For the last few years there have been multiple groups of people protesting in the streets across the globe. Through a global climate strike people demanded action from governments to address the climate crisis. For a long time multiple scientists have tried to raise awareness about the effects of releasing greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, but their statements remained unheard and no consistent actions were taken to prevent the climate crisis we now face.
Eunice Newton Foote
Eunice Newton Foote (July 17, 1819 – September 30, 1888) was an American scientist, physicist, inventor, and women’s rights campaigner from Seneca Falls, New York. She was the first scientist to theorize that changing the proportion of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would change its temperature, in her paper Circumstances affecting the heat of the sun’s rays at the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in 1856. Perhaps, because women were not yet allowed to present papers to AAAS at that time, Professor Joseph Henry of the Smithsonian Institution delivered the paper that identified the research as her work.
Greta Thunberg
In August 2018, the 15 years old Greta Thunberg started protesting for the climate, alone, outside of the parliament building in Stockholm. Her action inspired students all over the world to take part in school strikes for the climate, a movement now known internationally as “Fridays for future”. Since than she has taken part in protests across Europe and was invited to speak at multiple climate and economic conferences. In September 2019, at the UN Climate Action Summit in New York, she had a powerful and intensely debated message for the world leaders:
“This is all wrong. I shouldn’t be standing here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. Yet you all come to me for hope? How dare you! You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. And yet I’m one of the lucky ones. People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction. And all you can talk about is money and fairytales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!”
Global Climate Strike
“20-27 September 2019, we saw a record 7.6 million people take to the streets and strike for climate action. The biggest climate mobilisation in history. From Jakarta to New York, Karachi to Amman, Berlin to Kampala, Istanbul to Québec, Guadalajara to Asunción, in big cities and small villages, millions of people joined hands and raised their voices in defense of the climate. The Global Climate Strike shows that we have the people power, we need to create a just world and end the era of fossil fuels.
It’ll take everyone to secure a better future and avert the worst of the climate crisis. What happens next is up to us. No matter where you live, there’s a way to take action.” (https://globalclimatestrike.net/)
Local action
People in Ireland also took part to the Global Climate Strike. On September 20th GEAI members joined people from environmental groups all over Leitrim in the Climate Walk organised by Leitrim Enivornmental Network in Carrick-on-Shannon. Approximately 50 people walked from Carrick-on-Shannon Community School to Leitrim County Council, on the other side of the town. Primary schools provided a colorful, resonant guard of honor for the marchers, each school having prepared their own posters and chanting their own slogans. On arrival at the authoritative building there were several speeches and the main message transmitted was about the fact that we all, no matter where we live, must do our part to reduce carbon emissions and combat the climate crisis.
Climate Walk in Carrick-on-Shannon on the 20th September