Schoolchildren take part in a nation-wide student climate march in George Square in Glasgow, United Kingdom on Feb. 15, 2019. (Photo: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
Feb 14, 2019
Tens of thousands of students from more than 60 communities across the United Kingdom skipped class on Friday to join the global youth-led #schoolstrike4climate, calling on world leaders to take bolder steps to eradicate fossil fuels and combat the climate crisis.
"It's sort of scary to think about that when I'm older there might not be a North Pole or maybe no rainforest or anything."
--11-year-old striker
Speaking to Sky News in London's Parliament Square on Friday, 12-year-old Theo said he is striking "because there are people in that building over there, going in week in and week out, and completely declining the fact that our world is dying out."
Theo added that he thinks U.K. legislators, who are failing to take necessary steps to address the crisis, "are completely obsessed...with money" and "are completely disregarding...the world."
Pointing to rising temperatures and visible changes in the global climate, Theo's 11-year-old friend said he joined the strike because "it's sort of scary to think about that when I'm older there might not be a North Pole or maybe no rainforest or anything."
\u201c"I've come here to demand that the government address climate change as the crisis and the emergency that it is." \n\nTens of thousands of children across the UK are striking against climate change \ud83c\udf0d\n\nUpdates on the action live here: https://t.co/oyW08RWtnI\u201d— Sky News (@Sky News) 1550226421
\u201c'It's scary to think that when I'm older there might not be a North Pole or maybe a rainforest.'\n\nStudents protesting in London say politicians are not taking enough action on climate change.\n\nLatest on #SchoolStrike4Climate here: https://t.co/qj2gtYAIAq\u201d— Sky News (@Sky News) 1550234786
Parliament Square in London is getting packed with young people demanding climate action - politicians better listen! #climatestrike #schoolstrike4climate pic.twitter.com/qGHBqQQn1l
-- Fossil Free UK (@FossilFree_UK) February 15, 2019
The striking students carried signs that warned "our generation will suffer," and asked, "the climate is changing, why aren't we?" Chants across the country ranged from "whose streets, our streets," and "we want change," to "fuck Theresa May"--the Tory prime minister who criticized the demonstrations via a spokesperson.
\u201cOur 6th #schoolstrike4climate was the biggest yet & we striked alongside thousands around the UK! \n\nI am striking not just for the climate but for nature, for wildlife & for the people on this planet. Change is coming. The young people of this world are standing up for our future\u201d— Holly Gillibrand (@Holly Gillibrand) 1550240539
\u201cListen to the youth. We are the future. And we stand on the shoulders of generations of activists who have come before us.\n\nSolidarity to @Strike4Youth. #YouthStrike4Climate\u201d— Extinction Rebellion (@Extinction Rebellion) 1550240297
\u201cAnd yes, the chant is 'fuck Theresa May'. The kids are alright. \u270a\u201d— Callum Cant is going on strike (@Callum Cant is going on strike) 1550232862
Some students spontaneously blocked Downing Street--which houses the prime minister's residence and office--and police even began arresting some strikers, according to posts on social media by the environmental group Extinction Rebellion and other observers:
\u201cBREAKING: the police have started arresting children for standing up for their future.\n\nWe just want justice. This is wrong.\n\n#YouthStrike4Climate \n#RebelForLife #ClimateJusticeNow\u201d— Extinction Rebellion (@Extinction Rebellion) 1550238698
\u201cThe generation that trashed our climate, brutally arresting the generation protesting to save our climate.\n15yo girl unfairly arrested,lifted in air by 4cops by limbs, pushed to ground face down/painfully handcuffed. Later dearrested bt traumatised/bruised #schoolstrike4climate\u201d— Donnachadh McCarthy (@Donnachadh McCarthy) 1550273758
\u201cAmazing scenes in Whitehall as students spontaneously block Downing St. Save our Planet! #schoolstrike4climate @ExtinctionR\u201d— Donnachadh McCarthy (@Donnachadh McCarthy) 1550238704
Endorsed by the National Association of Head Teachers as well as Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn, the U.K. climate strike follows several recent mass mobilizations of young people across the globe.
"I've always had a strong fascination with the environment, and I've always been aware of climate change and sustainable living, but when I saw thousands of kids around the world striking for the cause it inspired me to start my own," 17-year-old Anna Taylor, a co-founder of the U.K. Student Climate Network, the group coordinating the country's strike, told the New York Times.
"Youth voices are too often left out of the discussion when it comes to climate change."
--Jake Woodier, U.K. Youth Climate Coalition
"While we're failing to deliver the changes young people need, we can hardly blame them for taking action themselves. Education has today been flipped on its head. The young are teaching the old, and we should pay attention," Greenpeace U.K. executive director John Sauven said in a statement to the Guardian.
