22nd Eco-gen Ambassador Program- Free Topic Report, March 2019

'Fridays For Future' Movement

'Fridays For Future' is a peaceful climate action protest modeled after 16-year-old Swede Greta Thunberg’s protest against lack of action on the climate crisis. In August 2018, Greta sat in front of the Swedish parliament every school day for three weeks, to draw attention of policy makers. She did not stop there and continues to sit on strike in front of the parliament every Friday instead of going to school. Her movement shared on the web went viral. Till date over 127 countries have taken part and students strike together in 2214 cities and towns.

'Fridays For Future' Austria

In Austria, the climate strike was organized in different federal states with different formats. In dialogue formats, people from politics, business, science, non-governmental organizations or simply passers-by were invited to ‘TeaForFuture’ climate talks. Awareness and educational workshops were held; Schools and universities were more involved. Above all, solutions and options for action were presented and discussed. There was one single aim for individuals, companies, educational institutions, cities- All participants raised their voices together and joined hands to contribute to a green, clean and safe future.

My classmates and I took permission to take a day off from school to participate with youth from various schools in Austria, in the strike on 15 March in the Austrian capital Vienna. Mass participation and media coverage of the entire event shows the intensity, significance and magnitude of the movement in Austria. ‘Fridays For Future’ Austria calls itself a platform for all young people who do not want to see their futures lost. The movement is not to be taken exclusively as a climate strike. The website states "We want to talk to people, to create a platform and a place for exchange and to facilitate cooperation."

The demands of FFF Austria include:

• - Rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented environmental policy measures that are in line with the 1.5 ° C target and global climate justice.
• - A clear and appropriate communication with the population on the urgency of the government's climate crisis.
• - An ambitious plan to phase out fossil fuels and end the financing of the same. These include eco-social tax reform and the suspension of subsidies and tax breaks for all fossil fuels.
• - Providing adequate funding to less industrialized countries to accelerate the transition to renewable energy and sustainable structures around the world.
• - Urban and urban transport concepts that focus on people, cycling and public transport. Environmentally friendly mobility and clean, livable cities should become a reality for all people.
• - The stop of major fossil projects, such as the planned 3rd runway at Vienna International Airport and the planned Lobau Tunnel. Instead, financial support and expansion of railway lines, night trains, denser intervals and earlier and later connections in passenger transport.
• - A clear commitment to social justice and comprehensive support for those who need retraining, new jobs or financial support through necessary structural changes. Nobody should be left behind!

Personal Experience

Being part of a protest like this was a first time for me. It was a thrilling and fulfilling experience. We marched along a designated route around the city of Vienna chanting slogans relating to environmental protection and carrying banners. We attended talks and finally made station at the 'Wien Heldenplatz' or 'Vienna Heroes' Place', which is a historically significant political monument. There were loudspeakers set up where officials explained the movement and what we expected from the government because as the FFF believes, " The best time to fight for climate justice was 30 years ago, so the last possible moment to avert a dangerous climate collapse is now." 

My class group also had the chance to be interviewed by a radio station where we shared our reason to be a part of this strike and why we skipped school to show solidarity with other protesters and with the cause. Education will be meaningless if we cannot save the future was the students’ message for the policymakers.

I had carried the Tunza banner with me. It was difficult to stay at one point in the marching crowd, but for a short time during the march, I held the banner with my classmates and distributed few Tunza brochures among the crowd to raise awareness about Tunza as yet another platform that gives youth a voice. I hope some of the participants will take the brochures and the message home to join Tunza eventually.

All in all, I think 'Fridays For Future' is a great initiative as well as a great learning experience for students who are aware of the importance of climate change and environmental conservation. There were also a number of younger kids from Primary Schools which meant that even at such a young age, the children were being instilled with the right values to ensure a safe and positive future.

Sometimes when the problems are huge and normal methods do not work, people from all wakes of life need to resort to such measures and take to the streets to raise their voices with the aim to initiate action. Obviously we students will not to be left behind in democratic participation to shoulder social and environmental responsibility.

I conclude by quoting Greta Thunberg "Start focusing on what needs to be done - Not what is politically feasible!"  

References

https://www.fridaysforfuture.at/about

https://www.meinbezirk.at/wien/c-lokales/mehrere-tausend-schueler-demonstrieren-fuers-klima_a3262641

Photo Credit
https://www.meinbezirk.at/wien/c-lokales/mehrere-tausend-schueler-demonstrieren-fuers-klima_a3262641#gallery=default&pid=18316281