On September 20th 2019, a record breaking 7.6 million people all around the world took to the streets and participated in the Global Climate Strike, the biggest climate mobilization in history. All over the world, millions stood up in defense of the climate – but where exactly did this movement stem from? Why is this an important cause in the first place? Let’s take a closer look.
The climate strike on September 20th was led by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. Throughout the past year, she has become more prominent in the spotlight as a youth activist pushing for legislation to stop climate change. In August 2018, 16 year-old Greta Thunberg began striking for the climate outside the Swedish Parliament. She started with skipping school on Fridays to strike outside the Parliament building, launching a movement called ‘Fridays for Future’, and now strikes every week. Since then, she has spoken at climate rallies all over Europe, and has even addressed the United Nations Secretary-General and made a speech there that has since gone viral.
This climate strike was particularly important because it took place three days before the United Nations Climate Summit in New York City. Young people and adults all around the world were striking to demand action be taken to the prominent crisis of climate change.
Now, why is climate change important, you may ask? Climate change affects all of us, no matter where in the world you live. The past four years have been the warmest on record, according to NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Snowfall has decreased in the past year, and the average amount of time between the last snow in the spring and the first snow in the autumn has been increasing since the beginning of the 20th century. If we continue at this rate, our planet will continue to melt our ice caps, glaciers, and permafrost, and increase our sea levels. Furthermore, it’s predicted that there will be an increase in heat waves, less intensive cold spells, altered precipitation patterns and storm intensities, and shifting ocean currents. All of these impact the ecosystems and organisms that live on Earth. Global warming is a natural process that had been quickly advanced by anthropogenic causes, such as factory industry, landfills and overirrigation. Its natural causes stem from decomposition, volcanoes, termites, marshes and wetlands. This high influx of greenhouse gases into our atmosphere from natural and anthropogenic sources is destroying the environment we live in. The United Nations has warned that we only have 11 years left to prevent irreversible damage from climate change!
While the turn out at these climate strikes was crucial and shows the urgency of this problem, we can’t stop there. Although this was the biggest climate movement in history, if it stops after this nothing is going to change. Here are some ways you can take action to keep this momentum going!
1. Register to vote. No matter your political affiliation, it’s important to have your voice be heard to insure the things you believe in are represented in our society. In discussing climate change especially, this is crucial! The policies passed in the next decade are imperative to curbing the effects climate change has had and will continue to have on the environment.
2. Contact your representatives. Use this website to find a list of representatives in your area to contact them about the concerns you have surrounding issues that are affecting you and your community.
3. Join a local group near you! There are a multitude of climate groups all over the world that are taking steps to reducing their own emissions, or advocating for global reduction in resources that contribute to global warming. Click here to find a group near you and join the movement!
If climate change is not taken seriously and legislation is not enacted to protect the longevity of our planet, then that is when our future is in jeopardy. The sooner we take action on this issue, the sooner we can establish a sustainable future with an economy that keeps the planet healthy for all of us who inhabit it, and future generations to come.