Right now, history is being made by youth around the world, united in the most crucial cause of their lives — fighting climate change. This day of action — of school strikes for the climate — was inspired by 16-year-old Greta Thunberg, who began a lone strike in Sweden just last August. Her quiet but powerful effort has grown into a global youth movement, and it’s getting louder and stronger every day. Students in 105 countries and 1,659 cites and counting are striking from school today to push those in power to act on the biggest threat humanity faces. Most of those striking are not old enough to vote, and by the time they are we will have already lost crucial time to stop the very worst effects of climate change. So striking from school is how they are making themselves heard — and it is forcing politicians to broach a subject that most of them try hard to avoid.
We’re all going to be affected by global warming, and the younger you are, the more it threatens your future. It’s not something you should have to worry about. You shouldn’t need to skip school to ask for those in power to care about your future. But we have 12 years left to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees, as recommended by the world’s authority on climate change, the IPCC. Even at that level things will won’t be great, but beyond that we’re looking at catastrophe — food and water shortages, extreme weather, wars over resources and mass migration of climate refugees. Things are about to get all too real.
We’re in solidarity with the thousands of students striking from school worldwide — from Paris to Kampala, Tokyo to Mumbai. We’ll be joining those in London at Parliament Square.
No planet, no school.
The signs featured here were made in a collaboration between creative agency ILOVEYOU and with The UK Student Climate Network. Five activists paired up with five designers to create five protest signs that call for action on the climate crisis. To learn more about the strikes in the UK, head to the UK Students Climate Network website.
