A climate change activist on hunger strike outside federal parliament has reached a major milestone as he admits his health is deteriorating.
Gregory Andrews, who previously served as Australia’s ambassador to West Africa, began his protest at Parliament House in Canberra on November 1.
Andrews reached a new milestone on Thursday after entering his 15th day of the hunger strike, insisting he will not give up until his demands for climate action are met.
‘I’m going back a little bit, but I’m not giving up. I just have to lie down and hold my breath a lot more,” he told Ny Breaking Australia on Thursday.
‘My body is starting to feel the impact of not eating for more than two weeks… My arms and legs hurt, but I’m doing my best to hold out.’
Mr Andrews said he has received some medical care while the 55-year-old undertakes the dangerous protest.
The father-of-two has a pre-existing heart condition and has lost more than nine kilos since starting his hunger strike.
Climate activist Gregory Andrews (pictured), who has been on a 15-day hunger strike outside Parliament House in Canberra, has admitted his health is deteriorating but said he will not give up
“Parliament House has a nurse and she has just contacted the Federal Police, who have been really supportive and keeping a close eye on me,” Mr Andrews said.
“She just checked all my vitals.”
Hunger strikes can lead to permanent damage to the body, possible organ failure and even death.
Mr Andrews reiterated his five demands that must be met before he will end his protest.
He has called for an end to fossil fuel subsidies, a phase-out of coal and gas exports, an end to logging of native forests and the release of National Security Climate Risk findings.
Mr Andrews also wants Australia’s Environment Protection Diversity Act to be amended to include climate impacts.
Despite drinking only water and a few teaspoons of salt for the past fortnight, he said he was not hungry.
“We must end fossil fuel subsidies, stop fossil fuel exports and stop logging of native forests,” Mr Andrews said.
“We must include climate change in our Environmental Protection Act and the Prime Minister must be transparent about the risks of climate change to Australia.”
Mr. Andries revealed that Greens Senator David Shoebridge had visited him earlier on Thursday morning and tried to convince him to end his campaign.
‘He told me that the entire Greens party room fully supports all five of my demandsbut also asked me to give up and let the people in Parliament House deal with this matter.
‘But I can’t do that because people in Parliament House have been arguing and tinkering about it for 20 years and haven’t dealt with it.
Mr Andrews (pictured) has five demands that must be met before he will end his hunger strike
‘So I thanked him for agreeing with all my concerns, but I couldn’t really accept that.
“It wouldn’t be OK to just leave it to the politicians because they haven’t really done what they needed to do,” he said.
When asked how far he is willing to go with his protest, if he is actually willing to die for it, Mr Andrews explained the deep-seated reasons behind his action.
‘I do not wanna die. “I don’t even want to do this hunger strike,” he said.
“But by the end of this century, three to six billion people on the planet will be at risk of dying (due to climate change) and my children will still be alive.
“So I don’t want to (be on hunger strike, but) I’m going to do this for as long as it takes and as long as my body allows it.”
When asked how his family felt about his hunger strike, Andrews responded emotionally.
Andrews is pictured with a supporter on the first day of his hunger strike outside Parliament House in Canberra
‘I’m not talking about my family. It’s a reasonable question. But unfortunately, early on, a journalist named Andrew Bolt really behaved in an undignified manner and devastated my daughter.
“And so I have to protect them. “I want to protect them from climate change, and that’s why I’m doing this, but I have to protect their pride and dignity.”
The former diplomat pointed out that Thursday is the last day of the hearing of parliament. “They’re flying away tonight, but I’m still here,” he said.
“I feel like I’ve really attracted a lot of attention, and some pretty important people have come out to talk to me and encourage me.”