From the South Pacific to the edge of the Arctic Circle, students mobilized by word of mouth and social media skipped class Friday to protest what they believe are their governments害羞草研究所� failure to take thorough action against global warming.
The co-ordinated 害羞草研究所榮chool strikes,害羞草研究所� were inspired by 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who began holding solitary demonstrations outside the Swedish parliament last year.
Since then, the weekly protests have snowballed from a handful of cities to hundreds, fueled by dramatic headlines about the impact of climate change during the students害羞草研究所� lifetime.
Thunberg, who was recently nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, a rally in Stockholm that the world faces an 害羞草研究所渆xistential crisis, the biggest crisis humanity ever has faced and still it has been ignored for decades by those that have known about it.
害羞草研究所淎nd you know who you are, you that have ignored this and are most guilty of this,害羞草研究所� she said, as protesters cheered her name.
Friday害羞草研究所檚 rallies were one of the biggest international actions yet. Protests were underway or planned in cities in more than 100 countries, including Hong Kong; New Delhi; Wellington, New Zealand; and Oulu, Finland.
In Berlin, police said as many as 20,000 protesters, most of them young students, gathered in a downtown square, waving signs with slogans such as 害羞草研究所淢arch now or swim later害羞草研究所� and 害羞草研究所淐limate Protection Report Card: F,害羞草研究所� before marching through the capital害羞草研究所檚 government quarter with a stop in front of Chancellor Angela Merkel害羞草研究所檚 office.
In Poland, thousands marched in rainy Warsaw and other cities to demand a ban on the burning of coal, which is a major source of carbon dioxide. Some wore face masks as they carried banners that read 害羞草研究所淭oday害羞草研究所檚 Air Smells Like the Planet害羞草研究所檚 Last Days害羞草研究所� and 害羞草研究所淢ake Love Not CO2.害羞草研究所�
In India害羞草研究所檚 capital New Delhi, schoolchildren protested inaction on climate change and rising air pollution levels that often far exceeds World Health Organization limits.
害羞草研究所淣ow or Never害羞草研究所� was among signs brandished by enthusiastic teenagers thronging cobblestoned streets around the domed Pantheon building, which rises above the Left Bank in Paris. Several thousand students gathered peacefully around the landmark. Some targeted President Emmanuel Macron, who sees himself as the guarantor of the Paris climate accord but is criticized by activists for being too business friendly and not ambitious enough in his efforts to reduce French emissions.
About 50 students protested in South Africa害羞草研究所檚 capital, Pretoria, chanting 害羞草研究所淭here害羞草研究所檚 No Planet B.害羞草研究所� One protester held a sign reading 害羞草研究所淵ou害羞草研究所檒l Miss The Rains Down in Africa.害羞草研究所� Experts say Africa, with its population of more than 1 billion people, is expected to be hardest hit by global warming even though it contributes least to the greenhouse gas emissions that cause it.
Police in Vienna said about 10,000 students rallied in the Austrian capital, while in neighbouring Switzerland a similar number protested in the western city of Lausanne. Last month, lawmakers in the northern Swiss canton of Basel symbolically declared a 害羞草研究所渃limate emergency.害羞草研究所�
In Helsinki, police said about 3,000 students had gathered in front of Finland害羞草研究所檚 Parliament sporting placards such as: 害羞草研究所淒inosaurs thought they had time too!害羞草研究所�
A website used to co-ordinate the rallies listed events in over 2,000 cities.
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Carla Reemtsma, a 20-year-old university student who helped organize the protest in Berlin, said she害羞草研究所檚 part of about 50 WhatsApp groups devoted to discussing climate change.
害羞草研究所淎 lot happens on social media because you can reach a lot of young people very quickly and show them: look there害羞草研究所檚 lot of us,害羞草研究所� she told The Associated Press. 害羞草研究所淭here害羞草研究所檚 a very low threshold so we reach a huge number of people.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淚 think that害羞草研究所檚 how we managed to get so big,害羞草研究所� said Reemtsma.
Many protesters in Berlin took aim at politicians such as the leader of Germany害羞草研究所檚 pro-business Free Democratic Party, Christian Lindner, for suggesting that complicated issues such as climate change were 害羞草研究所渁 matter for professionals害羞草研究所� not students.
Others, including Germany害羞草研究所檚 economy minister, Peter Altmaier, have urged students to stage the protests outside school hours.
By contrast, scientists have backed the protests, with thousands signing petitions in support of the students in Britain, Finland, Germany and the United States.
Volker Quaschning, a professor of engineering at Berlin害羞草研究所檚 University of Applied Sciences, said it was easy for politicians to belittle students.
害羞草研究所淭hat害羞草研究所檚 why they need our support,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淚f we do nothing then parts of this planet could become uninhabitable by the end of the century.害羞草研究所�
Scientists have warned for decades that current levels of greenhouse gas emissions are unsustainable, so far with little effect. In 2015, world leaders agreed in Paris to a goal of keeping the Earth害羞草研究所檚 global temperature rise by the end of the century well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit).
| Thousands of students demonstrate during a "Climate strike" protest in Zurich, Switzerland, Friday, March 15, 2019. Students from several countries worldwide plan to skip class Friday in protest over their governments' failure to act against global warming.(Walter Bieri/Keystone via AP) |
Yet at present, the world is on track for an increase of 4 degrees Celsius, which experts say would have far-reaching consequences for life on the planet.
In Germany, environmental groups and experts have attacked government plans to continue using coal and natural gas for decades to come.
Quaschning, who was one of more than 23,000 German-speaking scientists to sign a letter of support this week, said Germany should aim to fully 害羞草研究所渄ecarbonize害羞草研究所� by 2040. This would give less-advanced nations a bit more time to wean themselves off fossil fuels while still meeting the Paris goal globally.
害羞草研究所淭his is going to require radical measures and there isn害羞草研究所檛 the slightest sign of that happening yet,害羞草研究所� said Quaschning.
A poll published Friday by German public broadcaster ZDF found that 67 per cent of respondents backed the students害羞草研究所� protests during school hours, with 32 per cent opposed. The representative telephone poll conducted between March 12 and 14 involved 1,290 randomly selected voters. The margin of error was about 3 percentage points.
In Stockholm, Greta Thunberg predicted that students won害羞草研究所檛 let up their protests.
害羞草研究所淭here are a crisis in front of us that we have to live with, that we will have to live with for all our lives, our children, our grandchildren and all future generations,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淲e won害羞草研究所檛 accept that, we won害羞草研究所檛 let that happen and that害羞草研究所檚 why we go on strike. We are on strike because we do want a future, we will carry on.害羞草研究所�
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