Youth strikers from from MAPA countries (Most Affected People and Areas), Mitzi Jonelle Tan (Philippines), Eyal Weintraub (Argentina), Disha A Ravi (India), Kevin Mtai (Kenya), Laura Veronica Muñoz (Colombia) and Greta Thunberg from Sweden have announced a new wave of global climate strikes.
On September 25th 2020, thousands of climate strikes will take place across the globe to demand urgent action to tackle the climate crisis. Actions will be in the streets where COVID-19 regulations allow, as well as online. Street protests will follow local COVID-19 and social distancing guidelines.
As extreme weather events, fires and floods driven by the climate crises accelerate across the world, the strikes are a reminder to those in power that the climate crisis has not gone away. This follows on from the publication of an open letter in Thomson Reuters calling for climate justice.
Last year, millions of people took to the streets to demand climate action. Politicians and the media congratulated the youth and portrayed them as beacons of hope. However, with those same leaders’ inaction, there was never cause for celebration. For the youth in the areas most affected by the climate crisis, 2019 was not a year for festivities: it was a struggle. Millions of people had to abandon their homes and it was one of the hottest years on record. With the global pandemic proving that our system cannot handle a serious crisis, now is the perfect opportunity to have a just recovery and build a better normal.
Quotes from participants:
“The climate crisis is already having a huge impact on communities like mine in Africa. Unprecedented heavy rains and record floods across West, Central, and East Africa have affected millions of people in recent weeks, with more than 200 people dead and hundreds of thousands left homeless. In the US there are devastating wildfires, climate breakdown is not something that is going to happen in the future, it is here and now.” – Kevin Mtai, Kenya
“The Global South, or the Most Affected People and Areas (MAPA), are those that experience the worst impacts of the climate crisis. Carbon majors, US, EU, China, Shell, BP, Exxon, Chevron, we are calling you out. You have a responsibility to the world, especially to us most affected who have contributed so little to this crisis. Countries like the Philippines are one of the most vulnerable countries to these disastrous impacts, yet our climate protectors are not being listened to, we are being silenced and killed making us the 2nd most dangerous country for environmental activists. Enough. World leaders and carbon majors, brace yourselves. On September 25th, the Filipino youth, with the entire world, will strike for the people, for the planet, and for justice.” – Mitzi Jonelle Tan, Philippines
“In Colombia, defending the land, nature and human rights means putting your life at risk. In 2019, 212 environmental leaders were killed, more than half of these cases happened in only 2 countries: Colombia and the Philippines. During the pandemic we have seen police killing indiscriminately young people who go out to protest; corrupt politicians who care more about their pockets than about the exacerbated inequality; and projects that seek to exploit our natural resources for the benefit of foreign companies. This September 25th we are going to mobilize to defend life, nature and demand the ratification of the Escazú Agreement.” – Laura Verónica Muñoz, Colombia
“In India, people continue to suffer because of laws that are anti people. We live in a country where dissent is suppressed. We in Fridays For Future India were labelled terrorists for objecting to the draft EIA notification. Only a government that puts profit over people would consider asking for clean air, clean water and a liveable planet, an act of terrorism. We will continue this fight because stopping would mean no water to drink, no air to breathe and no land to live for the marginalised communities. The government needs to work with the people to protect the people. The time for prevention is over, we need recovery and a just transition.” – Disha Ravi, India
“Argentina and all of Latin America is on fire. Our region is lighting up as a consequence of 5 centuries of pillaging, extractivism and colonization. If we don’t take into account the environmental debt of the North to the South and how this affected the gigantic external debts that our countries have, it is impossible to resolve the climate crisis in a just way.” – Nicole Becker, Argentina
“Extreme weather driven by the climate crisis is accelerating around the world, and yet we still don’t treat it as a crisis. We are in a global emergency that affects all of us. However, not everyone is suffering its consequences equally and the media ignore the devastation in global south countries being disproportionately hit. Next Friday, 25th September, Fridays For Future and the youth climate movement will strike again around the world, in a safe way and following Covid-19 guidelines, to demand those in power treat this like the urgent crisis it is.” – Greta Thunberg, Sweden
“In India, people continue to suffer because of laws that are anti people. We live in a country where dissent is suppressed. We in Fridays For Future India were labelled terrorists for objecting to the draft EIA notification.Only a government that puts profit over people would consider asking for clean air, clean water and a liveable planet, an act of terrorism. We will continue this fight because stopping would mean no water to drink, no air to breathe and no land to live for the marginalised communities. The government needs to work with the people to protect the people. The time for prevention is over, we need recovery and a just transition.” – Disha Ravi, India
“Argentina and all of Latin America is on fire. Our region is lighting up as a consequence of 5 centuries of pillaging, extractivism and colonization. If we don’t take into account the environmental debt of the North to the South and how this affected the gigantic external debts that our countries have, it is impossible to resolve the climate crisis in a just way.” – Nicole Becker, Argentina
“Extreme weather driven by the climate crisis is accelerating around the world, and yet we still don’t treat it as a crisis. We are in a global emergency that affects all of us. However, not everyone is suffering its consequences equally and the media ignore the devastation in global south countries being disproportionately hit. Next Friday, 25th September, Fridays For Future and the youth climate movement will strike again around the world, in a safe way and following Covid-19 guidelines, to demand those in power treat this like the urgent crisis it is.” – Greta Thunberg, Sweden
