Youth leading the charge on climate
More than 15,000 expected to attend Friday's climate strike in Vancouver
Worried about the dire implications on his future and galvanized to action by governments’ lack of meaningful action to curb climate change, Nikolas Michael plans to skip class on Friday for a greater cause.
The Grade 12 student is one of thousands of people expected to gather at Vancouver City Hall on Friday to demand action from politicians and leaders.
“The reason you are seeing larger numbers of youth coming out is because we believe this is our time,” said Michael, an organizer with Sustainabiliteens Vancouver who attends Sutherland Secondary in North Vancouver.
“We have a short window to act, and don’t have the luxury to wait to become leaders ... so we are trying to effect change as constituents and engaged citizens.”
The youth-led group, formed in January, has organized marches, rallies, and events, including the die-in at the Vancouver Art Gallery and Pacific Centre mall food court last weekend.
Friday’s event is expected to be its largest, with an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 in attendance, said organizers.
The group is affiliated with the global Fridays for Future movement, which was inspired by Swedish teen Greta Thunberg, who in 2018 started skipping school on Fridays to protest inaction on climate change.
Vancouver’s rally starts inside Vancouver city hall at 1 p.m., with speeches from youth leaders, climate activists and Indigenous leaders. Supporters will then march across the Cambie Street Bridge to the Vancouver Public Library plaza.
The rallies are set to take place in 150 countries on Friday, including one in Montreal, which Thunberg is expected to attend.
The timing of the strike, just weeks away before Canada’s federal election, is a coincidence, but one voters should take advantage of because the next government will have a crucial role in making sure Canada meets its climate change goals, said Nikolas. “We need to make sure whoever forms government has a climate plan in line with the science ... and make sure we have concrete strategies in place that’s not subject to partisan politics.” He also encouraged Canadians to vote not just at the ballot box but with their wallets. “Our lifestyle plays a large role in climate change and consumers should be aware of this, and use their dollars to push for change.” Organizers say about 140 Metro Vancouver businesses are going to be demonstrating their support for the climate strike, including close to 50 which plan to shut their doors for at least part of Friday.
B.C.-based retailer MEC said its stores across the country will remain closed until 5 p.m. local time, while Lush Cosmetics said it plans to shut down operations for the day, including its shops and head office.
Many small businesses are also taking a stand.
Earnest Ice Cream’s four stores will be closed until 4 p.m. to support employees — most of whom are under 40 — who want to participate in the strike.
“This is an issue that is disproportionately going to affect young people,” said co-founder Benjamin Ernst. “It’s high time for the business community to speak out and show up and support this issue. We really need to push our leaders to make some significant policy changes.”
The company will lose income during the closure, but “it’s worth losing it to send the message that this isn’t business as usual,” he said.
Earlier this month, Vancouver council passed a motion supporting the climate strike and on Monday declared that any senior school student who is absent from class on Friday and has a note from their parent will not be penalized. Elementary students are also free to go to the strike, as long as they have a note from their parents and a commitment from those parents to attend as well.
Some school boards have moved to accommodate the strike, as did the University of B.C. and Simon Fraser University. On Monday, Emily Carr University said it will cancel its afternoon classes on Friday so students and staff can participate in the rally.
TransLink said it is aware of the planned march, and can monitor demand levels on its system and can make service adjustments if needed.
Vancouver police department spokesperson Sgt. Aaron Roed said officers will be present to reduce the impact the rally may have on traffic, businesses and the public. The department has plans in place to deal with situations that may arise on Friday, but are not disclosing them for security reasons.
A 2019 federal government report titled Canada’s Changing Climate Report found that Canada’s annual average temperature has warmed by 1.7 C since 1948, when nation-wide records became available, and that the effects of warming — more extreme heat, less extreme cold, thinning glaciers, rising sea level, lower growing seasons — are projected to intensify in the future.