Children march for Climate Action!

Strikes by school students have been supported by Angela Merkel. Students in Hamburg have been marching against the use of fossil fuels and the change to renewables taking so long. Mrs Merkel supports the students’ reasons for marching and understands their frustration at the length of time taken to use more renewable sources of energy.

Students have been showing their frustrations by leaving their high schools in the city and striking outside the Swedish parliament. This is to raise awareness of climate change, in the hope the government will understand the urgency for switching to renewables and for shunning coal use forever.

Mrs Merkel has urged the students to understand that this takes time. She believes that much is being done to tackle climate change but there are many steps that need to be taken before Germany get rid of coal. It is hoped that Germany will no longer use coal by 2038. This seems to the students a very long time and they believe irreversible effects to our planet will have happened by then. They believe this could have been avoided.

It is not just school in Hamburg taking part in strikes, but schools across the world! So far over 500 strikes in 51 countries have been planned. Countries such as Brazil, India and Japan. The growth of the movement ‘Youth Strikes for Climate Change’ shows just how much these young people care about their futures and the future of our planet for generations to come. The students of this movement have come together to pen an open letter, one part of which says:

 “United we will rise on 15 March and many times after until we see climate justice. We demand the world’s decision makers take responsibility and solve this crisis.”

The strikes began as a solo protest by Greta Thunberg. She has demonstrated in Belgium and Hamburg and has rejected any criticism thrown her way about the strikes. She said:

“We fight for our future. It doesn’t help if we have to fight the adults too.”

Greta has represented the views of many young people and has bravely spoken out about climate change and the need for action. She has addressed politicians and Eu leaders in the hope of some action from them and at only 16, her passion is commendable. Greta has more than 194,000 followers on twitter and is not afraid to say what she feels. In response to Teresa May’s comments of students wasting time she said:

“British PM says that the children on school strike are ‘wasting lesson time’. That may well be the case. But then again, political leaders have wasted 30 yrs of inaction. And that is slightly worse.”

Students have been urged to stay in school by the deputy prime minister Michael McCormack and education minister Rob Stokes but one has to think that in the long run, which is most important?