Today is The Day. Thousands of people, young and old, have taken to the streets to make their message heard. The message? SAVE OUR PLANET!
In Melbourne, Australia, 100,000 protested in what was the largest climate action in Australia’s history. Banners in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, ranged from serious to humorous. One read, “Climate Emergency Now.” Another said, “This planet is getting hotter than my imaginary boyfriend.” In Mumbai, children in oversize raincoats marched in the rain. Thousands turned out in Warsaw, the capital of coal-reliant Poland.
Roughly 100,000 demonstrators showed around the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, holding signs reading: “Stop the Global Pyromania,” “Short-Haul Flights Only for Insects,” and “Make the World Greta Again.” Across Britain, there were large protests from Brighton to Edinburgh. The turnout in London especially large, with organizers estimating more than 100,000 participants.
In the U.S., largest emitter of carbon dioxide per capita in the world, and the country whose government is doing the least of any to help stop the devastation brought about by climate change, protests are planned in every city. As I write this, it is too early yet to know how many people took the day off school and work to make their voices heard, but I believe it will be many and their voices will be heard loud and clear.
Possibly the biggest ‘mover and shaker’ in the area of addressing climate change is a 16-year-old young woman from Sweden about whom I’ve written a number of times before, Greta Thunberg. It was Greta who inspired the Fridays for Future movement — kids who have been skipping school every Friday to demand more aggressive steps from world leaders.
Today, I share with you this video by Greta and British writer and environmentalist, George Monbiot. Please take a few minutes to watch … I promise it will be worth your time!
I believe that a Million NewYork State kids were given the day off to attend the rally in New York.
I even noted that kids marched in Bangkok. That is brave as the junta there has clamped down on such political gatherings.
I heard a clip of Greta today at the United Nations meeting in New York. It was an impassioned speech and she vented that she, and the world’s youth will never forget, and never forgive that the world’s leaders are letting them down with action on Climate Change. I think this autumn equinox marks a significant change in what people will tolerate. As ‘Game of Thrones’ charactars might state… “Winter is Coming!”
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I haven’t heard the clip yet, but will likely catch it somewhere later this evening. Greta is one remarkable young woman! I hope you’re right, that this is a turning point for what people will tolerate, but … in this country, I’m just not so sure. People are such fools here!
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As for the SFB right.
Hateful personal attacks on children…..Oh very mature.
Come around to our house assoles see how you cope with adults, in their late 60s and still angry. We’ll tear you fresh ones
(Love the ‘This planet is hotter than my imaginary boyfriend’…that’s cheeky wit; works every time 😄)
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Two of the best signs that I saw yesterday : 1) A sign carried by a high school student cut in the shape of Trump’s head that said “I’d be in school if I wasn’t governed by a FOOL.” 2) Two school students marching arm in arm, one carrying a globe wearing an orange wig of hair like Trump’s and the other carrying a sign that read “You can’t comb over Climate Change”. The silence yesterday by the majority of government officials that could address this crisis was deafening! Thank-you!
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Good ones and bound to annoy him personally, which is a good thing.
Over here in the UK a couple of Government Minsiters bleated about it not being right that children should not be in school….
Presumably had the same number of children came out of school supporting Brexit the same minsiters would have grinned and claimed it was democarcy in action!
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What would really have been impressive is if the teachers had joined the children! I’m sure some here had the same complaint about the kids not being in school … that old outdated notion that “children should be seen and not heard”, I suppose. Seems these days the kids have better sense than the ‘adults’.
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In some cases in the UK they did.
What some adults have not tuned into is that these ‘kids’ are thinking way ahead. in ’30-40 years time what will this world be like? How while I survive?’.
(Well maybe not….mind you the idea of being a cranky old 100 year old on being asked about life replying:
‘Well I outlived those a-holes Trump & Johnson’ does have a certain appeal
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I sometimes think the adults are figuring the end of life on this planet won’t happen in their own lifetime, and so rather than leave their comfort zone, they don their blinders and leave the problem for the next generation to solve. Heh heh … I can picture you at 100 saying just that! 😄
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And there are those like that SFB who sent you the email who think its all some socialist/Zionist plot….I really would like to meet that guy 😼.
Meanwhile, let’s keep healthy and get to that 100 😉
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I love both of those signs! Especially as they are directed at Trump! I hope he saw them on t.v. … but perhaps Fox was too chicken to show them. Yes, the silence was indeed deafening. And the fact that Trump is skipping out on Monday’s UN Summit is unconscionable!
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Yeah, they really show what they are made of when they go on the attack against children who are acting more adult than the adults! I loved that sign, too … I think it was my favourite, though there were many good ones! I also liked the one about the cabinet and Ikea.
