The Verse’s Charley Gale lets us know about the youth strikes happening across the globe for climate justice.
The global temperature is rising, the ice caps are shrinking and sea levels are rising. And yet, nothing is being done to tackle these severe ecological changes. Despite what the government may think, we cannot ignore this issue anymore. So, students and young people across the world have decided to take matters into their own hands and fight this issue head-on.
#FridaysForFuture
In August 2018, a 15-year-old Swedish student, Greta Thunberg, protested every school day for three weeks outside of the Swedish parliament to protest for climate justice. The hashtag #FridaysForFuture became viral after she decided to continue striking every Friday until a change was made. Both students and adults alike around the world began following her lead and protesting outside their parliaments and local city halls. This incredible action has inspired many strikes and corresponding hashtags across the world, including the UK’s own #YouthStrike4Climate.
“Why should we be studying for a future that soon may be no more?”
The student-led organisation UKSCN, who is hosting the Youth Strike 4 Climate has said on their website:
We feel that facing a lethal ecological crisis, we as a generation must take direct action where the older generation has failed. As Greta Thunberg said, “You don’t have to school strike, it’s your own choice. But why should we be studying for a future that soon may be no more?”. Protesting and striking is our best way to force the government to take action.
The first UK-wide Youth Strike of 2019 for this cause happened on Friday 15th February. The turnout was so impressive that it was covered by many news outlets. Over 15,000 students across the UK went on strike to protest the lack of government action to combat the world’s climate crisis. However, the aim now is to exceed this amount and create a larger voice for the government to hear.
Friday 15th March 2019
Therefore, this upcoming Friday, on the 15th of March, there will be a second Youth Strike taking place. And Brighton will be taking part. The students (and many adults) will be meeting at Churchill Square at 11 am to peacefully protest the urgency for change in climate laws.
Students from all over the world are starting to really put pressure on their governments to make appropriate changes in order to save our planet and our future. I encourage everyone reading this to please share the message and check out the websites below for more information.
UKSCN website: https://ukscn.org/
Brighton Student Strike Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1867774306678206/
