This Friday November 30, school-age students across the country are set to walk out of classrooms to protest what they perceive as government inaction on climate change.
The Age reports the movement, called School Strike 4 Climate Action, is inspired by a 15-year-old Swedish student Greta Thunberg, who started boycotting classes before parliamentary elections, and skips school every Friday.
Australian students across each capital and across 20 regional centres will strike on Friday, hoping to tell politicians they’re not doing enough on climate change.
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Greta’s message for her Australian student counterparts is they are making a huge difference.
“I read about them in newspapers up here in Europe and it’s hopeful beyond my imagination,” she says.
“Australia is a huge climate villain, I am sorry to say. Your carbon footprint is way bigger than Sweden and we are among the worst in the world.”
According to The Age, Callum Neilson-Bridgefoot, an 11-year-old student at Castlemaine Primary School, has also taken part in four strike activities already.
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“Sacrificing a little bit of my education will help in the long term,” Callum said.
“I work really hard when I’m at school.
“Any political leader can really make a difference – they have much more power than we do,” he says.
“Right now what they are doing is not enough.”
