17:10
That’s a wrap from me on the live-blog for today.
We’ll be back with more round-ups of the global reach and impact of the global school strike. Thanks for the emails and tweets and photos! We’ll ready more for sharing on the website after in the coming days once we’ve sifted through the mountain.
(ps – the Dublin march was reportedly attended by upwards of 10,000 people and the Cork march of around 5,000 students. We’ll be back to share the national and global tallies!).
16:58
A couple of op-eds
Sophie Sleeman has written an opinion piece in The Guardian on the power of the student strikes:
In ant colonies, large populations are sustained through the interactions between individual ants. There is little centralised authority in the most resilient colonies. On social media, teenagers have also been swept up in self-organisation, spreading their message from group to group, country to country, with the only central authority being the collective fear we all share.
Father / daughter op-ed by Sophie and John Gibbons featured in the Irish Times today (Sophie here):
Only a few months ago in Dún Laoghaire, there was a spillage of millions of plastic shards from a building site right into the sea, doing unimaginable damage to the ecosystem right beside where I live. There was an attempt to clean it up by the local people, but it was mostly left unnoticed. This sort of thing, and much worse, is happening all the time and we are doing almost nothing to stop it.
16:50
The digital landslide
Keeping up with the landslide of photos, videos and updates on social media will need ten people working around the clock for a year to dig through. In saying that, here are some more updates from school strike events around the world.
(start with this slideshow curated by The Guardian)
Matthew Taylor of The Guardian (UK)
Big crowd now in central London for #schoolstrike4climate pic.twitter.com/elBwOI9HhB
Some of posters on display at #schoolstrike4climate london march pic.twitter.com/IBJHQ6hgtv
London #schoolstrike4climate on Westminster bridge now being warned they’ll be arrested unless they move pic.twitter.com/PO6ZElb03f
And Australia:
BREAKING: 150,000 people lined the streets in #climatestrike marches in 60+ locations around Australia today!! Do you hear us @ScottMorrisonMP @billshortenmp? Our movement is growing! Read our release here > https://t.co/kZQTAw1slK #climatestrike #ss4c #StopAdani pic.twitter.com/sCbznJoA7H
16:39
A couple of photos sent in by Tony Daly of Dublin’s strike event.
13:50
Update from Tony Daly in Dublin
13:30
We are facing the greatest existential crisis humanity has ever faced. And yet it is being ignored. You who have ignored it know who you are.
– Greta Thunberg
13:15
Some global updates:
#schoolstrike outside 10 Downing St right now #fridaysforfuture #schoolstrike4climate pic.twitter.com/bNSnBycf14
— Thomas Hale (@thomasnhale) March 15, 2019
Now the entire crowd is singing Imagine. Who said the youth didn’t have a voice? #SchoolStrike pic.twitter.com/6ugKdUVHot
— sam langford (@_slangers) March 15, 2019
🇸🇪
— Alexander Verbeek 🌍 (@Alex_Verbeek) March 15, 2019
Deeply impressed!
This is right where it all began. Here, on 20 August 2018, Greta started her #schoolstrike in front of the Swedish parliament.
No longer alone.
Nine months later: the birth of a global movement!
RT#Fridaysforfuture #15MARCH #stockholm #climateaction pic.twitter.com/K9zhhuQZdq
13:00
A damp day in Munich, but great to see the commitment from students there despite the weather
12:50
Students demands:
The students are calling on the Government to declare a “climate emergency” and have issued a list of six demands to lawmakers.
The demands, which were based on a survey sent to students across the country, include:
- A transition to 100% renewable energy by 2030 and a pledge to leave all Irish fossil fuels in the ground.
- A “climate emergency” declaration – including a national information campaign.
- A “socially fair” transition to a carbon-neutral society, preventing need for regular citizens to carry the economic burden.
- Immediate implementation of all the recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly on Climate Change
- Stronger regulations on corporations that are causing the climate crisis.
- The implementation of a ‘Green New Deal’ that ensures all young school leavers can have livelihoods that don’t damage the planet.
