Since Greta Thunberg began her Friday strikes in front of the Swedish parliament, calling for action against climate change, she has been joined by millions of young people around the world. They call on adults to rise to the challenge of climate change that threatens the future of all. Starting on Friday September 20 there will be a week of worldwide strikes for the climate.
On September 20 the adults of San Miguel de Allende will join youth with a rally in the Jardin Allende to declare independence from fossil fuels.
209 years ago Mexico began its struggle for independence as a nation. Now it must join the people of the world as we struggle for independence from climate-changing fossil fuels that threaten catastrophe for us all.
The world-wide organizer for climate strikes around the world is 350.org, which has a website for this movement at https://globalclimatestrike.net/. The organizational meeting for San Miguel de Allende in Mexico was on August 5, with the endorsing organizations being Center for Global Justice, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, El Charco del Ingenio, Via Organica, Ser Mujer, Education Collaborative, Occupy Wall Street, Tiangius Organico SMA, Libros para Todos, Caminos de Agua, Democrats Abroad SMA, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Green Team.
Since that first meeting, the group has set up a Facebook account and an email. You can get more information by looking on Facebook under “events”: Climate Action for the Future (Public Event). You can join the organizers by looking up “Joe Climeo,” There is also a Facebook group to join at “Climate Action San Miguel de Allende.”
If you want to join email us: climate.action.sma@gmail.com. But if you aren’t in our area, please try to find a group closer to your home by going to https://globalclimatestrike.net/. (For example, there’s supposed to be a rally at the Los Angeles City Hall. Contact the organizers at socalclimateaction@gmail.com)
Here is a letter from the Young People to us adults:
To date, young people have led the climate strikes around the world. Now we need adults to join us too. On September 20, 2019, Fridays for Future, the Youth Climate Strike movements, and all of our international friends and allies call for a global general strike. Mark and add it to your calendar. Workers everywhere, please: we are asking you to join us and walk away from a system that is destroying our planet and will threaten the survival of millions of people, plants, and animals within the next 10, 20, 30 years.
We don’t feel that we have a choice: it’s been years of talking, countless negotiations, empty deals on climate change and fossil fuel companies being given free rides to drill beneath our soils and burn away our futures for their profit. Politicians and fossil fuel companies have known about climate change for decades. They have willingly handed over their responsibility for our future to profiteers whose search for quick cash threatens our very existence. This crisis is very real, and it cannot be ignored any longer.
We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.
Once again our voices are being heard on the streets, but it is not just up to us. We feel a lot of adults haven’t quite understood that we young people won’t hold off the climate crisis ourselves. Sorry if this is inconvenient for you. But this is not a single-generation job. It’s humanity’s job. We young people can contribute to a larger fight and that can make a huge difference. We can’t do this with you and everyone you know.
Step up and out of your comfort zone for our climate. Let’s all join together, with your neighbors, co-workers, friends, family and go out on to the streets to make your voices heard and make this a turning point in our history.
During the French revolution, mothers flooded the streets for their children. Today we children are fighting for ourselves, but so many of our parents are busy discussing whether our grades are good, or a new diet or what happened in the Game of Thrones finale – while the planet burns.
Emissions must drop rapidly – so that by the time we are in our mid- and late-20s we are living in a completely transformed world.
But to change everything, we need everyone. It is time for all of us to unleash mass resistance – we have shown that collective action does work. We need to escalate the pressure to make sure that change happens, and we must escalate together.
If we care, we must do more than say we do. We must act. This won’t be the last day we need to take to the streets, but it will be a new beginning.
We’re counting on you.
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