- BIDBI
- 23rd September 2019
Climate change has been hitting the headlines recently and massive movements are being made by action groups and individuals to make their voices heard so that the people who can make a difference take climate change seriously and change their ways.
Greta Thunberg
“I want to feel safe. How can I feel safe when I know we are in the greatest crisis in human history?”
Greta Thunberg is a Swedish 16-year-old and climate activist. When she was just 8 years old Greta heard about climate change and couldn’t understand why change wasn’t being made. From there she has become more and more vocal about making big movements to end climate change and making a positive impact.
She first hit the headlines in 2018, after being inspired by American teens going on strike from school to protest for greater gun control. Greta took a strike from school to sit outside the Swedish legislation and decision-making body with a sign saying “school strike for the climate” with demands that the government reduce their carbon emissions. Greta has presented a Ted Talk and at the most recent UN Climate Action Summit in New York. There she gave an emotive and powerful speech stating; "We are in the beginning of a mass extinction and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth - how dare you!". Following this speech, #HowDareYou started trending on Twitter and household names showed their support for Greta.
Greta's TEDx Talk in Stockholm in 2018
UK Student Climate Network
This movement from Greta Thunberg didn’t go unheeded and young people have been inspired to stand up and make their voices heard. This has led to the formation of the UK Student Climate Network (UKSCN). Their mission is to involve children in the national action against climate change and to put youth at the forefront of climate justice and reform. With partnerships from projects and charities like Green & Black Cross and Greenpeace the UKSCN is being taken seriously as a strong and worthy movement.
“Young people have the most to lose from an unsafe future”
Strikes that took place nationwide on the 20th September have shown school children missing school to take to the streets to protest that their voices are not being heard. Streets were filled with protests which had a huge impact on cities up and down the country.
UKSCN have made a game for you to play!
— UKSCN 🌍 (@UKSCN1) September 12, 2019 (From Twitter)
Next Friday we’re taking to the streets across the UK to demand climate action at the Global Climate Strike. Whether you’re able to go or not, there’s so much you can do to make sure this is the biggest climate mobilisation in history. 1/3
The UKSCN state that they want to be educated with the truth and to be able to have their say in the future.
Extinction Rebellion
However, it is not just young people who wish to be properly educated on what is really going on in the world around them.
Extinction Rebellion is a socio-political movement with the stated aim of using civil disobedience and nonviolent resistance to compel government action on climate breakdown, biodiversity loss, and the risk of social and ecological collapse.
“Conventional approaches of voting, lobbying, petitions and protest have failed because powerful political and economic interests prevent change. Our strategy is therefore one of non-violent, disruptive civil disobedience – a rebellion.”
Extinction rebellion have also created a movement specifically targeting universities. Who are protesting against higher education institutes for failure to teach the truth and act on climate and ecological emergency. With a demand to reform and educate with the truth and sharing knowledge about the current state of the planet, so that the population is more aware of the true effects of climate change.
Looking forward
In the future months, the UKSCN and Greta Thunberg have begun the revolution of #FridaysforFuture that is every Friday striking by not attending school to protest a lack of climate legislation. By striking every Friday the aim is to have more of a long-term impact rather than a one-off protest that may be forgotten.
Extinction Rebellion have weekly meetings all over the country to discuss problems and think of solutions and ways to make themselves heard this is a very active group continuously fighting the problem. The have a full calendar of movements and meetings planned which you can find here if you are interested.
Sources
https://twitter.com/GretaThunberg?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/47467038
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/greta-thunberg
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