School Strike in Germany Continues as Teen Calls for Climate Action

A teenage climate activist who has sparked school strikes across the world against global warming has reached Germany, where she has been joined by thousands of school students, she, in turn, has urged them to stay angry and fight for the change.

The 16-year Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg told a cheering crowd in Hamburg, “Yes, we are angry. We are angry because the older generations are continuing to steal our future right now. For way too long the politicians and the people in power have gotten away with not doing anything to fight the climate crisis”.

She also said, “But we will make sure that they will not get away with it any longer. We will continue to school-strike until they do something”.

Her short speech has drawn a lot of applause in the northern port city, where according to police around 4,000 demonstrators hit the streets, carrying signs that read “No more excuses, it’s time to save our world” and “The climate is changing, why aren't we?”. There are some placards that are dedicated to the teenager, like “Make the world Greta again” and “Team Greta”.

Greta Thunberg has inspired this global movement with her “Fridays for Future” school strikes, along with her solitary protest outside the Swedish Parliament in Stockholm in August last year.

Since then, thousands of students from cities across Europe and other countries like Uganda, Mexico, Australia and the United States have walked out of their Friday classes to call for their respective governments to push for more ambitious carbon-cutting initiatives in their respective countries.

Greta is now the face of new generation climate activism, who is using her school holidays to join protest across the world. In the recent tour, she will also visit Paris, Brussels and Antwerp with her movement.

Greta Thunberg has also taken her activism to the world leaders directly including a European Union conference last week, where she has urged the leaders to double its ambitions for greenhouse gas cuts.

The “Fridays for Future” movement is also planning a coordinated, global movement on March 15. The movement is going to be the biggest mobilization in the campaign till date.

The school strikes have recently gained popularity in Germany. Though the country has a green reputation but is a major emitter of greenhouse gases because of its ongoing reliance on coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel.