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Schoolchildren in the UK have left their classrooms in a nationwide strike over concerns on climate change.
It has been reported that over 10,000 young people from around 60 towns participated in the protest, with an estimated 3,000 gathering in London alone.
A ‘climate emergency’
The strike aims to pressure the government into declaring a ‘climate emergency’, to reform the school curriculum to prioritize the ‘ecological crisis’, and to lower the voting age to 16.
In an interview with PBS, environmental youth activist, Anna Taylor, said: “We don’t want to cause disruption, we don’t want to just walk out of school because we’re playing truant. We feel like this is the only way to make our voices heard and I would really like to see a future where the government does listen to us.”
‘Young people aren’t apathetic’
Reflecting on the success of the strike, Anna said: “It goes some way to proving that young people aren’t apathetic, we’re passionate, articulate and we’re ready to continue demonstrating the need for urgent and radical climate action.”
Christiana Figueres, the former UN climate chief, said it’s: “time to heed the deeply moving voice of youth.”
