Thousands of Teens to strike for climate action

Scholars are expected to stand with Greta Thunberg and thousands across the globe in the #GlobalClimateStrike this Friday in Cape Town.

This coming Friday, 15^th March, 500 to 2000 school children are expected to be seen standing outside Cape Town’s Parliament buildings in peaceful protest against politicians’ lack of urgency to fight climate change by reducing fossil fuel emissions. They will stand with thousands of scholars from across the globe who will all participate in the Global Strike for Climate. In Cape Town, it will be locally led by Ruby Sampson (17), a Wynberg Girls High School matric pupil.

Program for Friday 15^th March:

• 12pm: Meet under Louis Botha’s horse outside Parliament
• 1:30pm – 2pm: School leader Speeches
• 2pm – 3pm: Stage performances

The #CliamteStrikeCapeTown aims to raise awareness for politicians to include climate change strategies in their election agendas. The hope of the strike is to encourage policy makers to put in place policies that reduce fossil fuel emissions.

The Global Climate Strike in Cape Town hopes political parties can commit to:

• Making climate action the priority of the 2019 election
• A moratorium on new coal, gas and oil mining licences
• 100% renewable energy in the electricity sector by 2030
• A “Green New Deal” for South Africa
• Initiating climate adaptation education in schools

The Global Strike for climate will see school children from North America, Europe, Australia and many countries from around the world boycotting school to protest against politicians’ lack to reduce fossil fuel emissions. The movement was started by Greta Thunberg (16) last year, August; when she missed school every Friday to sit outside Sweden’s Parliament in protest for action against the release of greenhouse gas emissions. During the UN’s IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) last year in October, it was reported that if we want to prevent the average global temperature from rising no more than 1.5 ˚C by 2100 and causing devastating climate consequences, we have to cut carbon emissions by 50% by 2030, and 100% by 2050. After the release of this report, Greta set out to speak at the World Economic Forum where she urged politicians and business entities to urgently have climate protection as a priority on their lists. She spoke out saying, “I don’t want your hope. I don’t want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic … and act as if the house was on fire.” Through her impact she has inspired other youth such as Jonas Kampus, from Zurich, Switzerland; to stand up and say, “To study for a future that will not exist, that does not make sense”. Together Thunberg and Kampus have written a letter published by the Guardian calling for global alliance on the issue. Locally, Ruby Sampson has been inspired by Thunberg’s efforts.

Sampson states, “I am too young to vote, but we want our voices heard. Climate change is not even on the election agenda.”

With South Africa’s lack to move towards renewable energy and with the new find of a gas field off the coast of Mossel Bay, environmentalist believe this protest for climate justice could not have come at a more perfect time.

For more information on the strike in Cape Town, visit the Climate Strike Cape Town Facebook Page.