To wonder if school children understand the concept of a (climate) strike

[lemonsandlimes123]

Watching the news coverage of the climate strike today I can't help but think a couple of major points are not being addressed.

Firstly it is not exactly difficult to motivate thousands of children to effectively take a day off school! I have seen journalists pondering why it has been so well supported and I can't help thinking the answer is somewhat obvious, most kids like a day off school.

Secondly i understand the concept of a strike as a political action to be one of removing your labour to effect those who may profit from your labour. The accompanying loss of wages also means that there is cost to the striker that shows a certain commitment to the cause. The idea of school children striking when in fact in a school they are the beneficiaries of the labours of others strikes me as somewhat backwards. By not attending school they are only reducing their own education which seems rather self defeating IMO.

So whilst I think it's great that people are engaged I do feel the whole walking out of school business probably has more impact on the numbers participating than the actual cause.

I don't know where you've got that nuclear is the greenest energy source. Solar, wind, tidal and hydroelectric are totally renewable. Quite a bit of our electricity in the UK comes from wind.
I agree that our little bits aren't going to be enough, but that's the point isn't it. It needs to be large scale and led by governments and corporations. That's why I marched. I want to see our government investing in major projects to combat climate change. Fossil fuels are subsidised, for God's sake, really quite heavily. Why is that money not being spent on tidal electricity? We're an island! I want laws demanding that lands used for grouse shooting are reforested. I want countries to link up to improve and subsidise international train travel. Train travel should be cheaper than the plane. I can't do those things. Governments can and quite frankly, I'm annoyed that my taxes go towards policies that make climate change worse.

I was quite by a post from a friend who home educates really the strikes. They went to the strike (entirely expected and consistent with their politics and philosophy). All great.
Then later that same day a braggy post about how they managed to get a noreal home ed day too.
Where was the downing of tools? Where was the time out to focus on reflect. I'm not saying home education excludes them fromantic the strikes. But in what way did they?
As for can they understand. I am sure some certainly can. I am sure many want to and feel strongly about environmental disaster. I am equally sure there are parents imposing these strikes on children who perhaps don't.

I think something that is really being missed as well is the opportunity for reforestation. Every time was can increase the number of trees on the planet we increase the amount of CO2 we can release without imbalance. I'd be really interested to see the ratios for different trees and the amount they can removed Vs emissions of different things.
This so much!!

What a depressing thread. Surely the point is that we have young people, who care passionately about their environment, and can see that the adults leading our world are making shit decisions. It’s not about virtue signalling or who can go most vegan. It’s about asking our political leadership to change policy to prioritise environmental management over money. We need a change in what drives our economies and a change in our political structures.

Really Bees. I’m sure there are some who wanted to go and couldn’t and some whose parents took them in order to educate them. I think going would have been hugely educational and one of the most import days of education a kid was likely to receive.

In answer to the pp trying to discredit the the whole thing via the organisers I certainly don’t have the answers but as Greta Thunberg said “we can’t save the world by playing by the rules”. Younger generations aren’t being listened to.

Interesting there are no threads belittling a generation re the pensioner climate change arrests yesterday.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-england-kent-49780966

100% OP

I'm all for the climate strike and children having positive role models like Greta Thunburg. Climate Change is a massive issue which needs government intervention to stop, so the more people who speak up, the better.

However, I do remember walking out of assembly and sitting on the floor in the hallways to 'protest against the Iraq war' (I didn't have a clue what was going on at the time or really anything about it). We did that until a teacher said we would be suspended if we continued, then the 'protest' came to an end quite quickly.

So YANBU.

The Suffragettes had exactly the same arguments used against them, OP, did you know that? People said they were campaigning because they were bored, because it was fun, because it was the latest fashion and they wanted to be part of it, because going to prison would give them something to boast about to their friends in the drawing rooms. How it was all middle class women who wanted to look trendy, basically.
It didn't alter the fact that not having the vote was a grave injustice.
And your criticisms don't alter the fact that climate changes needs political will to address it, and politicians will not act unless they think it's a vote-winner.
I didn't strike because I wanted to virtue signal. I went on strike because I am terrified about the world my son will inherit, and this seemed like the noisiest way to tell our government that voters care about climate change.

CheerfulMuddler

Exactly, and my children know all about the suffragettes, and the Chartists. They understand the concept that there are people all around who will condemn your actions. People who want to maintain the status quo for all sorts of reasons. They are being taught to have their own minds. Anyone with half a brain knows that something must be done about our disgusting cycle of waste and destruction. If that’s a school strike, so be it. We are doing everything we can at home, it’s companies and governments that are the problem. If politicians see that the will of the people is proactively addressing climate change, then they’ll cynically start addressing it to win votes. However it works I don’t give a shit, I just want to start seeing change.

