On 15 February students around the UK will be striking to protest against the government’s lack of action on the climate crisis. It’s the first YouthStrike4Climate event in the UK, following successful school strikes in Australia, Belgium, Switzerland and Germany.

Thousands of schoolchildren are expected to absent themselves from school on Friday to take part in a series of coordinated protests drawing attention to climate change.

Supporters of the UK Student Climate Network, which so far has pupils in about 30 towns and cities signed up to the day of action.

A template letter drawn up by Youth Strike 4 Climate, one of the groups supporting the network, for parents of striking children to give headteachers, states: “I’m aware of UK law that permits parents to only give permission for their child to miss school on medical grounds or in a few other cases, one of which is under ‘exceptional circumstances’. My view is that having only 12 years left to cut CO₂ emissions by 50%, as per the latest UN IPCC report, is pretty dire and exceptional circumstances to find ourselves in. And it in this light that I’m giving my child permission.”

It continues: “I support her to attend the youth strike as part of active civic engagement, which is a core part of the curriculum. People under 18 years can’t vote, but with more of their life in the future, rather than the past, it’s they who are most affected by climate breakdown.”

The letter is part of a cache of documents being shared with potential protesters ahead of Friday’s strike as the pupil-led grassroots movement gains momentum.

Similar protests have been held in individual UK cities and other countries, including Australia, Belgium and the Netherlands, where tens of thousands of children refused to attend school so that they could take part in rallies to raise awareness about threats to the environment from global warming. But Friday will be the first nationwide day of action.

Organisers were inspired by Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish activist who last August refused to attend school so that she could protest outside the Swedish parliament building, an action that shot her to global prominence.

In the UK, Greenpeace is providing help with the construction of banners, while the UK Youth Climate Coalition, a 10-year-old campaign group, is helping coordinate media coverage and offering advice behind the scenes.

But both organisations were keen to stress the movement was organic and led by young people. Formed in the UK only three months ago, it has grown rapidly as its message has been shared on social media. Its website was created by two 15-year-old supporters in under a week.

The wave of student strikes demanding action on climate change has been an inspiration for all. UK’s PM ‘Theresa May’ promised UK children that they’ll inherit a healthier environment than the one we found. Those children are now taking to the streets to remind her that unless we get serious about tackling the climate emergency, her promise will be broken.

Hopefully the government will eventually listen to us, the children and young because we have the greatest stake in our future and we’re doing this because we feel let down by them and we want to make a difference before it’s too late.

More than 200 academics have voiced their support for this week’s school climate strikes, in which thousands of young people are expected to take to the streets in towns and cities across the UK. These academics have signed a letter supporting pupils right to be angry at inaction.

The academics, including almost 100 professors, say the “tragic and desperate facts” of the unfolding climate breakdown – and the lack of meaningful action by politicians – leave young people with little option but to take matters into their own hands.

The number of those taking part in Friday’s strike is growing rapidly, amid mounting evidence of the scale and impact of the climate emergency. There are more than 50 confirmed events from Fort William to Hastings, with more added each day.

The UK day of action is part of a movement that started in August when Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old schoolgirl, held a solo protest outside Sweden’s parliament. Globally, up to 70,000 schoolchildren each week are taking part in 270 towns and cities.

Individual demonstrations have already been held in the UK, but Friday’s coordinated day of action is expected to see the biggest protests by students and young people in the UK since the student strikes of 2010 over tuition fees.

The strike has been backed by one of the UK’s leading teaching unions and the academics say the young people who are prepared to organise and take part in the strike are setting an example that others should follow.

Growing signs of climate breakdown, from the latest UN report that warns there are 12 years to avoid the worst impacts of global warming, to record-breaking droughts and heatwaves, warming oceans and melting ice sheets.

The academics added: “It is with these tragic and desperate events in mind that we offer our full support to the students, some of whom may well aspire to be the academics of the future, who bravely plan to strike on 15 February to demand that the UK government takes climate action.”

We are inspired that our children, spurred on by the noble actions of Greta Thunberg and other striking students, are making their voices heard, say 224 academics. These academics, stand in solidarity with the children going on school climate strike on 15 February, and with all those taking a stand for the future of the planet.

Nelson Mandela once said: “Our children are our greatest treasure. They are our future. Those who abuse them tear at the fabric of our society and weaken our nation.” Human planetary abuse is, in a very real sense, child neglect.

As many of us and other fellow academics have indicated previously in this newspaper (Letters, 27 October 2018), the scientific evidence of climate change is clear. For example, the summer of 2018 has been confirmed by the Meteorological Office as the hottest on record for England. The heatwave adversely affected crops across Europe, with wheat and potato harvests reduced by one quarter, which in turn impacted upon food prices. Australia is similarly experiencing “hottest on record” weather events. As citizens across the globe will know and testify, many comparably disturbing examples could be given. We cannot nurture our children without Nature.

We are rapidly losing sea ice in the Arctic. The warming of the ocean, the melting of land ice and the ensuing rising sea levels will threaten coasts. In 2018, the European Drought Observatory noted a high deficit in soil moisture across Scotland, Ireland and much of northern Europe. This increases the risk of wildfires, such as those we saw across England in 2018. As well as posing a direct threat to life, fires produce toxic smoke, which is a significant health risk to young and old alike. Sir David Attenborough has warned: “If we don’t take action, the collapse of our civilisations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon.” Many other organisations, like Extinction Rebellion, are now working to bring the truth about the ecological crisis to the public’s attention.

It is with these tragic and desperate events in mind that we offer our full support to the students – some of whom may well aspire to be the academics of the future – who bravely plan to strike on 15 February to demand that the UK government takes climate action. They have every right to be angry about the future that we shall bequeath to them, if proportionate and urgent action is not taken. We are inspired that our children, spurred on by the noble actions of Greta Thunberg and many other striking students all around the world, are making their voices heard.

References/Sources:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/feb/12/school-climate-strikes-share-your-videos-and-stories

The Observer