The Art of Global Climate Striking
A Roundup of Global Climate Strike Posters, Quotes, Videos & Resources | Sep. 16, 2019
| Sep 16 | Public post |
Thousands of events are planned across planet Earth for the Global Climate Strike, from Sept. 20, 2019 through Sept. 27. It speaks to the growing concern about the climate crisis that the event began as a single-day planetary strike. It has grown into a week’s worth of climate-focused happenings.
And it has grown further. The Secretary General of Amnesty International has written to more than 30,000 schools, asking them to allow students to participate in climate strikes.
Plus, it’s not just students and a fresh crop of activated adults. As Bill McKibben’s 350.org climate movement notes, a whole bunch of companies, organizations, trade unions and countries (almost 120 countries and counting) are taking part. Check out the cool video below.
1 | Climate Strike Resources
If you need ready-made climate strike posters or inspiration, visit the GlobalClimateStrike Arts Kit page:
2 | Strike Now, While the Planet is Hot
If you’re taking part in a Climate Strike event, be sure it’s listed on the two strike-week online calendars I’ve found so far: GlobalClimateStrike.net and StrikeWithUs.org.
Here is one of my favorite climate strike images by cartoonist Judy Horacek.
3 | Dear Teacher …
But maybe you need to let your teacher know you’ll be taking off from history class on Friday, to stand up for the future history of Earth? Meteorologist and climate writer Eric Holthaus has your back:
PS | Climate and water scientist Peter Gleick may have posted the original ‘absent from class’ tweet. While atmospheric chemist Dr. Heather Price also offers up “A Note from a Doctor” on Twitter.
4/ Climate Homework
If you wish to brush up on your climate crisis talking points or are a teacher, here are three suggested resources.
A) FOR TEACHERS AND CLASSROOMS, here’s a link to a bunch of Climate Crisis Education Day resources. And here’s one for useful resources on climate education.
B) Here’s an overview on climate change by Tom Bawden, part of Covering Climate Now, a global collaboration of more than 250 news outlets to deepen coverage of the climate story.
C) And here’s a mega-thread by “Peter Believes in Science Not Dogma,” which includes a roundup of reputable, fact-based sources on human-caused climate change:
5 | Circle Round the Planet
Here’s a poster for a strike rally in the capital of West Virginia. The event is co-sponsored by this newsletter, with a striking nature photo made to look like planet Earth, from a series by David Imbrogno.
~"Hope is something you need to deserve... If we decided today that we were going to go through with combating climate change, then we definitely could do that. But only if we choose to and if we take the measures required." ~Greta Thunberg
6 | Taking Care of the Earth
Since Greta Thunberg first launched her climate strike in late 2018, (The Kids Are Alright: The Youngster Climate Crusade), #ClimateTwitter has seen an influx of climate action teenagers raising their voices. Here’s a short, rousing call-to-action by the 17-year-old Otomi-Toltec climate justice activist Xiye Bastida:
7 | 2,000 and Counting
Here’s how fast things are moving on the global climate strike. ClimateAction.tech, which describes itself as “a global community of tech professionals” focused on the climate crisis, noted in a Sept. 12 tweet that 1,000 sites were showing a public-facing message in solidarity with the strike. A tweet today noted it was up to 2,000.
Author Naomi Klein, whose well-timed book “ON FIRE: The Burning Case for a Green New Deal”, goes on sale this week, noted about the involvement of the tech industry in a tweet: “Tech workers striking from within their high carbon sector. This is such a very good development!!!”
8 | How About You?
Here’s a colorful climate strike poster, posted by “environmental strategist and climate tactician” Tamara Toles O’Laughlin: (I love “climate tactician.” Borrowing…)
9 | ‘We Don’t Leave Our Schools Lightly…’
I love this short video. Young folks take on five myths about the global climate strike. Such as: ‘The climate strike is just a way to slip school’ and ‘The climates strikes are just for young people and not adults.’ If you don’t click the video, here’s 17-year-old Joe from Wiltshire England, responding to that first myth:
“Our education system today doesn’t equip us with the skills or knowledge to meet the climate crisis. We don’t leave our schools lightly. But we must make the climate crisis an educational priority.”~Joe, Devizes, England
10 | Enough Said
As for whether the global climate strike is just kids stuff, this 97-year-old World War II veteran makes his feelings known.
PS | People Power = Powerful People
Here’s an instantly classic climate strike line: “People power is just as important as powerful people!” (That must be borrowed from a prior social movement, yes?)
The result of the global climate strike week is certainly aimed at urging powerful people to care. And to urge caring folks to assert power in numbers.
PSS | You Promised Cartoons.
This cartoon is by writer/illustrator Megan Herbert, who teamed up with climate scientist Michael E. Mann on the children’s climate change book “The Tantrum That Saved the World” (See Item 6).
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And remember:
Change the World. Not the big one. The one in which you live. And love. PS: And strike.
Be well. | CCT Curator, Concierge and Host Douglas John Imbrogno