The companies and governments are part of the problem. The biggest part of the problem is us the consumer. People want their cars, new phones when there is nothing wrong with their present one, clothes they will perhaps wear a couple of times. I could go on and on but I think you get my drift. There has got to be a fundamental and radical change In our behaviour.

Charr3rb0x I’m not trying to discredit the children involved I’m just questioning whether they are aware of all the aims of Extinction Rebellion, including that Citizens Assemblies are the main governing body in the UK instead of the government. As for the protest by elderly people I mentioned in one of my posts above that children and the elderly are key to their popularity.

‘We know that the inclusion of children and older people can be extremely effective’

‘This is particularly the case when the young and the old take part as sacrificial action by both groups creates far greater public interest and sympathy then the ‘usual suspects’ – young men. This is the key reason why direct actions should be designed in an open way which are accessible to the two groups.’

As a parent I’m more interested in who is influencing my children than any of my elderly relatives who I hope can look after themselves.

I would imagine most believe in the cause but a) demonstrating dies not lead to anything and b) they could have easily followed any cause that was popular in social media at the time.

I’m not going to sneer at anyone prepared to walk the walk but until now every generation has been more consumerist than their predecessors and can’t see any evidence of this having changed.

Protesting is easy. Practicing what you preach less so.

^^^^

This, exactly.

^^: seconded

This thread doesn't fill me with confidence that adults understand the concept of a climate crisis 😢.

Really? You only think the only people who do are those who go on marches?

We need to educate our children... most importantly how to use resources responsibly. How to cut down waste. How to live with the environment.
But hey, they all have smart phones, want the latest fashion and need to be driven around for various things... including climate change protests.

I told my teen, all or nothing, taking part = doing the walk!

But it isn't all or nothing though, that just isn't how things work in real life.

Oh this thread, it is just so sad.

I wasn’t able to go this time but I have been involved in plenty of climate marches and meetings with my MP over the years. I don’t have a perfect carbon footprint although I do try. The reason I take part in political action is because I recognise how hard it is for me, who is quite clued up on the science and worried about climate change, to actually do anything meaningful. Eg. I use public transport where I can but when a journey is 1 hour on 2 buses or 15 mins in the car that’s quite a sacrifice. I take the bus when I can but there is a structural issue with bus routes or lack of safe cycle routes that politicians/transport companies could fix. And they wouldn’t just make it easier for me to make the greener choice but for all of my neighbours too.

We have made massive strides forwards in recent years with green energy. There is so much we can do if we have a little more political will.

I feel you are getting caught up in the semantics of the word ‘strike’, OP. What could young people actually strike from by your definition? Another reason to strike is to draw attention to a plight that you otherwise have no power to affect.

Young people are anxious and yes they probably do enjoy the strike days - they are with like minded people who also care and they are at least trying to make a difference.

Perhaps if we all go on march for one day we can all home satisfied that we’ve managed to avert the climate catastrophe. Because those marching are surely good and curmudgeonly farts like me are bad. That’s all you have to do. March. Then your sins are cast aside

China has managed a 32 percent reduction of air pollution in just four years.
www.nytimes.com/2018/03/12/upshot/china-pollution-environment-longer-lives.html

Some people on this thread are doing their bit (every little bit helps).

Many of the dullards need to pull their fingers out and listen to the kids.
Most people were getting the same message when they were kids themselves, maybe those people are now mature enough to listen and act.

India is also working on climate change www.macleans.ca/society/environment/india-is-putting-canadas-climate-change-plan-to-shame

If you think everyone else is the problem, look in the mirror.

Caucho, that's ridiculous. I was glad I went on the march but I'm certainly not satisfied that the climate catastrophe has been averted. That was kind of the point. I don't feel that my climate sins have been cast aside and actually feel very guilty about them. I don't condemn people for not going or for making different choices about their energy consumption, apart from large corporations and governments. I'm generally not a fan of curmudgeonly farts though. I prefer to think that everything makes a difference and there is hope.

I thought the very same thing op, how many of them are going to stop shopping in primark? Limiting the amount of clothes etc they have, not shopping in places like smiggle, which is full of plastic crap. Starting to walk places instead of getting mummy and daddy to drive them everywhere? I have no doubt there are some kids who are involved in these protests who are making changes but there is things we can all do every day to change our carbon footprint and not waiting on politicians to tax us for the privilege.