Climate change galvanises youth
Climate change strikes could galvanise a generation of young people just as the 1981 Springbok tour spurred an earlier generation into action, say advocates.
Thousands of school students are expected to skip class today to attend nationwide strikes, urging politicians to treat climate change as a crisis.
About a dozen students from Rhode Street School will join a rally at Hamilton’s Garden Place as well as attend an Enviroschools workshop today.
‘‘It was important that as a school we created the opportunity for our eco warriors to be able to go and be supervised,’’ Rhode Street School principal Shane Ngatai said.
‘‘If I look at it from my own perspective, if I hadn’t gone on the Springbok tour marches when I was a young, I wouldn’t feel the way I feel about apartheid,’’ Ngatai said.
The School Strike 4 Climate Action is a part of global movement of student activism but has divided New Zealand politicians.
National leader Simon Bridges has questioned the value of the strike action, while National MP Judith Collins said the protests are ‘‘not going to help the world one bit’’.
Thirty five rallies are planned across the country.
School Strike 4 Climate Action NZ national co-ordinator Sophie Handford said criticism of the strikes only served to strengthen students’ resolve.
‘‘The response overall has been overwhelmingly positive but there has been a few negative comments. We’re just determined to show that this action isn’t a joke and not having access to a future isn’t a joke at all,’’ Handford said.
Waikato University political scientist Justin Phillips said opposition to any sort of movement is to be expected. Opposition MPs could use the strike action as an opportunity to criticise the Government.
‘‘The criticism may have a demobilising effect on students and parents, especially when important political figures say the strikes won’t change the political system,’’ Phillips said.
‘‘The effect may also extend to depressing future activism on climate change within that group of sympathetic supporters.
‘‘But a movement like this isn’t about changing things over one day, it’s about changing something over a lifetime. It may be the case that a future Prime Minister is within that movement.’’
Investigative journalist Nicky Hager, whose book explored attack politics in New Zealand, said politics should be a positive experience in which people speak out on issues that impact their lives.
Hager said there are many examples of well meaning, enthusiastic people speaking up on an issue only to be denigrated and intimidated.
‘‘People always say ‘why aren’t young people more engaged?’ So when these school students are engaged, the last thing they need is to be attacked for it. Would these hard critics prefer that they were disengaged and did nothing?’’
Hamilton West MP Tim Macindoe is pleased young people are taking an interest in climate change but skipping class to highlight the issue risks diluting their message. Macindoe, who was deputy principal of St Peter’s School in Cambridge for six years, said a better approach would be for students to hold rallies on the weekend or during the school holidays.
‘‘What worries me is it sets an unwelcome precedent. If a school condones students striking on this issue, then they’re going to have to allow students to strike over other serious issues such as mental health, youth suicide and domestic violence,’’ he said.
Labour list MP Jamie Strange, another former teacher, said it should be left to parents and their children to decide whether they participate in the strike.
Criticising young people for wanting to have their voices heard is unfair, he said.