Rochdale shows support for youth climate strikes

Showing support for the youth strikes for climate

Rochdale citizens gathered at the cenotaph to support the youth strike for climate on Friday 20 September.

A number of councillors joined the event in Rochdale with the Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group bringing banners. Councillor Wendy Cocks, also a minister at St. Chad's church, had produced a Christian Climate Action banner. 

Several of those present had taken their lunch hours off to stand in spirit with young people who went into Manchester city centre for a rally.

Sam O'Brien, of Unison, and the Reverend Mark Coleman briefly spoke about the profound threat to our way of life from the climate emergency and the great encouragement and inspiration that many young people across the world had offered.

Revd. Coleman said: “We adults need to wake up and listen to the children. We must get our politicians to act now."

In a massive global day of action, strikes took place in over 130 countries on the day to support the Global Climate Strike movement to address climate change, inspired by Swedish schoolgirl and climate activist Greta Thunberg, who is working to stop global warming and climate change

Greta, 16, began the protest in August 2018, when she began sitting outside the Swedish parliament with a sign reading "Skolstrejk för klimatet" (school strike for the climate), concerned about the impact the climate crisis will have on young people like her.

The teenager has pledged to sit outside the Swedish parliament until it aligns with the Paris Agreement on climate change, which states ambitious efforts to combat climate change and adapt to its effects.

170 countries are due to hold more strikes on Friday 27 September.