"Young people know that their lives are going to be changed dramatically by the impacts of climate change. The risks that older people hope they might dodge are the problems the young will inherit," Sauven added. "And the longer the young wait for action to be taken, the harder it will be for them in future."
Jake Woodier, a member of the U.K. Youth Climate Coalition, noted that "youth voices are too often left out of the discussion when it comes to climate change." As he told the Times, "Our current trajectory is completely incompatible with a clean, safe environment not only for ourselves, but future generations as well."
That sentiment was echoed by Greta Thunberg--a 16-year-old from Sweden whose protests outside her country's parliament last year inspired the global movement--who discussed the U.K. demonstrations on "Good Morning Britain" Friday:
\u201c16-year-old Swedish schoolgirl Greta Thunberg, who started the climate strike at her school last year, tells us what inspired her to start the movement.\n\n#schoolstrike4climate | #ClimateStrike | #GMB\u201d— Good Morning Britain (@Good Morning Britain) 1550214669
As Thunberg put it, "Why should we be studying for a future that soon might not exist anymore?"
\u201cBritish PM says that the children on school strike are \u201cwasting lesson time\u201d. That may well be the case. But then again, political leaders have wasted 30 yrs of inaction. And\nthat is slightly worse.\n#schoolstrike4climate #FridaysForFuture #ClimateStrike \n\nhttps://t.co/PoSCXin3VN\u201d— Greta Thunberg (@Greta Thunberg) 1550243869
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
childreneducationenvironmentextinction rebellionfossil fuelsfridaysforfuturegreta thunbergjeremy corbynkirsten gillibrandpeople powerunited kingdom
Tens of thousands of students from more than 60 communities across the United Kingdom skipped class on Friday to join the global youth-led #schoolstrike4climate, calling on world leaders to take bolder steps to eradicate fossil fuels and combat the climate crisis.
"It's sort of scary to think about that when I'm older there might not be a North Pole or maybe no rainforest or anything."
--11-year-old striker
Speaking to Sky News in London's Parliament Square on Friday, 12-year-old Theo said he is striking "because there are people in that building over there, going in week in and week out, and completely declining the fact that our world is dying out."
Theo added that he thinks U.K. legislators, who are failing to take necessary steps to address the crisis, "are completely obsessed...with money" and "are completely disregarding...the world."
Pointing to rising temperatures and visible changes in the global climate, Theo's 11-year-old friend said he joined the strike because "it's sort of scary to think about that when I'm older there might not be a North Pole or maybe no rainforest or anything."
\u201c"I've come here to demand that the government address climate change as the crisis and the emergency that it is." \n\nTens of thousands of children across the UK are striking against climate change \ud83c\udf0d\n\nUpdates on the action live here: https://t.co/oyW08RWtnI\u201d— Sky News (@Sky News) 1550226421
\u201c'It's scary to think that when I'm older there might not be a North Pole or maybe a rainforest.'\n\nStudents protesting in London say politicians are not taking enough action on climate change.\n\nLatest on #SchoolStrike4Climate here: https://t.co/qj2gtYAIAq\u201d— Sky News (@Sky News) 1550234786
Parliament Square in London is getting packed with young people demanding climate action - politicians better listen! #climatestrike #schoolstrike4climate pic.twitter.com/qGHBqQQn1l
-- Fossil Free UK (@FossilFree_UK) February 15, 2019
The striking students carried signs that warned "our generation will suffer," and asked, "the climate is changing, why aren't we?" Chants across the country ranged from "whose streets, our streets," and "we want change," to "fuck Theresa May"--the Tory prime minister who criticized the demonstrations via a spokesperson.
