by Dolline Mukui
Thousands of young people left schools to protest for more action on climate change.
Many adolescences are calling on politicians and corporations to take immediate action. The protests took place all over the world. More than 1,400 cities and more than 110 countries planned to protest. It is said that the protest would top March’s demonstration at 1.4 million people early this year.
Frequent protest are taking place as there is a demand to see action instantly, as time is running out for people change the direction before it’s too late.
The UN’s leading scientists warned that there is just 12 years until climate catastrophe last year. Now in a new report it said the widespread downfall of ecosystems was putting humanity at risk. There are also reports that the Arctic ice is melting quicker that previously feared.
School strikes were inspired by Greta Thunburg, who is a student. She is recognized globally since protesting outside Sweden’s parliament demanding change. She told TIME magazine that “Young people who are in developing countries are sacrificing their education in order to protest against the destruction of their future and world.”
Her action sparked a chain of movements in different counties across Europe, the US, Canada and Australia, branded as Fridays for Future or School Strike for Climate.
Recently Australia has had its hottest summer yet and climate change is seen as the cause, not just there but all over world causing droughts, heatwaves, floods and melted glaciers.
Last month Greta met with Westminster party leaders to highlight the problems we’re facing if we don’t act now.
Noga Levy-Rapoprt, UK Student Climate Network said “In order to properly address the crisis, we need our educational institutions to be hubs of sustainability that provide a space for learning and teaching to prepare today’s students to not only be those that lead a just transition, but to prepare for a changing world.”
As climate change is high on the agenda of politicians as a pressing matter, the Labour party says it would make climate change part of the curriculum from primary school onwards if it gained power following the announcement of school students walking out of schools to protest.
The curriculum would involve equipping young people with the skills and knowledge needed to deal with the changing environment, in particular renewable energy.
Angela Rayner, shadow education secretary said “We need to equip people with the knowledge to understand the enormous changes we face, and skills to work with the new green technologies that we must develop to deal with them.
“That must be part of a broad education and that prepares pupils for adult life. Climate change should be a core part of the school curriculum, and under a Labour government it will be.”
Joe Brindle, a youth strike movement campaigner, said: “Putting climate change at the forefront of our education system has been one of the core demands of the student climate strikes in the UK, so the announcement from Labour is an important step forward for the climate justice movement.”
Some students have vowed to continue protesting on Fridays until their countries agree/adhere to the 2015 Paris Climate agreement. The agreement aims to prevent global temperatures from rising above pre-industrial levels.
Dolline is a traveller, journalist and blogger who has palate to try new things. She is a very spontaneous person; you might find her skydiving over the Kenyan coast to kayaking in the Lake District. She can be an over thinker who thinks of every outcome but if she doesn’t she welcomes the change that wasn’t planned. However, she is a very simple person who is up for a good laugh or a book and enjoys living the moment. Dolline also writes for her small personal blog called ‘Swatches of Beauty’ and is currently a production journalist trainee at ITV Border.
