Students strike for climate change

A DEMONSTRATION calling for action on climate change led by two 12-year-old students took place outside Dun Laoghaire town hall last Friday.

The action was organised by Flossie Donnelly and Lucille O’Mahony, two primary school students who have left school early every Friday this year to protest outside Dáil Eireann.

The gathering in Dun Laoghaire was part of the ‘Global Strike for Climate Action’ called for by Greta Thurnberg, the famous Swedish 17-year-old activist. The first such strike saw an estimated 1.4 million people demonstrate in over 2,000 towns and cities worldwide on March 15.

Last week’s Southside strike was led by Lucille and her pal Flossie who first became involved in climate issues while on holidays in Thailand, aged just seven.

“Seeing the sea full of rubbish really upset me,” explained Flossie, a sixth-class student in St Patrick’s National School, Dalkey. “I started collecting the waste, and brought it to the hotel so they could get rid of it. They weren’t too happy with me.

“Lots of kids are very worried about climate change, about species going extinct, about plastics in the ocean and rising CO2,” added Flossie. “I understand because I’m worried too. The answer is to do something – local action works. One person can’t fix a global problem, but millions of people acting locally can.”

Flossie, who was recently declared a Southside People Community & Sport Award winner, believes the solution to climate change is for Governments to follow the instructions of scientists.

“They know a whole lot more than politicians,” she stated. “We need experts like David Attenborough to be given real power if we are going to save our planet.”

The rally was held in Dun Laoghaire instead of the city centre where more than 1,000 students had earlier gathered in Merrion Square for a national demonstration as Flossie wouldn’t have been able to make it in time.

“The school have been so accommodating,” said Flossie’s mother, Harriet. “They allow the kids to leave at 12.30pm on Friday so they can make the rallies. They wouldn’t have been able to make it to the city centre for 1pm, so that’s why Flossie chose to hold this one in Dun Laoghaire.”

About 60 people turned up to the rally, a slightly lower turnout than expected.

Many of them were children holding banners reading ‘Make Ireland Green Again’ and ‘We have the Solution, Stop Pollution!’.

Flossie’s pal Lucille believes we need to make climate issues a priority.

“We need to start by stop doing the bad things,” Lucille said.

“Cutting the use of fossil fuels and products that harm the environment like palm oil. Then we need to start taking positive action,” said the student of Guardian’s Angel National School in Blackrock.

She thinks the duty to take action has fallen on her generation.

“It wasn’t us who caused it, but we might be the last generation that can save the planet,” she added. “It’s a massive responsibility but we have no choice.”

Although small in number, the protest turned a lot of heads in Dun Laoghaire.

The young age profile of the participants also suggests these rallies will grow over time.

The action comes amid growing concern over climate change, especially among young people.

Last year a UN report warned that there is only 12 years left to limit the impact of climate catastrophe.

Last week Dun Laoghaire Rathdown councillors declared a Biodiversity and Climate Change Emergency at a council meeting, as reported in Southside People.

Another UN report earlier this month warned that the widespread collapse of ecosystems was putting humanity’s existence at risk.

Thurnberg’s student strikes aren’t the only global actions on climate change.

Extinction Rebellion is an international movement that uses non-violent civil disobedience to force governments to take effective action.

Initially starting in London, their rallies have spread to cities all over the world. So far they have held two rallies in Dublin, on O’Connell Bridge and outside Dáil Eireann.