On Friday, September 20th, protesters of all ages gathered in cities across the world as part of the Youth Climate Strike. The strike was catalyzed by Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg. It became a part of a global movement that over 7.6 million people in 185 countries participated in, according to globalclimatestrike.net. Thunberg drew international attention when she began to protest the inaction of the Swedish government on climate change by skipping school to demonstrate in front of the Swedish parliament. Her actions have inspired responses from students all over the world, including in Chattanooga.
On the 20th, outside of the Tennessee Aquarium in the heart of downtown Chattanooga, approximately one hundred locals assembled in order to raise awareness of the climate change crisis. Many came toting signs emblazoned with slogans such as, “Respect your mother,” “There is no planet B,” “Don’t be a fossil fool,” and “The Future is Green.” Demonstrators ranged from young children to senior citizens, but the majority were high school and college students. Eight students from Covenant participated in the strike, and one faculty member joined them.
The strike in Chattanooga bore many similarities to the other strikes happening simultaneously across the United States and the globe. Lauren Newman, the sustainability coordinator at the University of the South and part of the local Climate Reality Chapter, headed up the event in Chattanooga which featured multiple speakers and activities.
Two Kenyan women offered powerful testimonies about how the warming climate is affecting their homeland and the innovative solutions that their communities were being forced to employ.
A McCallie student with the Natural Conservation Guild challenged the crowd on their complacency and called for greater action. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reported that Graham Shults, a leader of Chattanooga Students Leading Change, also called for greater action and demanded attention from adults about the problems that the students will have to live through.
The strike wasn’t just speeches—protesters joined in chants, danced to the rhythmic djembe and kpanlogo drums, and even participated in some aerial dancing.
Just days after people around the world joined together to strike for action on climate change, the 2019 United Nations Climate Action Summit was held in New York City. Thunberg made headlines by taking a specially-designed racing sailboat which offered a zero emissions option for travelling from Plymouth, England to participate in the summit. Before the United Nations, Thunberg delivered an impassioned speech to rows of world leaders.
Now, Thunberg is travelling across North America before heading to Santiago, Chile. There, at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, Thunberg will continue to advocate for increased action on climate change.