Massive crowds call for action during Global Climate Strike in Vancouver
Credit to Author: Tiffany Crawford| Date: Sat, 28 Sep 2019 01:50:32 +0000
Millions of people are on strike in cities around the world Friday, including Vancouver and other Canadian cities, to demand governments take more action to combat the climate crisis.
Vancouver, BC: SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 — Tens of thousands of people concerned about the state of the earth's climate converged on Vancouver city hall Friday, September 27, 2019 as part of a global initiative to bring attention to the environment. The throngs of people marched across the Cambie Street bridge and into downtown.
Vancouver, BC: SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 — Tens of thousands of people concerned about the state of the earth's climate converged on Vancouver city hall Friday, September 27, 2019 as part of a global initiative to bring attention to the environment. The throngs of people marched across the Cambie Street bridge and into downtown.
Vancouver, BC: SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 — Tens of thousands of people concerned about the state of the earth's climate converged on Vancouver city hall Friday, September 27, 2019 as part of a global initiative to bring attention to the environment. The throngs of people marched across the Cambie Street bridge and into downtown.
Vancouver, BC: SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 — Tens of thousands of people concerned about the state of the earth's climate converged on Vancouver city hall Friday, September 27, 2019 as part of a global initiative to bring attention to the environment. The throngs of people marched across the Cambie Street bridge and into downtown.
Vancouver, BC: SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 — Tens of thousands of people concerned about the state of the earth's climate converged on Vancouver city hall Friday, September 27, 2019 as part of a global initiative to bring attention to the environment. The throngs of people marched across the Cambie Street bridge and into downtown.
Vancouver, BC: SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 — Tens of thousands of people concerned about the state of the earth's climate converged on Vancouver city hall Friday, September 27, 2019 as part of a global initiative to bring attention to the environment. The throngs of people marched across the Cambie Street bridge and into downtown.
Vancouver, BC: SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 — Tens of thousands of people concerned about the state of the earth's climate converged on Vancouver city hall Friday, September 27, 2019 as part of a global initiative to bring attention to the environment. The throngs of people marched across the Cambie Street bridge and into downtown.
Vancouver, BC: SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 — Tens of thousands of people concerned about the state of the earth's climate converged on Vancouver city hall Friday, September 27, 2019 as part of a global initiative to bring attention to the environment. The throngs of people marched across the Cambie Street bridge and into downtown.
Vancouver, BC: SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 — Tens of thousands of people concerned about the state of the earth's climate converged on Vancouver city hall Friday, September 27, 2019 as part of a global initiative to bring attention to the environment. The throngs of people marched across the Cambie Street bridge and into downtown.
Vancouver, BC: SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 — Tens of thousands of people concerned about the state of the earth's climate converged on Vancouver city hall Friday, September 27, 2019 as part of a global initiative to bring attention to the environment. The throngs of people marched across the Cambie Street bridge and into downtown.
Vancouver, BC: SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 — Tens of thousands of people concerned about the state of the earth's climate converged on Vancouver city hall Friday, September 27, 2019 as part of a global initiative to bring attention to the environment. The throngs of people marched across the Cambie Street bridge and into downtown.
Vancouver, BC: SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 — Tens of thousands of people concerned about the state of the earth's climate converged on Vancouver city hall Friday, September 27, 2019 as part of a global initiative to bring attention to the environment. The throngs of people marched across the Cambie Street bridge and into downtown.
Vancouver, BC: SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 — Tens of thousands of people concerned about the state of the earth's climate converged on Vancouver city hall Friday, September 27, 2019 as part of a global initiative to bring attention to the environment. The throngs of people marched across the Cambie Street bridge and into downtown.
Vancouver, BC: SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 — Tens of thousands of people concerned about the state of the earth's climate converged on Vancouver city hall Friday, September 27, 2019 as part of a global initiative to bring attention to the environment. The throngs of people marched across the Cambie Street bridge and into downtown.
