat. At the same time, many other actions around the world are taking place against airport expansion or new projects in an action week called „Stay Grounded. Aviation Growth Cancelled Due to Climate Change.“ Our aim is to show the strength of public opposition, locally and globally, for an end of aviation growth in order to stop climate change. We also demand to invest in sustainable and affordable transport infrastructure (eg railways) so that we can phase-out short-haul flights, and transition to a just economy which respects our planet and all its inhabitants, now and in the future. And that climate change is brought to the forefront of any discussions around aviation expansion and the building of a motorized mobility infrastructure.
This action agreement has been drawn up to set safe parameters for this mass action, and outline our collective intentions and responsibilities for the day. We ask that everybody taking part in this action respects the following consensus:
- Safety will be a top priority. We will, at all times, make sure our actions do not compromise air traffic safety or the safety of passengers, staff, ourselves or any body else in and around the airport. People under the influence of drugs or alcohol will not be welcome to participate. We take common responsibility for the wellbeing of everyone participating in this day of action.
- We will behave in a calm and cool-headed way, we will not escalate the situation to violence and we will not hassle passengers, or damage machinery.
- We understand that the airport workers rely on their jobs to provide for themselves and their families, and we will treat them with dignity and respect at all times. Our issue is with the companies and government policy not with the airport workers.
- Everyone is welcome regardless of whether they have experience of protests or not, whether they are children or pensionists. We ask that every one who takes part helps ensure this action will be safe, effective, and peaceful. We take common responsibility for the success of this action, and for supporting each other.
- We intend our action to be in solidarity with people already on the front line of climate change. Climate change knows no borders. From floods to droughts and hurricanes to the melting polar ice, extreme weather is already wrecking environments, homes and more than 300,000 lives each year, all over the world.