a future worth fighting for

Nowadays, we can’t go a few days without hearing about climate catastrophes, from the Amazon forest fires to the macabre memorial held by scientists at the demise of the first Icelandic glacier lost to climate change. 
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So it’s welcome news that next week marks another round of some of the most prolific, exciting demonstrations and strikes going – Youth Strike 4 Climate and Fridays for Future.

This time, they’re not just for the young climate strikers, like Swedish sensation Greta Thunberg, who kick-started the climate crisis movement.

From September 20th-27th, people of all ages, professions and backgrounds are coming together across the nation to stand up and be heard in the fight against fossil fuels and climate change.
And we’re not just talking the UK here. Across the globe in 150 countries there are thousands of events being organised, including marches and demonstrations to 100km+ sponsored cycle rides, running races and street clean ups.

Want to get involved? Have a search around Global Climate Strike’s interactive map to hunt down events near you. If you’re feeling creative, you can start your own climate strike event and add it to the map. 

If you’re working, at school, college or uni and can’t take the day off to stand in solidarity, they also suggest lots of ways you can act as an ally and spread the word in your community.

See here for a bucket load of ideas.

Standing up for the planet doesn’t just have to be a one time, punny-sign-fuelled thing. There are lots of ways you can cut down on your environmental impact in your day-to-day life. Consider…

• Ditching single use plastic by investing in reusable shopping bags and refillable coffee cups
• Cycling, lift sharing and taking public transport wherever possible
• Cutting down on the amount of meat and dairy in your diet
• Join climate-conscious societies or groups in your local community, uni or school

Everyone can do their bit to reduce their impact on the planet. Just this week, a school in Melbourne, Australia, reported that they’re going entirely zero waste – they’re taking bins out of classrooms and encouraging kids to bring lunch and snacks in reusable containers to cut out unnecessary rubbish. 

The changes come from the student sustainability team of Melbourne Girl’s College – they’re hoping the new proposals will encourage families to ‘think more sustainably when packing their child’s school lunch and buy items with less packaging as a result of the decision.’

The choice, along with the huge waves created by young climate strikers in the past year, proves that young people can have a large, lasting impact on the world around them. And that’s pretty damn cool.

Author

LUCY HARDING is an English Literature grad and an MA Publishing student at UCL. She is passionate about international relations and cultural diversity, having worked closely with her university’s Erasmus society to support European students. She also spent a year abroad studying at California State University: Long Beach