Vancouver, BC: SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 — Tens of thousands of people concerned about the state of the earth's climate converged on Vancouver city hall Friday, September 27, 2019 as part of a global initiative to bring attention to the environment. The throngs of people marched across the Cambie Street bridge and into downtown.
Vancouver, BC: SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 — Tens of thousands of people concerned about the state of the earth's climate converged on Vancouver city hall Friday, September 27, 2019 as part of a global initiative to bring attention to the environment. The throngs of people marched across the Cambie Street bridge and into downtown.
Vancouver, BC: SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 — Tens of thousands of people concerned about the state of the earth's climate converged on Vancouver city hall Friday, September 27, 2019 as part of a global initiative to bring attention to the environment. The throngs of people marched across the Cambie Street bridge and into downtown.
Vancouver, BC: SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 — Tens of thousands of people concerned about the state of the earth's climate converged on Vancouver city hall Friday, September 27, 2019 as part of a global initiative to bring attention to the environment. The throngs of people marched across the Cambie Street bridge and into downtown.
Vancouver, BC: SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 — Tens of thousands of people concerned about the state of the earth's climate converged on Vancouver city hall Friday, September 27, 2019 as part of a global initiative to bring attention to the environment. The throngs of people marched across the Cambie Street bridge and into downtown.
Vancouver, BC: SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 — Tens of thousands of people concerned about the state of the earth's climate converged on Vancouver city hall Friday, September 27, 2019 as part of a global initiative to bring attention to the environment. The throngs of people marched across the Cambie Street bridge and into downtown.
Vancouver, BC: SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 — Tens of thousands of people concerned about the state of the earth's climate converged on Vancouver city hall Friday, September 27, 2019 as part of a global initiative to bring attention to the environment. The throngs of people marched across the Cambie Street bridge and into downtown.
Vancouver, BC: SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 — Tens of thousands of people concerned about the state of the earth's climate converged on Vancouver city hall Friday, September 27, 2019 as part of a global initiative to bring attention to the environment. The throngs of people marched across the Cambie Street bridge and into downtown.
Vancouver, BC: SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 — Tens of thousands of people concerned about the state of the earth's climate converged on Vancouver city hall Friday, September 27, 2019 as part of a global initiative to bring attention to the environment. The throngs of people marched across the Cambie Street bridge and into downtown.
Vancouver, BC: SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 — Tens of thousands of people concerned about the state of the earth's climate converged on Vancouver city hall Friday, September 27, 2019 as part of a global initiative to bring attention to the environment. The throngs of people marched across the Cambie Street bridge and into downtown.
Vancouver, BC: SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 — Tens of thousands of people concerned about the state of the earth's climate converged on Vancouver city hall Friday, September 27, 2019 as part of a global initiative to bring attention to the environment. The throngs of people marched across the Cambie Street bridge and into downtown.
Vancouver, BC: SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 — Tens of thousands of people concerned about the state of the earth's climate converged on Vancouver city hall Friday, September 27, 2019 as part of a global initiative to bring attention to the environment. The throngs of people marched across the Cambie Street bridge and into downtown.
Vancouver, BC: SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 — Tens of thousands of people concerned about the state of the earth's climate converged on Vancouver city hall Friday, September 27, 2019 as part of a global initiative to bring attention to the environment. The throngs of people marched across the Cambie Street bridge and into downtown.
Vancouver, BC: SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 — Tens of thousands of people concerned about the state of the earth's climate converged on Vancouver city hall Friday, September 27, 2019 as part of a global initiative to bring attention to the environment. The throngs of people marched across the Cambie Street bridge and into downtown.
Teen climate crusader Greta Thunberg, the inspiration behind the Fridays for Future movement, is in Montreal for the culmination of a week-long Global Climate Strike.
The crowd in Montreal was estimated to be in the tens of thousands, many of them young people who want leaders to develop a plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to zero by 2050.
Hundreds of demonstrators began assembling at Vancouver City Hall around 11 a.m. for a noon rally and then marched across the Cambie Bridge through the downtown core before gathering near the central branch of the Vancouver Public Library at West Georgia and Hamilton streets.