\u201cOur 6th #schoolstrike4climate was the biggest yet & we striked alongside thousands around the UK! \n\nI am striking not just for the climate but for nature, for wildlife & for the people on this planet. Change is coming. The young people of this world are standing up for our future\u201d— Holly Gillibrand (@Holly Gillibrand) 1550240539
\u201cListen to the youth. We are the future. And we stand on the shoulders of generations of activists who have come before us.\n\nSolidarity to @Strike4Youth. #YouthStrike4Climate\u201d— Extinction Rebellion (@Extinction Rebellion) 1550240297
\u201cAnd yes, the chant is 'fuck Theresa May'. The kids are alright. \u270a\u201d— Callum Cant is going on strike (@Callum Cant is going on strike) 1550232862
Some students spontaneously blocked Downing Street--which houses the prime minister's residence and office--and police even began arresting some strikers, according to posts on social media by the environmental group Extinction Rebellion and other observers:
\u201cBREAKING: the police have started arresting children for standing up for their future.\n\nWe just want justice. This is wrong.\n\n#YouthStrike4Climate \n#RebelForLife #ClimateJusticeNow\u201d— Extinction Rebellion (@Extinction Rebellion) 1550238698
\u201cThe generation that trashed our climate, brutally arresting the generation protesting to save our climate.\n15yo girl unfairly arrested,lifted in air by 4cops by limbs, pushed to ground face down/painfully handcuffed. Later dearrested bt traumatised/bruised #schoolstrike4climate\u201d— Donnachadh McCarthy (@Donnachadh McCarthy) 1550273758
\u201cAmazing scenes in Whitehall as students spontaneously block Downing St. Save our Planet! #schoolstrike4climate @ExtinctionR\u201d— Donnachadh McCarthy (@Donnachadh McCarthy) 1550238704
Endorsed by the National Association of Head Teachers as well as Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn, the U.K. climate strike follows several recent mass mobilizations of young people across the globe.
"I've always had a strong fascination with the environment, and I've always been aware of climate change and sustainable living, but when I saw thousands of kids around the world striking for the cause it inspired me to start my own," 17-year-old Anna Taylor, a co-founder of the U.K. Student Climate Network, the group coordinating the country's strike, told the New York Times.
"Youth voices are too often left out of the discussion when it comes to climate change."
--Jake Woodier, U.K. Youth Climate Coalition
"While we're failing to deliver the changes young people need, we can hardly blame them for taking action themselves. Education has today been flipped on its head. The young are teaching the old, and we should pay attention," Greenpeace U.K. executive director John Sauven said in a statement to the Guardian.
"Young people know that their lives are going to be changed dramatically by the impacts of climate change. The risks that older people hope they might dodge are the problems the young will inherit," Sauven added. "And the longer the young wait for action to be taken, the harder it will be for them in future."
Jake Woodier, a member of the U.K. Youth Climate Coalition, noted that "youth voices are too often left out of the discussion when it comes to climate change." As he told the Times, "Our current trajectory is completely incompatible with a clean, safe environment not only for ourselves, but future generations as well."
That sentiment was echoed by Greta Thunberg--a 16-year-old from Sweden whose protests outside her country's parliament last year inspired the global movement--who discussed the U.K. demonstrations on "Good Morning Britain" Friday:
\u201c16-year-old Swedish schoolgirl Greta Thunberg, who started the climate strike at her school last year, tells us what inspired her to start the movement.\n\n#schoolstrike4climate | #ClimateStrike | #GMB\u201d— Good Morning Britain (@Good Morning Britain) 1550214669
As Thunberg put it, "Why should we be studying for a future that soon might not exist anymore?"
\u201cBritish PM says that the children on school strike are \u201cwasting lesson time\u201d. That may well be the case. But then again, political leaders have wasted 30 yrs of inaction. And\nthat is slightly worse.\n#schoolstrike4climate #FridaysForFuture #ClimateStrike \n\nhttps://t.co/PoSCXin3VN\u201d— Greta Thunberg (@Greta Thunberg) 1550243869
Tens of thousands of students from more than 60 communities across the United Kingdom skipped class on Friday to join the global youth-led #schoolstrike4climate, calling on world leaders to take bolder steps to eradicate fossil fuels and combat the climate crisis.
"It's sort of scary to think about that when I'm older there might not be a North Pole or maybe no rainforest or anything."
--11-year-old striker
Speaking to Sky News in London's Parliament Square on Friday, 12-year-old Theo said he is striking "because there are people in that building over there, going in week in and week out, and completely declining the fact that our world is dying out."
Theo added that he thinks U.K. legislators, who are failing to take necessary steps to address the crisis, "are completely obsessed...with money" and "are completely disregarding...the world."
Pointing to rising temperatures and visible changes in the global climate, Theo's 11-year-old friend said he joined the strike because "it's sort of scary to think about that when I'm older there might not be a North Pole or maybe no rainforest or anything."
