By Dylana Milobar

Kamloops youth vocalize against climate change inaction

Mar 15, 2019 | 4:36 PM

KAMLOOPS — ‘Fridays for Future’ became viral in 2018 after Greta Thunberg, a 15-year-old student at the time, sat in front of Swedish Parliament building every day for 3 weeks to protest climate change inaction. 

Today, Kamloops schools students followed her example and rallied at Kamloops City Hall. 

About 100 students from School District 73 gathered outside the municipality’s head offices this afternoon (Mar. 15) to protest climate change inaction in solidarity with the worldwide ‘Fridays for Future’ movement. 

“I know obviously we’re not the largest community,” co-organizer Kate Nanson admits, “but anything that we can do to support the efforts to stop climate change and just improve things for everyone would be awesome.”

Nanson, a Grade 12 student from Sa-Hali Secondary, says today’s gathering showed just how loud the voices of young people can be.

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“So many people view the youth as being apathetic or lazy, not so passionate about stuff,” she explains. “But when we all care about something, I think we can really come together to try and change things.”

Nanson was joined in setting up the event by Aliza-Marie Smith, a Grade 12 student from NorKam Senior Secondary, who says intentionally holding the demonstration on a school day shows their passion for keeping government’s accountable to the Paris Climate Accord conditions. 

“There are more important issues than missing one day of school,” Smith says, “and of course we’re very passionate about our education, but we’re also passionate about the survival of the human race.”

After the initial demonstration, the group plans on sending a letter to the City to see what other things can be done within Kamloops to combat climate change.

“Change starts on every level,” Smith says. “A lot of local initiatives I think is what we’ll be pushing for with this letter to the City. Because we do want to see our community getting involved in this fight for climate justice.”