Another huge school strike for climate action hits Australia

School strike in Melbourne

Contributed by Jim Hayes

Tens of thousands of young Australians, if not more, have once again taken part in the global school strike. Students in 123 countries and 2,000 cities called on governments to step up their game and take decisive action and cut back carbon emissions, which threaten catastrophic global warming.

The school strike movement was inspired last year by the then 15-year-old Swedish student Greta Thunberg – who had been striking outside Swedish Parliament calling for climate change action.

Video from VOA News

School strikers took part in actions across Australian cities and regional centres. Once again, they set an example for older generations, and signalled a new wave of young activism, which has the potential of changing the face of Australian politics.

Although government representatives continue to dismiss the young, they know very well that the changed mood will have serious consequences.

The biggest turnout was in Melbourne, where the authorities were forced to close streets, in response to the unexpected number of participants.

Video from Aaron Martin

Roads also had to be closed in Sydney and buses re-routed as students packed Town Hall square.

Video from Student Edge

“Climate change is not just an environmental crisis, it’s a humanitarian crisis, and it needs to be treated as such,” student activist Danielle, 15, told the crowd.
“This is what democracy looks like.”

In Adelaide, students packed the stairs of South Australian Parliament for the protest.

Video from Lucy Hinton‏

Brisbane saw its own large turnout.

Video from Rob Morrison

The Adani owned Carmichael coal mine became a special target of the protest

Video from GetUp!

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