Vancouver police, who estimated the crowd downtown at 100,000 people, said no major incidents were reported.
Vancouver police tell me they estimate 80,000 people are participating in the #ClimateStrike here. No major issues for police. pic.twitter.com/jlLsZUGEQT
Holding signs that read “rise up before the ocean does,” and “the planet is hotter than my boyfriend” were Nikola Toma, 13, and Aaron Albindia, 12. They took the day off from Kwantlen Park Secondary in Surrey because they are concerned about environmental issues, such as plastic waste and rising sea temperatures.
“I have a lot of dreams and ambitions that I’d love to live out but the way the world’s going now, I can’t see many of them happening,” Nikola said. “That’s definitely a big bummer so I think we should say something.”
“Whose planet? Our planet!” chants keep breaking out at the #ClimateStrike in #Vancouver. pic.twitter.com/6WGSHkiWq9
Alyson Dubey, 16, attended the rally with three friends from Delta Secondary.
“I have a younger little brother and I don’t want him to grow up in a world that’s not as nice and not this,” Alyson said. “This is a good world and that’s why I think we should do things to preserve it.”
Her friend Camryn Bruyns, 16, said she was worried about the waste created by “fast” fashion brands.
“Personally, I’m trying to cut our shopping from big-name brands, and shopping at thrift stores more,” Camryn said.
Earlier Friday, millions of protesters marched in countries such as New Zealand, Australia, India, and Italy.
Photos on social media show staggering turnouts in Stockholm, Barcelona, Seoul, Mumbai, Valencia, and Torino, and many more cities and towns around the globe.
València. #ClimateStrike @GretaThunberg pic.twitter.com/BppEUUtcgK
Events were also planned in communities around B.C., including Surrey and Victoria.
A few protesters turned out on the Pitt River Bridge at 6:30 a.m., before heading to Vancouver for the larger strike.
A group of musicians set up at the Vancouver Public Library and played orchestral music as part of the strike, according to a post on social media.
Meanwhile in Vancouver, Canada, this is what happens when musicians join the #ClimateStrike pic.twitter.com/t2KIxgXuvg
Naia Lee and Samantha Lin, with the event organizers Sustainabiliteens, were among dozens with the group who organized the second annual Climate Strike rally and march.
“This is a climate emergency and it’s time that everyone was aware about it, everyone made it a priority, everyone was talking about it,” said Samantha, a student at Prince of Wales in Vancouver.
“We need action now and this is just calling on the government to do so.”
Naia said they stood in solidarity with communities more immediately affected by climate change than Metro Vancouver.
“Our generation is the catalyst for a bigger change, that’s why today is a general strike,” said Naia, 16, a student aI Sir Winston Churchill in Vancouver.
“The youth are here, we’re united, we’re sharing our voices. But the reality is that without adults backing us up, we can’t solve the climate crisis.”
Two more climate-change resolutions pass: call on feds, province to take actions promoting and enabling GHG reductions, and urging all levels of government to accelerate efforts to fight climate change.
Early Friday morning #ClimateStrikeCanada and #Montreal were trending on Twitter, and strikes were starting in cities around the country, such as St. John’s and Halifax, then Montreal and Toronto.
The signs here are creative. Here are some PG-13 ones that might make you snicker. pic.twitter.com/hjZwr6JYbc
Climate Strike Canada spokesperson Rebecca Hamilton, 17, said she expected thousands of high school and university students to be joined by thousands more people of all ages at the Vancouver climate strike.
“It’s going to be a really incredible way for everyone to come together to demand that action is taken and to disrupt their everyday lives,” Hamilton said at a media event outside the Union of B.C. Municipalities conference in Vancouver, where she and other teens were joined by local government elected officials from across the province.
Hamilton said she didn’t think that any level of government was acting with the urgency or scale required.
“We are in a crisis. We need to treat this like a crisis,” she said. “I think governments have a false idea that they can do business as usual and make minor adjustments.”
Hamilton got involved the the movement because she said youths have grown up knowing the science of climate change and know there is an emergency, but don’t see people acting as if there is one.
