Where will you be today?
Will you be at your desk? At the usual meetings? Or having a long lunch?
Or will you be joining the millions of children and teenagers who are taking to the streets for the Global Climate Strike to let the ‘adults’ know that enough is enough?
In May, an estimated 1.4million young people around the world walked out of school. And this time they are asking the adults – the decision makers – to join them.
It is shaping up to be the biggest day of climate action in the planet’s history and is that any surprise?
Every day we read another headline about ice-caps melting, forests burning, and cities flooding. Some people continue to deny that the changing temperatures are as a result of human actions. But what can’t be denied is that the global climate is changing, and weather patterns are becoming more extreme.
Here’s all you need to know about the day of action.
What is the Climate Strike?
When Greta Thunberg, a Swedish school student, sat in front of the Swedish parliament building with her hand-painted “Skolstrejk för klimatet” sign, she kick-started a worldwide movement. It wasn’t the first time school kids had walked out of school to demand change, but Thunberg’s one-person strike on the steps of parliament drew global attention. On Fridays leading up to the 2018 Swedish election, she’d miss class to protest, sign in hand.
Thunberg has become the face of the new movement, inspiring students across the world to leave school and demand action on climate change. In March, students took to the streets in over 2,000 cities asking adults to take responsibility for the climate crisis. Smaller strikes occurred in May, June and August and today’s strike is expected to be the biggest yet.
When is the climate strike?
The first strike will take place on Friday, September 20 and is designed to coincide with a UN emergency climate action summit in New York.
A second strike being held on September 27 with different organisations signing up for different strike dates. Thunberg herself will be attending the climate strike in New York City on September 20 after she traveled to the US by sailboat.
Where are strikes taking place?
All over the world, including America, Australia and Germany. You can find out what is happening in your community at globalclimatestrike.net.
For so many reasons. But here are a few:
Because the people who did the least to cause this crisis are the first to suffer. Islands are sinking below the sea and people are losing their farms to desert. But they aren’t the people who are producing the most CO2.
Because the technology exists to produce zero emission energy but the political will is lacking whilst the lobbying power of the oil industry is so strong.
Because we have lost half the animals on the planet since 1970, and we are going to lose more.
Because the UN estimates unchecked climate change could create a billion refugees this century.
And because you want to be able to look your grandkids – or anyone else’s – in the eye and say with conviction, ‘I played my part in trying to stop our planet from being destroyed’.
So, where will you be today?
Utakuwa wapi leo? Je, utakuwa kwenye dawati lako? Katika mikutano ya kawaida? Au kula chakula cha mchana kwa muda mrefu? Au utajiunga na mamilioni ya watoto na vijana ambao wanashuka mitaani kwa mgomo wa hali ya hewa ya kimataifa ili kuwaambia 'wakubwa' kwamba ya kutosha ni ya kutosha? Katika mwezi Mei, vijana milioni 1.4 duniani kote waliondoka shuleni. Na wakati huu wanawaomba watu wazima <unk> watunga maamuzi <unk> kujiunga nao. Siku hii inaonekana kuwa siku kubwa zaidi ya hatua za hali ya hewa katika historia ya sayari, na hiyo ni mshangao wowote? Kila siku tunasoma kichwa cha habari kingine kuhusu barafu zinazeyuka, misitu inayowaka moto, na majiji yanayofurika maji. Watu fulani wanaendelea kukataa kwamba mabadiliko ya halijoto ni tokeo la matendo ya kibinadamu. Lakini kitu ambacho hakinaweza kukataliwa ni kwamba hali ya hewa ya dunia inabadilika, na mifumo ya hali ya hewa inakuwa kali zaidi. Hapa ni yote unahitaji kujua kuhusu siku ya hatua. Mgomo wa Hali ya Hewa Ni Nini? "Mwanamke Greta Thunberg, ambaye ni mwanafunzi wa shule ya sekondari nchini Sweden, alishiriki katika maandamano ya kuanzisha ""Skolstrejk för klimat"" (Mgomo wa shule kwa ajili ya hali ya hewa) katika jengo la bunge la Sweden." Haikuwa mara ya kwanza kwa watoto wa shule kuondoka shuleni ili kudai mabadiliko, lakini mgomo wa mtu mmoja wa Thunberg kwenye ngazi za bunge ulivutia umakini wa kimataifa. Ijumaa kabla ya uchaguzi wa Sweden mwaka 2018, alishindwa kwenda darasani ili kupinga, akishika saini mkononi. Thunberg amekuwa mtu mashuhuri wa harakati hiyo, akiwahamasisha wanafunzi duniani kote kuacha shule na kudai hatua dhidi ya mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa. Wanafunzi wa shule za sekondari katika miji zaidi ya 2,000 nchini Marekani wamechukua hatua za kuwakaribisha watu wazima kuchukua jukumu la kutatua mgogoro wa hali ya hewa. Mgomo mdogo ulitokea mwezi Mei, Juni na Agosti na mgomo wa leo unatarajiwa kuwa mkubwa zaidi hadi sasa. Mgomo wa hali ya hewa ni lini? Shambulio la kwanza la kigaidi limepangwa kufanyika siku ya Ijumaa, Septemba 20, wakati wa mkutano wa Umoja wa Mataifa wa hali ya hewa huko New York. Mgomo wa pili unafanyika Septemba 27 na mashirika tofauti yanajiandikisha kwa tarehe tofauti za mgomo. Thunberg pia alitangaza kuwa atahudhuria maandamano ya kutetea hali ya hewa mjini New York Septemba 20 baada ya kusafiri kwenda Marekani kwa mashua. Mashambulizi yanafanyika wapi? Nchini Marekani, Australia na Ujerumani. Unaweza kupata habari zaidi kuhusu hali ya hewa katika eneo lako kupitia tovuti ya GlobalClimateStrike.net. Kwa sababu nyingi sana. Lakini hapa ni chache: Kwa sababu watu ambao walifanya kidogo zaidi kusababisha mgogoro huu ni wa kwanza kuteseka. Visiwa vinazama chini ya bahari na watu wanapoteza mashamba yao kwa jangwa. Lakini si watu ambao wanazalisha CO2 zaidi. """Teknolojia ya kutengeneza nishati isiyo na uzalishaji wa gesi ya gesi ya gesi ya gesi ya gesi ya gesi ya gesi ya gesi ya gesi ya gesi ya gesi ya gesi ya gesi ya gesi ya gesi ya gesi ya gesi ya gesi ya gesi ya gesi ya gesi ya gesi ya gesi ya gesi ya gesi ya gesi ya gesi." Kwa sababu tumepoteza nusu ya wanyama duniani tangu 1970, na tutapoteza zaidi. Umoja wa Mataifa unakadiria mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa yasiyodhibitiwa yanaweza kusababisha wakimbizi bilioni moja katika karne hii. Na kwa sababu unataka kuwa na uwezo wa kuangalia wajukuu wako <unk> au mtu mwingine <unk>s katika jicho na kusema na imani, <unk>Mimi alicheza sehemu yangu katika kujaribu kuzuia sayari yetu kutoka kuharibiwa<unk>. Kwa hiyo, utakuwa wapi leo?