A few weeks ago, two of our Year 9 pupils attended a ‘Climate Strike’ organised by UK School Climate Network, which is an organisation run by students, in London. These boys are extremely passionate about ‘climate justice’, and following their strike decided to do their Foundation Project Qualification on the topic.
Report provided by J King and F Carlsson, Year 9:
We first decided that we wanted to get involved in the student climate strikes when we heard about Greta Thunberg; a 16-year-old climate activist that pioneered the original youth climate strikes. On her campaign for ‘climate justice’ she has addressed the UN and has been nominated for a Nobel peace prize. We had also heard about the first global youth climate strike in March on the news. We are both very interested in animals and our motivation to help conserve them, which was our main reason for striking.
The strike took place in Parliament Square, London, although there was one taking place in Henley we felt that we would make more of a difference if we went to London.
After congregating in Parliament Square, with hundreds of other students, we began walking through the streets of London. Many students held signs that said things like ‘System change, not climate change’ and ‘Planet not profit’.
UK School Climate Network (UKSCN) has four demands for the Government:
- The Government declare a climate emergency and implement a Green New Deal to achieve Climate Justice
- The National Curriculum is reformed to address the ecological crisis as an educational priority
- The Government communicate the severity of the ecological crisis and the necessity to act now to the general public
- The Government recognise that young people have the biggest stake in our future, by incorporating youth views into policy making and bringing the voting age down to 16 years old
We feel that we can all do something to combat climate change. Whether it be avoiding single-use plastics or not eating as much meat and dairy. But if we do not take drastic action in the next decade or so, the damage we have caused will become irreversible and we will have ruined the planet for future generations.
Thank you to Mr Brown, for allowing us to take the day off and take part in such an important event to us.