“We’ve been stuck in this dissonant reality between emergency and business as usual,” she said. “I couldn’t stand that contradiction, and I needed to choose science over the status quo, so I came together with other young people and demanded action.”
Climate Strike Canada’s Anna Brookes, 18, said the climate strike movement was a way to channel her longstanding frustration and anxiety about climate change, and organize with like-minded people.
She hopes the strike will have an effect on the upcoming federal election, prompting parties to make sure they have bold emissions reduction targets and solid climate plans, and show those in power who haven’t taken any action that the next generation of voters care about climate issues.
“I hope today is a day of reckoning for them,” Brookes said. “I hope they see that the children know and will hold them accountable for everything they’ve done.”
Meanwhile, there were two climate change resolutions passed at the UBCM, including a resolution to call on the federal and provincial governments to take actions promoting and enabling greenhouse gas emission reductions, and a resolution urging all levels of government to accelerate efforts to fight climate change.
It’s filled out substantially and keeps going and going – amazing to see #climatestrikecanada #FridaysForFuture pic.twitter.com/9hNQS2B38x
Premier John Horgan said he would not be participating in the climate strike, but he had met with youth activists last week.
“I continue to engage with people all the time on these issues. We’re not just declaring emergencies, we’re taking action,” Horgan told reporters following a speech at the UBCM.
He said he comes from a background of activism, having skipped school to protest nuclear testing taking place in Amchitka, Alaska, in 1971. He said he was delighted to see so many young people coming together to have their voices heard on the climate crisis.
“I see a little bit of myself in the young people that I’ve talked to, and I encourage them to continue to say to adults that the world they want to inherit is in our hands today, we need to do a better job,” Horgan said.
Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh planned to attend the strike in Victoria, while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May attended the rally in Montreal. Conservative leader Andrew Scheer is not participating.
Many B.C. businesses including Lush Cosmetics and Mountain Equipment Co-op shut down for the day to take part in the strike.
Activist @GretaThunberg is leading the #ClimateStrike in Montreal as the global movement takes place across Canada. https://t.co/wDHxVVTV2E
https://twitter.com/fumano/status/1177669834298945536
On Sept. 20, the first day of the climate strike, hundreds of Vancouver youth joined millions around the world to protest inaction by governments to deal with greenhouse gas emissions, and participated in a die-in to draw attention to the threat they face if those emissions are not drastically cut.
The week-long global action was planned to coincide with the United Nations emergency climate summit held on Sept. 23. At the summit, Thunberg gave a chilling address telling the leaders that they were stealing their childhood and their future.
“This is all wrong. I shouldn’t be up here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. Yet you all come to us young people for hope. How dare you,” she said.
“You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. And yet I’m one of the lucky ones. People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you.”
#ClimateStrike #Vancouver: Edwin Starr’s immortal anthem “War (What is it Good For?) (Kazoo Remix)” pic.twitter.com/svFsiT5Rdq
Damn. Really makes you think. #ClimateStrike pic.twitter.com/RHEL7AfCqg
She pleaded with leaders to listen to the scientists and do more than cut emissions by half in 10 years, which only provides a 50 per cent chance of staying below 1.5 C.
“A 50 per cent risk is simply not acceptable to us — we who have to live with the consequences.”
In 2018, the UN Intergovernmental Panel report on climate change warned that unless the global average temperature increase is held to 1.5 degrees Celsius, there will be catastrophic change to the planet, including increased drought, famine, wildfires and massive species extinction.
On Wednesday, another IPCC report on oceans and ice warned the oceans are warming faster than predicted and could rise up to 1.1 metres or more by 2100. It warned that the rising temperatures will mean oceans will have less oxygen and more acidification, which will mean the extinction of many species of fish.
Incredible pictures from all over Italy! This is Torino #ClimateStrike #FridaysForFuture https://t.co/9lx1sjy4Rx
60 000 klimatdemonstranter i Stockholm! Wow!#ClimateStrike #FridaysForFuture #klimatstrejk pic.twitter.com/Iu45oPOpT3