Climate Protests Across the Country

 

          A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to participate in a worldwide youth climate strike. On March 15th, students from all over the country marched, calling for world leaders to take more action on the topic of climate change. This isn't the first climate strike in Bristol though. In February there was a smaller strike that I couldn't attend. I'm going to focus on this strike though since it was larger and longer. 

How has the climate been changing in England?

          The biggest and most visible issues facing the U.K. are extreme heat, flooding, and drought. I know, when you think of England you don't usually think of a drought, but recent years have brought less and less average rainfall. In 2003, the U.K. faced their largest heatwave in 500 years and over 2,000 people died as a result. The U.K. usually averages about 73º during summer, but the 2003 heatwave brought cities up to 101º and none of the buildings/houses in the country have air conditioning. Last summer they saw a heatwave that brought temperatures up to the high 80s.

         I know that I said both drought AND flooding and you're probably thinking that those two things contradict each other, but trust me the U.K. is seeing both. It's the same type of issue that California has. Basically it's so hot for most of the year so there is very little rain, but then during the winter you end up with flash floods as the sky just dumps rain all at once. Both drought and flooding have a huge impact on farming and agriculture which are England's main source of income. 

 Protesters of all ages meet in front of city hall

What exactly were the students protesting?

          The strike itself was just to get government officials' attention. It wasn't specifically targeted toward Theresa May or any other British leader, but was instead a call to world leaders. This specific strike was a worldwide event, and included 60 cities in just England alone. School children, university students, high schoolers, etc... all walked out of their classes at 11am on that Friday to begin the protest. It officially lasted from 11am-1pm. Specifically, students wanted to call attention to how energy is obtained and used. A friend of mine said that new regulations "[would] require us to change how our energy is generated, change the way our homes are built, change how land is managed and how farms operate. But all that change is necessary.” Many students held signs stating things like "There Is No Planet B" and "Keep Calm and Plant a Tree". Organizers also want to demand better education about climate change within schools. Many are afraid that Brexit will have a huge affect on climate change regulations in the U.K., as well as the U.K.'s involvement in the Paris Climate Agreement.

The strike as seen from the hill leading down toward city hall 

 What is the Paris Climate Agreement and what else are people worried about?

         The PCA is an agreement between 195 members of the United Nations that aims to reduce worldwide greenhouse gas emissions. Under the agreement, each country must present and enact a plan to reduce their global impact and it must be met by a certain date. For example, France has pledged to get rid of all gas powered vehicles by 2040. The U.K. pledged to have zero carbon emissions by 2050. The fear that people have about Brexit's effect on the U.K.'s involvement in the agreement has to do with the fact that Theresa May dissolved The Department of Energy and Climate Change after becoming Prime Minister. People are unsure if Britain will continue to care about climate change after it parts from the E.U. Right now, the E.U. has pretty strict rules about emissions, air quality, and water quality. Many are also afraid that without the oversight of the E.U., the U.K. will stop enforcing regulations on things like emissions and water quality. I asked a friend what he thought about Brexit and it's affect on climate change and he said that "it would certainly result in a severe reduction in climate change regulations in order to play to corporate interest". Basically, he's afraid that big companies will have less and less regulations as long as the government can make money. However, another friend believes that there will be little change since trade agreements would be more of a priority and "Theresa May is already in too much hot water to want bad press regarding climate laws". Officials agree that being in the European Union has helped the United Kingdom go from being full of dirty beaches in the 70s/80s to being the clean and green country that it is today. It's especially hard to tell what would happen with a no-deal Brexit, and many of my friends are unsure of the long-term affects that the "divorce" would have. What do you guys think would be affected (if anything) by Brexit?

Thousands of students march across the city

What was it like to be in such a large scale protest?

          For the most part it was amazing. We walked all over the city with signs. Many cars honked in solidarity and we even had the police backing us up. Toward the end of the march though we ended up on the motorway (freeway) and some of the drivers we came across were less than happy with us blocking traffic. The whole thing ended back at city hall with a silent sit-in. Eventually we were politely asked to leave and everyone broke apart at around 1:30. It was insane how many people came. There were nearly 2,000 students marching across the city during the strike's peak. There were even some families there with small children. Overall, it was a safe event and it felt great to speak up about an important issue. What do you think about this strike? Do you think that world leaders will listen?

          Next week I promise to have a more fun post as I talk about some of the cool animals and plants that live here in England. Have a thought as well about how Brexit might affect endangered species and let me know in your comments!