Waatea News Column: The student climate strikes – shame on us!
Our mokopuna and rangatahi have led last week as they took to the streets in the largest political protests in modern NZ history.
170 000 on the streets represents the magic 3.5% of the population that academics tell us any movement must reach to ensure they will force actual change upon a society.
The Climate Crisis represents an existential threat to us as a species and to watch our children stand so courageously while we adults dither and babble and look for excuses to avoid the hard questions is shameful.
And that’s the most important part of last week, we adults should feel shamed into action by our younger whanau’s leadership because our cowardice has led to an apathetic deadlock.
It is time for us as adults to find our own rekindled passion in their hope and stand with them. The mainstream media over the weekend utterly ignored this incredible protest march, it is our obligation to ensure the next march is twice that number so the media can’t ignore it.
The Climate Crisis is the issue of our lives, to allow our children to be braver than we are prepared to be is beneath their mana and ours.
It is time to stand with them.
First published on Waatea News.
Good call.
Support these students because now a situation has been created when the time to strike is hot, thanks to Greta Grunberg and the obvious fear of the ultra right.
Get active, get angry and get amongst it.
In my opinion shame on anyone who supports or makes excuses for politicians who don’t act to reduce climate damage (change is too passive a term for me).