According to Conserve Energy Future, it is estimated that within a hundred years, deforestation will have completely wiped out all the rainforests on Earth. By the end of the 21st-century, sea levels will have risen by another 320% (Science Mag). By 2100, temperatures are set to rise between 3ºC and 4ºC (Greenpeace). These are just some of the reasons people worldwide have decided to go on strike. This Friday, three days before the UN Climate Summit, people are joining together in hopes to do something about climate change.
Courtesy: Ecosia
It all started with a 16-year-old Swedish girl, Greta Thunberg. In August 2018, she didn’t go to school; instead, she stood outside the Swedish Parliament and began school-striking for the climate. Having no idea of the impact she would cause, her story spread worldwide, encouraging others to join in the fight against climate change. In February 2018, school children in the U.K began a monthly protest. When Greenpeace asked about the strike, many children claimed, “there is no point in studying for a future when we are under the threat from climate change.”
Greta’s goal of gaining media’s attention started to come true and on March 15, 2018, millions of people joined Greta in striking for the climate (Ecosia). Since her original strike, she has addressed the UN and World Economic Forum. In her address, she said “Adults keep saying we owe it to the young people to give them hope, but I don’t want your hope. I don’t want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day and then I want you to act.”
Now, this Friday, September 20, people will be joining the climate strike as part of Fridays for the Future. According to Action Network, they will be demanding that the world starts taking transformative action in regard to climate change. MSN got a look into New York City’s strike, with organizers saying they have created over a thousand pieces of art. The New York Department of Education even tweeted that if your student was participating in the strike and they had parental consent, they would be excused from all classes.
Courtesy: Bob Blob
But it’s not just youths striking school, adults from corporations everywhere have announced that they too will be walking out of work to join in the climate strike. Employees from Google, Amazon and Microsoft, to name a few, will be taking part in the Global Strike. Over a thousand Amazon employees have said they plan to walk out on Friday. In their 25-year history as a company, this will be the first major moment where employees will walk up and out of their Seattle headquarters (MSN). However, neither Google nor Microsoft’s spokespeople responded to comment on their employees’ participation in the climate strike.
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