On the last Friday of September, tens of thousands took the streets of Vancouver to demand urgent measures to cut carbon emissions.
What exactly is “climate strike”?
Greta Thunberg began the movement #FridaysForFuture where she sat in front of the Swedish Parliament every Fridays, demanding new policies towards climate change, which later on inspired hundreds of climate strikes worldwide.
Climate strikes in Vancouver
In 2018, Vancouver saw its first climate strike protest, with the participation of roughly tens of people. In 2019, tens of thousands joined hands. On September 27th, workers to students, parents to children, young to old, humans to animals, almost anyone who is everyone gathered in front of the city hall at noon and marched downtown, calling for actions to be made by all levels of the government.
One month later (October 25th), Greta Thunberg came to Vancouver leading another massive strike. It was reported that around 12,000 to 15,000 marched alongside Greta.
People vocalized the movement through all sorts of medium - speech, banners, chant, and even sound.
People of all ages and background gathered at the City Hall at 12pm with their speakerphones, signs and banners in their hands. "What do we want - Climate justice; When do we want it - NOW".
Later that they, the crowd continued the strike, walking from the City Hall, across the bridge and to downtown Vancouver, continuously chanting and demanding actions to be taken.
It was my first time to be a part of something that big and that meaningful. It was without doubt a day worth remembering.
Why I strike
I strike because -
↳ Because my (the youth‘s) voice matters. It’s high time we approached the elephant in the room and acted on it. Change can happen when policies and regulations are made. And it starts, with speaking up.
There are many reasons to strike and climate justice. I chose to do so because it the most immediate and do-able action I can for the future.
Good ideas will spread, message will convey.