Why we're walking off the job today – and you should, too

Obvious truth: the planet is in the grips of a dire climate crisis.

Science tells us that we have a decade – at the most – before the Earth hits a point of no return: a rise in global temperatures 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels. If we don't prevent that from happening, coastal communities will be destroyed by rising sea levels. Extreme heatwaves will become more commonplace, causing water and food shortages. The planet's biodiversity will suffer. And so will we.

But don't just take our word for it: those are the findings of the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, whose 2018 Special Report urged governments around the world to take urgent action to avoid an environmental disaster of unprecedented proportions.

Our leaders, simply put, aren't listening. They're wilfully ignoring the facts in front of them, and routinely caving into their own pig-headed interests. Making them pay attention to us, to the will of the people, to the will of the planet, is not going to be easy. That's why we've got to be loud.

This Friday, September 20, Pedestrian Group – home to PEDESTRIAN.TV, Business Insider, Kotaku, Gizmodo, POPSUGAR and Lifehacker – will participate in the Global Climate Strike, taking a long (long) lunch to join the worldwide call for climate justice in planned strikes around the country.

We won't stop there. From September 20–27, our six sites will bring you content we hope will educate and empower you to do your bit for our planet - from how to ask your boss for the day off to attend the climate change strike in your city to tips for reducing your food wastage.

Earth is our home. And now, right now, it's on fire.

Time for us to act.