Civil Disobedience: Greta Thunberg And The Environmental Crisis
Over the course of the years, there have been many acts of civil disobedience, like Mohandas Gandhi in 1893, Rosa Parks in 1955, and so many more. Civil disobedience is the peaceful rejection of a law or rule, often used as a form of protest. A recent example happened in August 2019, when 16-year-old Swedish girl Greta Thunberg began skipping school on Fridays to protest climate change in front of the Swedish Parliament building. Ever since then, Fridays for Future has become a worldwide campaign, with over 100,000 participants around the world. (ted) Civil disobedience is an efficient way to make change, as demonstrated by Greta Thunberg. Greta’s beginnings, impact on the world, and future goals This ongoing environmental movement has proved that even in this day and age, peaceful resistance can change the world.
According to (biography.com), “Thunberg was only eight when she first learned about the climate crisis. Since then, she has made efforts to lower her carbon footprint by not flying and becoming vegan and has influenced her family to do the same.” For 8 years, Greta has dedicated her life to saving the Earth and inspired millions to push for change. She has spoken at the United Nations twice and has led millions of people in peaceful protest around the world. In September 2019, Thunberg led over 200,000 students in New York on a school strike and rally in Battery Park for climate change laws. (forbes) She serves as an influential advocate for climate change laws worldwide, and a mentor to youth all over.
In just 15 months, Fridays for Future has turned into one of the largest campaigns in the world. There are about 2,280 strikes worldwide with hundreds of thousands of participants. People march to major parks, government buildings, and major shopping areas and markets to protest, following Thunberg’s example. According to (conservation guide), “Civil disobedience is one of the most powerful and dignified manners of protest. This form of civil disobedience is simple and is something that all young people can participate in on a regular basis, making it the perfect vehicle for a mass movement.” This shows how nonviolent protests can encourage change within governments and laws, and also include all people that want to make a difference in the world. What began as one simple act of protest became a worldwide campaign for change.
At the 2019 United Nations Climate Action Summit, Thunberg gave a passionate and inspirational speech about how action needs to be taken across the world to stop the climate change crisis while an impact can still be made. “For more than 30 years, the science has been crystal clear. How dare you continue to look away and come here saying that you're doing enough, when the politics and solutions needed are still nowhere in sight.” (npr) In this speech, all Greta is asking for is laws to be made and action to be taken. The participants of Fridays for Future and other climate strikes going on around the world want countries to work together and come up with ways to reduce our carbon footprints, release less CO2, and purify the atmosphere. The future of the Earth relies on the actions taken now by the countries, their governments, and each individual.
