Students demand action on climate change

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Students from Ecole River Heights met outside the office of Liberal MP Jim Carr on Friday to raise awareness and demand action on climate change.

Joining thousands of students around the world, Miyawata Stout, Madison Delaat and Sarah Sinclair-Fontaine — all Grade 7 students — were among Winnipeg’s contingent of youths asking for urgent changes as part of COP24 Climate Strike with Greta.

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The global movement was started by 15-year-old Swede Greta Thunberg, who fed up with her country’s lacking of action on climate change, stopped going to school in August to instead sit outside Sweden’s parliament in protest.

“It’s not just us that’s being affected,” Stout said. “It’s the animals, the Earth surrounding us. I’ve always just found it selfish, people drinking out of straws or the need for plastic bags. It’s become the norm to see trash on the ground. We see it all the time at (school).”

Some 20,000 students in 270 towns and cities across the world have participated in solidarity with Thunburg, who was invited to COP24 climate negotiations in Poland.

Carr wasn’t at his office during the protest, but Delaat feels the students’ message got across.

“Our school was very accepting of it, cars were honking at us and giving us the thumbs up,” Delaat said. “Also, we had a megaphone, so that helped. It was very inspiring.”

Sinclair-Fontaine said the work didn’t end with the megaphone being turned off.

“We decided that we want to keep going with this,” she said. “We’ve made a club and we’re meeting every Tuesday. I think, as students, it’s important for us to keep on going with this so that adults can realize that we’re destroying Earth.”