'Worse than Voldemort': Global students' strike targets climate change

[rooster59]

'Worse than Voldemort': Global students' strike targets climate change

By Tom Westbrook and Alex Fraser

 

Protesters demanding action on climate change gather at Te Ngakau Civic Square in Wellington, New Zealand March 15, 2019. REUTERS/Charlotte Greenfield

 

SYDNEY/LONDON (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of school students around the world walked out of classes on Friday in a global strike to protest against government inaction on climate change.

 

"Climate change is worse than Voldemort," read a handmade sign carried by one student in Wellington, referring to the evil wizard in the hugely popular Harry Potter books and films.

 

"The oceans are rising, so are we," read another in Sydney.

 

In Europe, students packed streets and squares in Paris, Madrid, Rome, Brussels and other cities for "Fridays for Future" protests.

 

Demonstrations also took place across the United States. In Washington, some 1,500 students rallied in front of the Capitol chanting "climate action now!" and waving homemade placards with slogans such as "Our planet, our future."

 

The worldwide student strike movement started in August 2018, when 16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg began protesting outside her parliament on school days. She has since been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

 

On Friday, she spoke at a Stockholm demonstration. Other rallies were held in 100 towns around Sweden.

 

"We have only been born into this world, we are going to have to live with this crisis our whole lives. So will our children and grandchildren and coming generations," Thunberg said. "We are not going to accept this. We are striking because we want a future and we are going to carry on."

 

Thousands marched through central London with banners reading "The future is in our hands" and "We're missing lessons to teach you one".

 

"Education is important but climate change is more important," 14-year-old Molly Powell said.

 

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tweeted his support on Friday evening. "Young people can, and do, change the world," he said. "You understand we are in a race for your lives; your commitment & activism makes me confident we will win it."

 

"CLIMATE CATASTROPHE"

 

Scientists say fossil fuel use releases greenhouse gases that trap heat and lift global temperatures, bringing more floods, droughts, heatwaves and rising sea levels.

 

The 2015 Paris climate conference pledge to keep the increase in global average temperatures to below 2 degrees Celsius (35 F) above pre-industrial levels requires a radical cutback in use of coal and fossil fuels.

 

In Düsseldorf, Germany, some 2,000 school children paraded with a carnival float depicting a giant effigy of Thunberg with "Do something about the climate catastrophe at last" written on her raised arms.

 

They stopped around the city, home to the headquarters of many of Germany's largest manufacturers, reading out calls for change. "The clock is ticking and time is against us!" they shouted. "We are the last generation that can fix this."

 

About 60 students protested at government house in Bangkok, holding cardboard signs to campaign against plastic. Thailand is one of the world's worst marine plastic polluters.

 

"As youths who will inherit the land, we gather here to demand that the government work with us to solve these problems," said 17-year-old Thiti Usanakul, of student-led group Grin Green International.

 

The group was later invited to meet officials at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in two weeks.

 

There were also demonstrations in South Korea, India and South Africa. In Singapore, where strict laws regulate public assembly, young people planned a virtual campaign on social media.

 

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern supported the strikes, saying teenagers should not wait for voting age to use their voices.

 

That contrasted with politicians in Australia and Britain, who rebuked them for missing lessons.

 

"For action on issues that they think is important, they should do that after school or on weekends," said Dan Tehan, Australia's education minister.

 

Wellington parent Alex, who marched beside his 11-year-old son, disagreed: "It's a much better day of education. This is the greatest issue of our time."

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-03-16

 

 

[crouchpeter]

This is the generation that can't walk to school, that needs air-con in the classroom, whose only entertainments use electricity and who think we can flood our countries with people from countries already ruined, and survive!
But not to worry..... they'll be eating dates and using donkeys for transport. (but not to get to school)!

I think, it's increadable, that children think about it and try to save our planet! We have to follow their example!

Sent from my CPH1727 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Chomper Higgot]

26 minutes ago, crouchpeter said:

This is the generation that can't walk to school, that needs air-con in the classroom, whose only entertainments use electricity and who think we can flood our countries with people from countries already ruined, and survive!
But not to worry..... they'll be eating dates and using donkeys for transport. (but not to get to school)!