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You wonder what the SFBs are so cranked up about… or is just because they’ve (what we laughing call) read or heard it from some ‘man of the people’ source actually financed by Big Bucks?
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I just don’t know anymore. The “Age of Enlightenment” has obviously ended. I would dub the current era the “Age of Ignorance”. Sigh.
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‘Uuurrhhh dey’s annoyin’ Donnie. Dey bad. Me throw rocks!’
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Yep, that pretty much says it all, doesn’t it? Scary part is they reproduce … in large quantities. Sigh.
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I suppose we’ll have to leave Nature to thin out the herd 🤔
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I suppose so, but Nature seems to be otherwise occupied these days. 🙄
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Nature works in her own slow and sure way 😉
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Pretty cool that she talked to the politicians in Washington yesterday. She’s a brave little gal. People here in Utah are brain dead. I haven’t heard that there was ANYTHING going on! (rolls eyes)
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Loved that “smarter cabinets at IKEA” comment!
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So did I, and I also loved the one that said the earth is “hotter than my imaginary boyfriend”! 🤣
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Yes, she is awesome, and I loved what she said to Congress. I also loved that when a reporter asked her if she would meet with Trump, she said she wouldn’t waste her time, for she already knew he wouldn’t listen and she had better things to do! The only march yesterday I heard about in Utah was in Salt Lake City, and I read there were ‘several hundred’, but then later read there were over 1,000 in attendance. I hope these young people are managing to wake up a few people … but I’m not holding my breath. Sigh.
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Today September 20, 2019…will go down in history as the date of the Youth Led Global Climate Strike! That these young climate activists from all across the world have galvanized this long overdue movement is nothing short of phenomenal! That this climate crisis caused by previous generations has fallen onto their young shoulders should shame every adult in the world. Greta Thunberg is indisputably and justifiably the most well known face and voice of the movement. Then there are the many young activists that may not be as well known and live right here in the United States. Jamie Margolin and Nadia Nazar, both now age 17, who along with a few others co-founded Zero Hour. Varshini Prakash and Sara Blazevic, the now 20-something, co-founders of Sunrise. Isra Hirsi, just 16 years old, co-founder of the U.S. Youth Climate Strike and a youth organizer for the Global Climate Strike…also the daughter of Rep. Ilhan Omar. I’m sure that there are many others that could and should be mentioned too, I apologize for that failure. Thank-you for sharing this beautiful tribute and video!
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And thank YOU, my friend, for making me aware of the video! I am truly chuffed by the turnout yesterday … young and old from 150 nations participated … totaling over 4 million! These young people are the future of this planet, if indeed there is to be a future. If our politicians keep mucking around, there won’t be one. Two thumbs up to you for your own participation!!!
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It’s so worth it. Their is hope with this youth movement. Some of our politicians get it. Our opposition leader came to one of the protests on a bike. We have politicians who get it. We just need to get rid of the ones currently in charge. That would be a start.
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I love hearing that some of your politicians are getting it … finally! Ours are still wearing their blinders, thinking that somehow it will all just work out, so they must keep lining their pockets with money from the fossil fuel industry. I wonder how much good all that lovely money will do them when they are dead?
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Here in Australia there was a great response. However Ministers from the Liberal (ie conservative) government berated school kids for being there on a school day. When the response to such an important issue is so poor it is no wonder that trust in leadership is eroded. Fortunately kids and businesses and others are by-passing these apologists for the fossil fuel industry and taking their own action. Hopefully our politicians will go the way of the dinosaurs.
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I heard that there was, and I thought about you and Meeka when I read about the crowds who turned out for the event! There was good turnout here, as well … hopefully it all sends a strong message to the politicians who are more concerned about lining their own pockets than saving the planet! Like you, I would love to see all the current greedy politicians go the way of the dinosaurs and let’s replace them with people who have a conscience and a vision for the future!
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Watching and listening to these young people tell it like it is is truly inspirational. They put the sold-their-souls-to-the-polluters politicians to shame.
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They absolutely do! The politicians scoff and scorn, but I think they should be very afraid, for many of these young people will be of voting age next year, or by the following election. We really cannot afford to keep appeasing the corporate giants at the cost of life on Earth!
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Pretty cool grassroots movement. Sadly all this awareness is falling on deaf ears unless we collectively vote out our current leaders who are beholden to big oil, Trump doesn’t give a damn about our concerns or needs or the little ppl.
Hell, I’m considering moving to a RED swing state so I can tip the voting scale where it’s most needed. Currently in NYC, we’re already overwhelmingly BLUE, a lot of redundant wasted votes which could be used to counter Trump supporters elsewhere and make a real difference!
Have a great weekend everyone. Cheers!! 🙂
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