\u201c"I've come here to demand that the government address climate change as the crisis and the emergency that it is." \n\nTens of thousands of children across the UK are striking against climate change \ud83c\udf0d\n\nUpdates on the action live here: https://t.co/oyW08RWtnI\u201d— Sky News (@Sky News) 1550226421
\u201c'It's scary to think that when I'm older there might not be a North Pole or maybe a rainforest.'\n\nStudents protesting in London say politicians are not taking enough action on climate change.\n\nLatest on #SchoolStrike4Climate here: https://t.co/qj2gtYAIAq\u201d— Sky News (@Sky News) 1550234786
Parliament Square in London is getting packed with young people demanding climate action - politicians better listen! #climatestrike #schoolstrike4climate pic.twitter.com/qGHBqQQn1l
-- Fossil Free UK (@FossilFree_UK) February 15, 2019
The striking students carried signs that warned "our generation will suffer," and asked, "the climate is changing, why aren't we?" Chants across the country ranged from "whose streets, our streets," and "we want change," to "fuck Theresa May"--the Tory prime minister who criticized the demonstrations via a spokesperson.
\u201cOur 6th #schoolstrike4climate was the biggest yet & we striked alongside thousands around the UK! \n\nI am striking not just for the climate but for nature, for wildlife & for the people on this planet. Change is coming. The young people of this world are standing up for our future\u201d— Holly Gillibrand (@Holly Gillibrand) 1550240539
\u201cListen to the youth. We are the future. And we stand on the shoulders of generations of activists who have come before us.\n\nSolidarity to @Strike4Youth. #YouthStrike4Climate\u201d— Extinction Rebellion (@Extinction Rebellion) 1550240297
\u201cAnd yes, the chant is 'fuck Theresa May'. The kids are alright. \u270a\u201d— Callum Cant is going on strike (@Callum Cant is going on strike) 1550232862
Some students spontaneously blocked Downing Street--which houses the prime minister's residence and office--and police even began arresting some strikers, according to posts on social media by the environmental group Extinction Rebellion and other observers:
\u201cBREAKING: the police have started arresting children for standing up for their future.\n\nWe just want justice. This is wrong.\n\n#YouthStrike4Climate \n#RebelForLife #ClimateJusticeNow\u201d— Extinction Rebellion (@Extinction Rebellion) 1550238698
\u201cThe generation that trashed our climate, brutally arresting the generation protesting to save our climate.\n15yo girl unfairly arrested,lifted in air by 4cops by limbs, pushed to ground face down/painfully handcuffed. Later dearrested bt traumatised/bruised #schoolstrike4climate\u201d— Donnachadh McCarthy (@Donnachadh McCarthy) 1550273758
\u201cAmazing scenes in Whitehall as students spontaneously block Downing St. Save our Planet! #schoolstrike4climate @ExtinctionR\u201d— Donnachadh McCarthy (@Donnachadh McCarthy) 1550238704
Endorsed by the National Association of Head Teachers as well as Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn, the U.K. climate strike follows several recent mass mobilizations of young people across the globe.
"I've always had a strong fascination with the environment, and I've always been aware of climate change and sustainable living, but when I saw thousands of kids around the world striking for the cause it inspired me to start my own," 17-year-old Anna Taylor, a co-founder of the U.K. Student Climate Network, the group coordinating the country's strike, told the New York Times.
"Youth voices are too often left out of the discussion when it comes to climate change."
--Jake Woodier, U.K. Youth Climate Coalition
"While we're failing to deliver the changes young people need, we can hardly blame them for taking action themselves. Education has today been flipped on its head. The young are teaching the old, and we should pay attention," Greenpeace U.K. executive director John Sauven said in a statement to the Guardian.
"Young people know that their lives are going to be changed dramatically by the impacts of climate change. The risks that older people hope they might dodge are the problems the young will inherit," Sauven added. "And the longer the young wait for action to be taken, the harder it will be for them in future."
Jake Woodier, a member of the U.K. Youth Climate Coalition, noted that "youth voices are too often left out of the discussion when it comes to climate change." As he told the Times, "Our current trajectory is completely incompatible with a clean, safe environment not only for ourselves, but future generations as well."
That sentiment was echoed by Greta Thunberg--a 16-year-old from Sweden whose protests outside her country's parliament last year inspired the global movement--who discussed the U.K. demonstrations on "Good Morning Britain" Friday:
\u201c16-year-old Swedish schoolgirl Greta Thunberg, who started the climate strike at her school last year, tells us what inspired her to start the movement.\n\n#schoolstrike4climate | #ClimateStrike | #GMB\u201d— Good Morning Britain (@Good Morning Britain) 1550214669
As Thunberg put it, "Why should we be studying for a future that soon might not exist anymore?"
\u201cBritish PM says that the children on school strike are \u201cwasting lesson time\u201d. That may well be the case. But then again, political leaders have wasted 30 yrs of inaction. And\nthat is slightly worse.\n#schoolstrike4climate #FridaysForFuture #ClimateStrike \n\nhttps://t.co/PoSCXin3VN\u201d— Greta Thunberg (@Greta Thunberg) 1550243869
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.