 

Sent from my CPH1727 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

 

I wonder if you actually know anybody from this generation?

 

 

[brokenbone]

commies with new dress, still hating capitalism and industrialization as ever

[canuckamuck]

Proof that if you lie to people long enough they will start to riot over it.

[crouchpeter]

Do you mean that they don't sit on their <deleted> all day playing video games and looking at their phones! Looks like you're the one who's out of touch with trying to bring up a teenager!

I wonder if you actually know anybody from this generation?
 
 

Sent from my CPH1727 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Tug]

You go kids!!!the renewal energy is out there without harming the environment I foresee 2 major problems before renewalbles are viable we need better batteries to store the energy and #2 you have to overcome the oil and gas industry a lot of money changing hands and keep in mind a lot of people employed as well good luck I’m hoping you succeed!!

[DoctorG]

If you are really committed to the cause, hold your rally on a Saturday.

[Nyezhov]

13 minutes ago, DoctorG said:

If you are really committed to the cause, hold your rally on a Saturday.

Puh-leeze, Saturday? Mom is taking us to the Mall in the Escalade......

[Chomper Higgot]

The good news.

 

Many of these young people will have the vote by 2020.

 

The better news.

 

They’ll use it.

[Becker]

Well, it's certainly comforting to see that there are lots of kids out there who care about this extremely important issue although reading the comments from some of the sad old gits on this forum just makes me relived that they are old an thus won't be around much longer.

Maybe then we could see real change but, of course, by then it might be too late. 

[ThaiBunny]

I'd have thought it obvious from the sort of articles about checking someone's social media profile that abound, that these kids run the real risk of not getting employment if they write up their exploits on, say, Facebook.  What goes around comes around.  That's not to say I disagree with their sentiments

[lupin]

I agree in part... in so much as both come from works or fiction

[Bluespunk]

5 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Tens of thousands of school students around the world walked out of classes on Friday in a global strike to protest against government inaction on climate change.

Good to see the next generations taking climate change seriously. 

 

Kudos. 

[Nyezhov]

2 hours ago, Becker said:

Well, it's certainly comforting to see that there are lots of kids out there who care about this extremely important issue although reading the comments from some of the sad old gits on this forum just makes me relived that they are old an thus won't be around much longer.

Maybe then we could see real change but, of course, by then it might be too late. 

Alternatively, these kids will grow up and reject the propaganda the anti-capitalist, fascist and elitist "environmentalists" have shoved down their throats. Hopefully that will happen before it is too late to save our hard earned lifestyle.

[RickTik]

[thaibeachlovers]

Soooo a bunch of school kids take a day off school to parade around claiming that …………………………..?

I have no idea what they are claiming, nor what they think can be done about it. They could always make a good start by not using their phones all day long and using lots of electricity. 

 

Perhaps they could volunteer to use their weekends to clean up all the garbage, but I strongly doubt that they will ever do anything practical in their own time. If the protest had been held on the weekend, I doubt a hundredth of them would have participate. I also bet that not many of them understand what they are protesting. It's just a good excuse not to sit in a boring class.

 

I wonder how many adults would be prepared to take a day off work without pay to have a similar protest?

 

[Kiwi1]

Shows the utter failure of the expensive education system to teach elementary science, let alone critical thinking. The whole 'climate change' (used to be global warming, until the warming failed to occur) business is a hoax based on fake science. Have a look at newspapers back in the 1970s where you will see 'climate science' assuring us that the world was heading into another ice age, with magazine covers showing icebergs off Manhattan.

[usviphotography]

Send these kids to Chiang Mai for the month and get a dose of what real environmental problems look like. 

[Bluespunk]

24 minutes ago, Kiwi1 said:

Shows the utter failure of the expensive education system to teach elementary science, let alone critical thinking. The whole 'climate change' (used to be global warming, until the warming failed to occur) business is a hoax based on fake science. Have a look at newspapers back in the 1970s where you will see 'climate science' assuring us that the world was heading into another ice age, with magazine covers showing icebergs off Manhattan.

Human actions leading to climate change is real. 

 

Very glad to see the next generation realises that. 

[RickBradford]

Comparing climate change to a Harry Potter fantasy character is just about the right level of seriousness for this narcissistic protest.

