• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact us
  • Guest Content
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
  • JOBS
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
  • JOBS
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home News Environment

In Greta Thunberg’s footsteps – the climate kids fighting for their future

A keen reader of graphic novels, nine-year-old Zayne Cowie has a bookshelf laden with tales of the struggles of imaginary superheroes. Now, a real-life role model has inspired him to join a battle for his own planet’s future. Kept awake some nights by fears that rising seas will devastate his native Brooklyn, Cowie came across […]

Joe Mellor by Joe Mellor
2019-06-20 11:56
in Environment, News
Credit;SWNS

Credit;SWNS

FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

A keen reader of graphic novels, nine-year-old Zayne Cowie has a bookshelf laden with tales of the struggles of imaginary superheroes. Now, a real-life role model has inspired him to join a battle for his own planet’s future.

Kept awake some nights by fears that rising seas will devastate his native Brooklyn, Cowie came across a news story about Greta Thunberg, a Swedish teen who was walking out of class on Fridays to protest government inaction over climate change.

No longer feeling quite so powerless, Cowie persuaded his mother to help him stage a parallel protest outside New York’s City Hall in early December. He has since kept vigil there 26 times, embodying the kind of tenacity that turned Thunberg into the global face of a youth protest movement.

“She inspired me to take a stand — and not just sit in my room eating ice cream and feeling worried,” Cowie said of Thunberg, who has been nominated for a Nobel Peace prize since starting to protest outside Sweden’s parliament in August.

With hundreds of thousands of pupils and students now regularly joining much bigger Fridays for Future strikes in more than 120 countries, Reuters visited three young campaigners from very different backgrounds, united by acute concern over climate change, plastic pollution and the rapid extinction of species.

Wu Guanzhuo, a 17-year-old Chinese environmental campaigner, attends a discussion as a guest speaker at the environmental protection club of a high school in Shenyang, Liaoning province, China June 10, 2019. Picture taken June 10, 2019. REUTERS/Martin Pollard

FACING DOWN FACTORY BOSSES

In the Chinese city of Shenyang, Wu Guanzhuo, 17, proved her mettle as an environmental activist before Thunberg became a household name.

One night in 2017, when she was 15, Wu let chickens through the gates of a printing equipment factory to distract guard dogs and their club-carrying handlers. She and several friends then collected samples of polluted river water that helped bring about a court case that forced the factory to close.

“I testified as a witness and then when I saw the bosses of the factory I felt really uncomfortable,” Wu said. “They were looking as if they were going to devour me.”

RelatedPosts

South Park hilariously troll Andrew Tate in latest episode

Question Time audience asked if they support the Rwanda policy – only one person raises their hand

Tributes pour in as Ros Atkins presents Outside Source for final time

WATCH: Lady spends 2 mins absolutely eviscerating the Tories on EVERYTHING

Though the school strike movement is muted in China, where protest is tightly controlled, Wu has tried to raise awareness in her city by handing out reusable bags and leaflets about plastic waste to locals. She hopes to follow Thunberg’s example and force leaders to listen.

“What I hope is that one day I can become the Chinese Greta,” Wu said. “The world will belong to the teenagers, so why don’t we stand up and make the politicians hear us?”

STRIKING IN AFRICA

Leah Namugerwa, 14, joined the environmental struggle after seeing news reports of landslides wiping out a Ugandan village. With the help of her father, Cephas Lukwago, she takes time out from boarding school on Fridays to join pupils marching in Kampala.

“My message to the adults is: let them know their responsibilities,” Namugerwa said. “I want the adults to realise that they also have a stake in the future.”

While Thunberg has dressed down politicians and business leaders from Davos to the British parliament, the young people following in her footsteps have also caught the attention of decision-makers.

In May, Namugerwa met with Rebecca Kadaga, speaker of Uganda’s parliament, her father said. New York city council member Brad Lander tweeted Zayne Cowie to say he had backed a climate emergency bill partly in response to his protest.

But with the impact of the climate crisis degrading many of Earth’s ecosystems faster than scientists had predicted, Cowie, Wu and Namugerwa need more than just words.

“We have no power because we can’t vote, we don’t do any of the stuff that grown-ups do,” Cowie said. “Basically all we’re saying is ‘please help us, please don’t screw up our future.’”

https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/news/watch-school-striker-greta-thunbergs-rapturous-address-to-london-climate-protestors/23/04/
Content Protection by DMCA.com
Please login to join discussion

Since you are here

Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help.

Journalism in Britain is under threat. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations.

Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. But we can't do it without you.

If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point.

To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here.

The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work.

The shop can be found here.

You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER .

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending on TLE

  • All
  • trending

Elevenses: Exposing the Tories’ Deepfake Illegal Immigration Bill

Elevenses: Rishi’s Finest Hour

Elevenses: Fear and Loathing in the New Conservatives

More from TLE

Delta: Iran reimposes virus restrictions as Javid said best way to protect UK is lift remaining Covid-19 curbs

How To Make: Chocolate & Beetroot Brownies

Too little too late? Reactions as Sunak’s wife responds to tax avoiding claims

Few police officers face ‘any meaningful consequences’ as hundreds of sexual misconduct allegations made

Beer of the Week: Salcombe Brewery Lifesaver Amber Ale

Partygate: 50 people hit with fixed-penalty notices, Met says

This is why you get a cold in the cold

Tax middle-aged Brits to fund social care, Jeremy Hunt tells Boris

New party led by Farage would be backed by a quarter of British voters

Farage calls Knowsley asylum seeker protesters ‘decent, honest people’

JOBS

FIND MORE JOBS

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

Contact

Editorial enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Commercial enquiries, please contact: advert[email protected]

Address

The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE
Company number 09221879
International House,
24 Holborn Viaduct,
London EC1A 2BN,
United Kingdom

SUPPORT

We do not charge or put articles behind a paywall. If you can, please show your appreciation for our free content by donating whatever you think is fair to help keep TLE growing and support real, independent, investigative journalism.

DONATE & SUPPORT

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • JOBS
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.