Pupils against Global Warming
As adults are not getting results when campaigning against climate change – our children are taking over.
Maybe Donald Trump does this – but we can no longer deny that climate change is real and has to be tackled before it is too late. Only last month, temperatures fell to almost -50C degrees in some parts of America, caused by the polar vortex, and Niagara Falls froze on the American side. Whereas, Australians suffered in temperatures of up to plus 50C – followed by the worst floods the country had ever seen. My son is touring around South America at the moment and happened to be in one of the driest places on earth, the Atacama Desert, when floods activated a waterfall which flooded the desert and nearby towns. When we saw the footage on the BBC, we were naturally very worried. Some people lost their lives and homes. Fortunately, Oliver is fine and even helped to organise a charity gig to raise money for the victims. Finally, nearer to home, what about the meters of snow we have been experiencing here in Austria? Is this climate change and is anyone doing anything about it? Thankfully yes, our children!
If the name Greta Thunberg rings a bell, then you are probably interested in climate change. She is the 16-year-old Swedish activist who became a prominent figure, when she started the first school strike for climate change outside the Swedish Parliament building. Greta, who looks very innocent with her sweet smile and long plaits, decided not to attend school from August 20, 2018, until the Swedish general election on 9 September. She went on strike from school after Sweden had been affected by huge wildfires and heat waves. Greta wanted to raise awareness of climate change by demonstrating outside the Riksdag and carrying a placard that read “School Strike for Climate Change” – in Swedish. She wanted to point out that it is her generation, not the older politicians, that is going to be affected the most. Her demands were that the Swedish government reduce carbon emissions as per the Paris Agreement.
However, it was the speech that this amazing teenager made, at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, in December 2018, that made people sit up and listen to her. She started by saying that you are never too small to make a difference and, if a few children demonstrating can make that difference, imagine what we can do if we all come together. She said that in the year 2078 she will be spending her 75th birthday with her children, who will ask why the politicians did nothing to change the situation, while there was still time.
This is the best speech that I have ever heard on the subject and really worth listening to. But should we really expect our children to make the changes necessary to have a healthy planet to live on, when we are long gone? Greta, who has been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome and OCD ,is determined to lower her own family’s carbon footprint and has convinced them to become vegan and give up flying.
Last Friday, Luisa and Anika Dafert, from Radstadt, started their own strike and took to the streets of Salzburg, joined by 150 other school pupils, to demonstrate against climate change. Well done, you two. Also, in England, thousands of secondary school children followed Greta’s example. They put down their pens for three hours and went on strike to demand action from the government – before it is too late. The head teacher’s union is supporting the childrens' plans to go on strike and feels that is important to engage young people in politics.
Just like Brexit, climate change will definitely affect the next generation in a terrible way. It doesn’t bear thinking about.