School Strike 4 Climate
Emma King of Year 10, along with some other College students, attended the School Strike 4 Climate march and shared her reflections on the event with us.
“The Sydney SS4C at the end of March was a rewarding, inspiring event, organised in a structured and safe way by an organising team of high-school students. The experience was very educating and gratifying; we were able to hear from First Nations climate activists as well as other high-school students who had devastating first-hand experiences with climate change, including the recent floods and 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfires. We listened and learnt about their perspective regarding the issue of climate change and how we can all make a difference. Hearing these stories and perspectives in such a profound way was so inspiring for all of us.
Schools Strike for Climate Australia is a student-led, non-partisan organisation striking peacefully but perniciously to demand climate action. United by their concern for the future of our planet, SS4C has numerous groups nationwide who all fulfil the same three demands:
- 100% renewably energy generations and exports by 2030
- Fund a just transition and job creation for all fossil-fuel workers and their communities
- Net-zero by 2030 which means no new coal, oil or gas projects
SS4C is one of the biggest movements for societal and environmental change in history. It is crucial for our future – the youth is taking these issues by storm, educating themselves and others about the substance of the climate change issue. SS4C marks a critical shift in youth climate activism, directly enrolling education and schools in the arena of climate politics. Young people are becoming climate change educators through their role of strikers, which I believe is pivotal for the future of our nation both politically and environmentally.”