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Climate strikers will take to the streets this week with new vigor after Covid-19 canceled last year’s demonstrations.
Free from public health restrictions, students across the country will drop their pens on Friday, April 9, to join the School Strike 4 Climate (SS4C) rallies demanding swift and effective action against climate change.
While the coronavirus prevented protesters from gathering last year, SS4C spokesman and Waitaki rally organizer Ethan Reille, 16, said the pandemic showed how much of a difference concerted collective action could make.
“[Why can’t we] respond to this climate emergency, in the same way that we responded to Covid-19?
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“Why can’t we direct a ‘can do’ attitude towards this crisis?”
He said New Zealanders were in a prime position to be able to strike while other parts of the world were still under Covid-related restrictions. He said the opportunity should be seized to keep up the pressure on the government and continue to call for changes.
ROSA WOODS / Things
16-year-old Ethan Reille wants Kiwis to send a loud and clear message to the government about climate action.
Eleven official rallies were scheduled, but Reille said he wouldn’t be surprised if there were more.
SS4C is calling on the government to phase out and ban fossil fuels, reduce agricultural emissions, and invest in a fully renewable economy based on energy and climate change education.
He also wants the government to commit to retraining or upgrading workers in unsustainable industries, and consider how it can help New Zealand’s Pacific neighbors, who are bearing the brunt of the adverse effects of climate change.
“Everyone has their part to play, from city councils to companies, but we need the direction and support of the government to become really clean and green,” Reille said.
Kevin Stent / Stuff
In 2019, a crowd of 40,000 marched from the School Strike 4 Climate March from Civic Square to Parliament, Wellington.
In 2019, approximately 170,000 New Zealanders attended student-led demonstrations, one of the largest protests ever seen in this country.
However, last year Covid-19 restrictions prevented the strikers from meeting. Instead, hundreds used chalk, posters, and social media to spread their message.
School Strike 4 climate organized demonstrations will take place in Dunedin, Waitaki, Christchurch, Wellington, Kāpiti, Palmerston North, Rotorua, Whakatane, Tauranga, Thames and Auckland on April 9. Check here to find your nearest gear.
