Global Climate Strike
Submission 8,073
Overview
The Global Climate Strike is the name of a campaign for climate justice led by Greta Thunberg. On September 20th and 27th, Thunberg has called upon people of all ages to leave school or work and march on the nearest townhall to advocate for their leaders to take a stronger stance on climate change.
Background
On August 20th, 2018, Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, 15, held the first climate strike, deciding to not attend school until September 9th, when the 2018 Swedish General Election. According to the Guardian,[2] "Her protest has captured the imagination of a country that has been struck by heatwaves and wildfires in its hottest summer since records began 262 years ago."
Over the next year, Thunberg held climate strikes around the world as part of the Fridays For Future campaign.
On May 23rd, 2019, the Global Climate Strike website[1] posted "Greta Thunberg's Invitation: Stand WIth Us on September 20th and Beyond." In the post, they write, "So this is our invitation to you. Starting on Friday 20 September we will kick start a week of climate action with worldwide strikes for the climate. We’re asking you to step up alongside us. "
Developments
Online Reaction
On September 17th, the Obama Foundation YouTube channel shared a conversation between Thunberg and President Barack Obama about the strikes. The post received more than 125,000 views in three days (shown below).
The September 20th event inspired a host of memes, aiming to encourage participation in the event. For example, on September 19th, the Instagram [3] account @climemechange shared a screenshot from the 2004 comedy Old School. They wrote, "THIS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, will be one of the biggest days ever for climate activism, as people all over the world will leave work and school to participate in massive strikes to fight for the future of our planet."
Instagram[4] user @climatememes420 posted an Expanding Brain meme about the event, receiving more than 270 likes in two days (shown below, center).
Additionally, Redditor [5] iMineCrazy shared an illustration of the anthropomorphic Earth crying that people were more concerned about the Storm Area 51 event than the climate strike.
Media Coverage
On September 14th, 2019, Thunberg appeared on the news comedy show The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. She discussed the campaign and her impact. Within five days, the post received more than 1.2 million views (shown below).
Virtually all media outlets covered the strike, including USA Today,[6] CNN,[7] The Guardian,[8] The Nation,[9] The New York Times[10] and more.
Search Interest
External References
[1] Global Climate Strike – Greta Thunberg's Invitation: Stand WIth Us on September 20th and Beyond
[2] The Guardian – The Swedish 15-year-old who's cutting class to fight the climate crisis
[3] Instagram – @climemechange's Post
[4] Instagram – @climatememes420's Post
[6] USA Today – 'It's our future that's at stake': US students plan to skip school Friday to fight climate 'emergency'
[7] CNN – Global climate strikes start Friday. Here's what you should know
[8] The Guardian – Met police plan to impose restrictions for global climate protest
[9] The Nation – Why Should You Climate Strike This Friday, September 20?
[10] The New York Times – Climate Strike N.Y.C.: 1.1 Million Can Skip School for Protest
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