12:40
So, why exactly are so many students taking to the streets today? Second Year Student Molly Mercier-Richmond, from North Wicklow Educate Together says:
the protests are aimed at waking people up to the true gravity of the situation facing the world. I don’t think everybody fully understands how important it really is; that we really need to take action. A lot of people say there are 11 years left until the tipping point where there is no return. I think when you think of it like that, it really does strike you that you have to do something now.
12:35
Holy Mackerel is right John! Wow!
Holy mackerel, there are THOUSANDS of people here already, fantastic turnout in Dublin for #FridaysforFuture #schoolstrike #ActOnClimate #climatebreakdown pic.twitter.com/Y94rECkjGZ
— John Gibbons (@think_or_swim) March 15, 2019
12:30
And updates from the People’s Republic:
Well done to all at #schoolstrike4climate! #Cork #FridaysForFuture #climatestrike pic.twitter.com/OHM9XPtUSt
— Stephen Spillane (@spiller2) March 15, 2019
How many students in Cork do you reckon? #ClimateStrike #FridaysforFuture #SchoolStrike4Climate pic.twitter.com/CJ4ivg1iuL
— pullthebrakes (@pullthebrakes) March 15, 2019
Over 1,000 young people in Cork taking #ClimateAction! 🌏💚#ClimateStrike #schoolstrike4climate @GretaThunberg pic.twitter.com/jmdAA7gXbU
— Self Help Africa (@selfhelpafrica) March 15, 2019
12:15
Some updates from Dublin:
A massive crowd, already, at the Dublin #FridaysForFuture #schoolstrike4climate. pic.twitter.com/AuIkuSzQlg
— emma o kelly (@emma_okelly) March 15, 2019
Fab turnout for #youthclimatestrike #schoolstrike4climate #fridaysforfuture #climatestrike Dublin pic.twitter.com/3hEzu5REQE
— Juanita Browne (@JuanitaBees) March 15, 2019
Climate activists @ the dart station on the way to Dublin city centre. Striking independently of school. And so it begins…#FridaysForFuture #schoolstrike4climate #ClimateStrike pic.twitter.com/dzNmmtsd5x
— GetUp&Goals (@GetupGoals) March 15, 2019
Heading into Dublin city centre to join #FridaysForFuture #SchoolStrike4climate. Let’s make some noise and make them listen!!! 🔊 🔊 🌍 pic.twitter.com/WFJF4lYbeh
— KH Transition Year (@KH_TransitionYr) March 15, 2019
Bus is filling up with students on their way to #ClimateStrike. Truly in awe of this generation #schoolstrike4climate #climatechange #dublin #ireland pic.twitter.com/JmxZbBxrZ3
12:00
Looking at all of the posts on social media and mainstream media, there is incredible momentum building. There are hundreds of thousands of students out today, using their voice, speaking from the heart and it is SO powerful.
Its still not to late to join a protest that may be near you, check out the Schools Climate Action Network site for locations, or with your local schools
11:50
Sri Lankan students planting trees in solidarity with those striking around the world and asking ‘What is the government doing?’
11:40
Last night’s update from the incredible young woman who started it all, Greta Thunberg, who has now been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize
11:30
Just to give an idea of the scale of events today, here is the world view on how many protests are happening from Fridays For Future
11:25
Haka for Climate change from Nelson College in New Zealand – powerful stuff!
https://twitter.com/NaomiArnold/status/1106344604700282881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1106344604700282881&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fenvironment%2Flive%2F2019%2Fmar%2F15%2Fclimate-strikes-2019-live-latest-climate-change-global-warming%3Fpage%3Dwith%253Ablock-5c8b191be4b0cf92e5a576d5
11:06
Looks like at LEAST 50,000 students in Melbourne this morning – Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!!
11:00
Good morning and welcome to our live blog on today’s climate strikes here in Ireland and around the world where many have already begun from Hong Kong to Australia, South Africa to France. Please do send on any information and images which you would like to have featured to ciara@developmenteducation.ie.
And to all the young people marching – you are an inspiration!