School Strike 4 Climate Camp

From the 8th to the 12th of July 2019 I spent the week in Muriwai (just outside of Auckland) at a Greenpeace hosted School Strike 4 Climate Camp. In case you aren’t aware, School Strike 4 Climate is an international movement inspired by the actions and words of Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old Swedish activist who began striking from school outside Parliament every Friday, starting last year, to demand climate justice. 

The camp included around 20 regional strike coordinators from around New Zealand. Yes, I know what you’re thinking: how much fossil fuels would it have taken to transport all these kids? And while this sentiment is completely valid, the fact remains that within the fossil fuel induced system that we currently inhabit, it is practically impossible to function without the use of fossil fuels. Whilst aeroplanes release an astounding amount of greenhouse gases, the amount produced by industrial businesses is exponentially greater, with 70% of greenhouse gas emissions being produced by around 100 companies. 

Therefore the logical conclusion is that the need for systemic change through the challenging of the status quo (a process innate to a functioning democracy), far outweighs the need for individual change; I am not saying that one should not fly less, or not eat less meat, or not recycle, etc., however, the fact that it has been scientifically proven that we only have 11 years before the catastrophic effects of climate change become irreversible, fundamentally means that the only answer is drastic change now through a cultural and socio-political revolution. 

Anyways… as I was saying, the camp proved to be an amazing an inspirational experience in which I got the privilege to get to know some like-minded and awesome people, as well as continuing to learn, strategize and grow as a unified organisation.