 

These children know nothing, they have read nothing, they have achieved nothing, most of them are still dependent on their parents to keep them fed and clothed, so the adult activists find it easy to encourage them to block the streets with their silly boards and even sillier slogans.

 

The idea that this action, carried out by people who five years ago were around 11 years old, represents some sort of meaningful 'protest' is risible, though of course it is catnip to the legacy media.

 

 

 

 

[radiochaser]

Comparing fiction with fiction?

 

[Krataiboy]

19 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

Human actions leading to climate change is real. 

 

Very glad to see the next generation realises that. 

Climate, by it's very nature, is in a constant state of change. The extent to which human actions are influencing the global climate is debatable. One suspects that in schools where unscientific "progressive" nonsense like gender fluidity is flavour of the month, an entire generation is hearing only one side of the climate change argument.

[Bluespunk]

4 minutes ago, Krataiboy said:

Climate, by it's very nature, is in a constant state of change. The extent to which human actions are influencing the global climate is debatable. One suspects that in schools where unscientific "progressive" nonsense like gender fluidity is flavour of the month, an entire generation is hearing only one side of the climate change argument.

They are hearing the truth and not head buried in the sand denial of said truth. 

[TGIR]

2 hours ago, RickTik said:

 

[Chomper Higgot]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Soooo a bunch of school kids take a day off school to parade around claiming that …………………………..?

I have no idea what they are claiming, nor what they think can be done about it. They could always make a good start by not using their phones all day long and using lots of electricity. 

 

Perhaps they could volunteer to use their weekends to clean up all the garbage, but I strongly doubt that they will ever do anything practical in their own time. If the protest had been held on the weekend, I doubt a hundredth of them would have participate. I also bet that not many of them understand what they are protesting. It's just a good excuse not to sit in a boring class.

 

I wonder how many adults would be prepared to take a day off work without pay to have a similar protest?

 

I agree with you when you say 'I have no idea'.

 

A large number of young people are politically aware and becoming politically engaged. You'd be wise to stop hiding behind the list of trite accusations you make against the young and open your ears to what they are saying. 

 

At least that way you'll be in for a little less of a shock when they make their voices heard.

[thaibeachlovers]

35 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

Human actions leading to climate change is real. 

 

Very glad to see the next generation realises that. 

I have been following the debate closely, and have yet to hear of a solution to the "problem" that is affordable, acceptable, and effective.

Mainly it's just a bunch of Chicken Littles spouting propaganda and not actually doing anything. How many kids are going to tell their parents not to drive them to school as they can walk, even if they have to get up an hour or so earlier than usual?

[thaibeachlovers]

1 minute ago, Chomper Higgot said:

I agree with you when you say 'I have no idea'.

 

A large number of young people are politically aware and becoming politically engaged. You'd be wise to stop hiding behind the list of trite accusations you make against the young and open your ears to what they are saying. 

 

At least that way you'll be in for a little less of a shock when they make their voices heard.

55555555555555

I remember when I was at school. The prospect of a day off would have been all I needed to join a "protest", though I doubt any of us would have understood the science of climate, and mankind's input to it.

[Chomper Higgot]

1 minute ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I have been following the debate closely, and have yet to hear of a solution to the "problem" that is affordable, acceptable, and effective.

Mainly it's just a bunch of Chicken Littles spouting propaganda and not actually doing anything. How many kids are going to tell their parents not to drive them to school as they can walk, even if they have to get up an hour or so earlier than usual?

Again pouring urine on kids. 

 

You are not in the least bit interested in listening to their views. 

 

Fret not. 

 

They are about to get the vote and they will use it. 

[Bluespunk]

5 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I have been following the debate closely, and have yet to hear of a solution to the "problem" that is affordable, acceptable, and effective.

Mainly it's just a bunch of Chicken Littles spouting propaganda and not actually doing anything. How many kids are going to tell their parents not to drive them to school as they can walk, even if they have to get up an hour or so earlier than usual?

“The cost is unacceptable”?

 

Tell me, how much do you think finding and moving on mass to another life sustaining planet will be?

 

If we can actually find one, that is. 

 

Human made climate change is not propaganda, it’s fact and we need to change how we treat our only planetary option, whatever the cost.