Schools Out?

Written By: - Date published: 11:09 am, December 2nd, 2018 - 12 comments
Categories: activism, energy, Environment, global warming, International, Politics, science, sustainability, the praiseworthy and the pitiful - Tags: , ,

In Australia, two 14 year old’s took a cue for protesting against government inaction on global warming from a 15 year old Swedish school child who takes every Friday off school to sit in protest on the steps of the Swedish parliament building. Last Friday 15000 school children across Australia walked out of school.

You can read press reports here, here, here and here.

On the 8th of December, there is a protest being called across centres in Australia. There’s also a facebook page called School Strike for Climate Action and an email address for anyone who wants to get a strike going on their “resources” page.

As it says on their website –

Some of us are striking for a week, some for a day, some for half a day. Others are striking a day a week. We’ll keep striking for as long as it takes for our politicians to take the action we need to stop dangerous climate change. You should do whatever works best for you.

As for their demands, well in Australia they want to stop the Adani coal mine being developed, they want no new coal or gas, and they want 100% renewable energy by 2030.

The government’s Resource Minister Matt Canavan reckons that “The best thing you’ll learn about going to a protest is how to join the dole queue.”

But I think these Melbourne school children are on to Mr Canavan and his cronies.

 

​If 15000 Australian schoolchildren can “walk off the job” because governments are pants. And if schoolchildren from Canada and Nordic states can co-ordinate and support one another from across the world, then what’s stopping the so-called grown ups in the room from getting up off their arses and striking too?

Updated/corrected to delete accidentally misleading information and provide some extra links for anyone at school in NZ wanting to pick up the ball and run with it…

12 comments on “Schools Out? ”

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  1. RedLogix 1
    2 December 2018 at 11:52 am

    Most importantly … they recognise the global implications of AGW. No one nation can solve this on their own. Effective action at this scale demands coordination at the same level. This is the lesson our generation struggled with and only partly succeeded; this next generation must not fail.

    Otherwise brilliant!

  2. Antoine 2
    2 December 2018 at 1:23 pm

    > then what’s stopping the so-called grown ups in the room from getting up off their arses and striking too?

    Does this not already happen?

    I thought there were climate change protests in NZ from time to time.

    A.

  3. WILD KATIPO 3
    2 December 2018 at 2:49 pm

    The lonely ( adult ) protester.

    Morpork call at night – YouTube

  4. Jenny 4
    2 December 2018 at 5:06 pm

    Irrevocable decisions are being made now about the world these young people will inherit from us. Decisions that will affect their whole lives and the lives of their children. Decisions that cannot be reversed. Decisions that they have no say in.

    They do not have the franchise so their only outlet is protest.

    How dare the Prime Minister of Australia order them back to school

    Rebuffing Prime Minister’s Order to Stay in Class, Australian Students Forge Ahead With #ClimateStrike Walkouts
    Julia Conley – The Guardian, November 27, 2018

    “We’re at the stage where we can’t vote and by the time we’re in power, it’s going to be too late to start making change.”

    As the American Revolutionaries would say, “No representation no taxation”

    Young people today could rightly say, “No representation, no legitimacy”

    It is way past time that we lowered the voting age to 16.

    Give young people the franchise and see how long these bought and sold fossil fuel industry backed politicians stay in office.

  5. Jenny 5
    2 December 2018 at 5:12 pm

    As to why adults don’t strike against climate change. After the huge walkouts and strikes that greeted nuclear ship visits. Industrial strikes on political issues were made illegal in New Zealand. The penalties are extremely severe, confiscation of union funds and property, including striking workers assets including their house

    Serious stuff.

    No wonder young people have to do what their elders are not allowed.

  6. Incognito 6
    2 December 2018 at 7:16 pm

    Very good but this part I don’t understand:

    On the 8th of December, the idea is to have school children from all around the world walk out of class in protest.

    That’s a Saturday!? Something to do with time zones perhaps?

    • Bill 6.1
      2 December 2018 at 7:39 pm

      Dammit. No. Something to do with “stupid” ( ie, me) 🙂

      The 8th is a call for protest.

      Will update/correct/expand.

  7. Pat 7
    2 December 2018 at 9:42 pm

    I must confess I hadnt considered school students striking a week or so ago when I posed the question but this may well be quite an effective form of action if kept up and expanded,
    Extremely difficult to counter or ignore.

  9. Gosman 9
    3 December 2018 at 8:46 am

    And in other news protesters in Paris burn cars as a result of the imposition of a Green fuel tax

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/02/paris-riots-worst-unrest-decade-with-shops-and-cars-set-alight-gilets-jaunes

    “The violence started on Saturday in broad daylight on the edges of a peaceful demonstration by the gilets jaunes movement, which began two weeks ago in protest at rising fuel prices and a new green fuel tax.”

  10. SaveNZ 10
    3 December 2018 at 9:31 am

    Love the picture!

  11. patricia bremner 11
    3 December 2018 at 11:10 am

    Having recently been in Australia for all the Leadership fallout and the”Good ol’ Boy” routine by Scott Morrison, I think these girls are right. A smarter cabinet at Ikea.

    He is all for arming to the teeth following Trump and opening Coal Mines.

    He is dismissive of the students and anyone who gets in his way.

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