- Students from at least six Asian countries will take part in Global Strike for Future
- But authorities in some countries have warned students not to disrupt classes
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| A carnival float
depicts the school strikes ‘Friday for Future’ with Greta Thunberg
during a traditional carnival parade in Düsseldorf, Germany, on March 4.
Photo: AP |
On
March 15, students from at least six countries in Asia will be part of a
global school strike to demand concrete action from governments to
tackle climate change.
They
come from secondary schools and universities in Australia, Bangladesh,
India, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea, and will join their peers in
the Americas and Europe to take part in the Global Strike for Future.
“We
are the ones who will inherit this earth. We deserve to have a say
about the kind of future we have, which at this stage could be
non-existent unless we stand up and show the politicians how important
this is to us,” said 18-year-old Sophie Handford, who has completed high
school and is coordinating the strikes in New Zealand.
The
protest comes a month after about 10,000 youngsters staged a nationwide
school strike across 60 cities in Britain, showing how a grass roots
movement inspired by a Swedish girl last summer had taken off.
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| Students taking part in a climate change protest in London on February 15. Photo: EPA |
Greta
Thunberg, 16, had planted herself in front of the Swedish parliament in
August handing out fliers that said: “You grown-ups do not give a s***
about my future.” Many students around the globe have also been striking
every Friday since Thunberg started her protest.
The
students interviewed for this article said the movement was largely
decentralised, with them learning about the strike on social media. Some
kept in touch with other coordinators from abroad through encrypted
messaging apps.
A number of them wrote an open letter that British newspaper
The Guardian
published on March 1. “We demand justice for all past, current and
future victims of the climate crisis, and so we are rising up,” the
letter said.
“There
have been fires in some places where it has become so dry and rising
sea levels are hitting our friends in the Pacific hard. We are also
fighting for them so they are able to remain in their homes,” said
Handford.
This
is the first time that New Zealand’s young people will be striking in
24 cities including Auckland and Christchurch to demand the government
to limit global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees
Fahrenheit). Some of their demands include fast tracking paths to reach
emission targets and stopping all exploration and extraction of fossil
fuels.
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| Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. Photo: AFP |
In
Bangladesh, another first time strike is being organised in Dhaka,
Sundarbans and Sylhet by 24-year-old Sabbir Ahmed, who emphasises that
this country’s low-lying areas will be most affected by rising sea
levels caused by climate change. Sabbir graduated in 2017 and has been
working with youth groups to develop professional skills.
“Bangladesh
has already seen some unusual weather patterns. Temperatures in the
summer rise up to 38 degrees Celsius or more, and last rainy season the
floods caused heavy losses to agricultural production,” said Sabbir, who
wants governments of industrialised nations to take more responsibility
for reducing emissions.
The
impact of climate change is already being felt throughout the world,
but lower-income countries across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East do
not have the resources to adapt to the changes, said Harald Heubaum, an
associate professor in global energy and climate policy at the SOAS
University of London.
He
said developed countries in Europe and North America need to do more in
terms of reducing emissions to mitigate the effects of climate change.
“The
main polluters, including China and increasingly, India as well, need
to invest a lot more so the least developed countries – those that
haven’t caused problems, but face [the] consequences because they can’t
adapt – can deal with this effectively,” Heubaum said.
China,
the United States and India have the highest emissions in the world in
2015, according to the independent Union of Concerned Scientists.
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| An Indian man cools himself under a public fountain on a hot afternoon in New Delhi. Photo: AP |
Indian
teen Vidit Baya is demanding his government take action. “Our future is
in their hands and we want them to take action not just for us but for
the sake of the planet, its people and its survival,” said 17-year-old
Baya, who is one of the organisers of the strike in India.
He
said India’s status as a developing nation means the government needs
to invest in renewable energy such as solar power instead of sticking to
“ancient technology” like coal. “With seven out of the 10 most polluted
cities in the world in India, it is a shame our condition is getting
worse,” he said.
Strikes
will take place in Delhi and Udaipur next Friday, and Baya’s team is
organising more mass rallies every two months. His group is also working
to educate people by going door-to-door and holding open meetings every
Friday for youths to share ideas on how to create a better future.
However,
Baya said schools and parents have reservations about allowing their
children to take part in activism. “Many parents fear their kids might
get in trouble with the wrong people. They also think we should focus on
our studies and think only about our careers,” he said.
“But
our parents and schools do not understand the land is dying,” said
Baya, adding many schools refused to let students join environmental
campaigns and activities organised by non-governmental organisations and
the government.
Hong
Kong’s Education Bureau is also opposed to the strike, saying on
February 28 that the movement would disrupt order in schools.
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| Australians protesting against climate change in Brisbane in December. Photo: EPA |
In
Australia, where 15,000 students walked out of their schools on
November 31 last year, students have also been warned against taking
part in the upcoming strike. New South Wales education minister Rob
Stokes said in an interview that students and teachers who did not show
up would be punished, which earned him a swift rebuttal from Greta
Thunberg herself.
“Your statement belongs in a museum,” wrote Thunberg on Twitter.
School
principals in New Zealand have also warned students who strike they
will be marked as truants, local media reported on Thursday.
Yet,
the youth movement has caught the attention of climate scientists
worldwide, who have written a letter of support for the young strikers
published in
The Guardian on February 13.
“The
global youth movement and organisation is indeed impressive,” said
Peter deMenocal, director of the Centre for Climate and Life at Columbia
University in New York.
“The
breadth and authenticity of this youth movement can turn the tide of
public opinion,” said deMenocal, who has worked with leaders of the
strike in the US.
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| An open-cut coal mine in Singleton in Hunter Valley north of Sydney. The Australian government has continued to push for coal as an energy source. Photo: AFP |
This really is a grass-roots movement organised by the youthAustralian organiser Zel Whiting
Australian organiser Zel Whiting, who has worked with a larger team to pull together not just the Australian protest but internationally as well, is adamant the strikes are necessary. “Climate-based decisions are decisions that can’t be undone in 20 years’ time,” said the 13-year-old.
Whiting
is frustrated with the current Australian government, which has
continued to push coal as an energy source for the country. “That will
devastate our environment, but we’re starting to sway the general public
to our side, which is really good,” he said.
The
Australian youth has also managed to gain the support of labour unions,
but at the same time, Whiting said, the hardest hurdle to overcome is
convincing dismissive adults who think the kids are being used by
politicians.
“This
really is a grass-roots movement organised by the youth, and climate
justice should be totally apolitical and focus on communicating with
governments,” said Whiting. “People need to realise that climate change
is going to be a problem for their future and for their children for a
long time.”
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