Against the climate crisis, a 15-year-old girl from Sweden took an organized and impactful initiative. Her activism was for a change in Swedish policies; later, youngsters across the globe were inspired by her and joined her dynamic movement. She pushed immediate actions for a climate emergency. She worked on the same fundamentals to reduce carbon emissions and minimize carbon footprints as per the goals stated in the Paris Agreement 2015.
Fridays For Future is a youth-led organized movement initiated by Greta Thunberg for essential climate action against the climate crisis. On the 20th of August, the year 2018, in the middle of the general elections, Greta found the best opportunity to raise demand for implementing climate action plans in new policies; therefore, she started to protest out of the Swedish Parliament and bunked her school in the first day of her new semester. The next day after her protest, Greta was joined by her classmates, who were boycotting their classes for three weeks. Her school strike, with the necessary demands from the government of Sweden to strengthen measures against climate change, went viral and spread worldwide through social networking and media coverage. The global activists joined her school strike, and such an unexpected wave of climate activists boosted Greta’s movement, so she decided to continue her strike every Friday after her three-week school strike with the hashtag #FRIDAYSFORFUTURE. Greta, with her fellow strikers, encouraged the young generation throughout the globe to a global climate strike and awakened the young generation to act outside their native parliaments or in the city hall. Fridays For Future, the youth-led movement of activists and changemakers, contributes by becoming one voice for climate justice, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with a hold on raising the average global temperature while maintaining it below 2° Celsius.
Fridays for Future culture strikes a culture of no violence, no property damage, no littering, no profit, no hate, scientific references, and minimizing carbon footprints, welcomes individuals and groups to unite and work together and puts moral pressure on policymakers to work according to scientific research. The FFF movement is free from political parties and commercial interests. It also allows individuals to take impactful steps to raise awareness.
With a remarkable achievement from Sweden, FFF spread to over 150 countries worldwide. The activists came together in numbers of over 1.4 million on March 15, 2019; on September 20th, 2019, this number was above 4 million. The enormous number of activists together for change shouted about the movement's success. “The Greta Thunberg effect” motivated the global strikers. The movement achieved new heights during the pandemic when activists across the globe showed their passion by coming online with the hashtags #DigitalStrikes and online climate strikes. Activists influenced by Greta’s UN speech demonstrated her quote, ‘Whether people like it or not, the change is coming, and we are the change.’ The pandemic helps FFF activists expand their network, reaching more people from different nations. YouTube live broadcasts, online petitions, newsletters for the future, and Instagram moved more internationally highlighted among youngsters. For inspiring the people of older generations, the youth is Fridays for Future’s core strength. Youngsters' anger, frustration, and curiosity to learn about modern issues play an active societal role. They need these strengths to push governmental actions in a direction that can ensure future generations' future. September is a great success or a celebration when all the FFF activists come to protest and strike on the roads, demanding change in their local regions. Every year, 20th September is celebrated as a global climate strike (GCS) with different themes. The GCS 2024 campaigned against fossil fuels, rejecting the fossil fuel business. Activists from New York, the Philippines, South Korea, India, Brazil, Norway, and many other nations come on roads striking to save the future by turning hold on fossil fuels on Global Climate Day. As the city coordinator for Fridays for Future, Bareilly chapter, I organized an awareness rally in our city, collaborating with graduate college NSS volunteers on September 20th, 2024, as our global climate strike. FFF inspires the world’s activists, where millions of people together protest and take action against the climate crisis.
The several stories of Fridays for Future in each nation inspire people to become activists with FFF and work together on the major climate issues going on in their native region. Fridays for Future grants freedom to act in the most effective ways to raise awareness and inspire the local people, pushing local policies for climate justice.
Disha Ravi, founder of the Indian Chapter of Fridays for Future, a young activist and a business school graduate, was inspired by Greta and joined FFF in 2019. She launched the online campaign by connecting with other activists from the country's metropolises during digital strikes. She targeted the central environment minister by bombarding millions of emails criticizing the contentious EIA the local government had drafted. Primarily powered by young activists, FFF India welcomes all striving for a positive and safe movement. Prioritizing inclusivity and intersectionality, their work aims to enable a livable planet. To dismantle systems of oppression for climate change and mitigation, FFF India is putting a hold on colonialism, racism, capitalism, caste division, and patriarchy. Amplifying the voices of Indigenous and marginalized communities at the frontlines of the climate crisis demands people-led recovery for climate justice with its FFF chapters running in several states of India. The most prominent and most active among all is FFF Uttar Pradesh, led by an undergraduate named Sarah, driven by a sense of urgent need for climate action in her home state; she's been leading this chapter since 2020 as a secondary school student. Sarah is also co-leading FFF India. As a youngster, she is the role model for 500 volunteers working with her as FFF activists. Her unique approach fosters a culture of environmental responsibility and action across the state's 16 chapters. With a common approach to activism, her objectives and initiatives are exceptional, with excellent outcomes for the success of Fridays for Future Uttar Pradesh.
Promoting Environmental Awareness: Educating the public about climate change and the importance of individual actions.
City Responsibility: Encouraging people to take responsibility for their cities by participating in local environmental initiatives.
Tree Planting: Organizing tree planting drives to increase green cover and combat urban heat.
Sarah’s unique ideology and activities include:
Cleanliness Drives: Regular community clean-up events are held to maintain local environments and promote a culture of cleanliness.
Plantation Drives: Organize tree planting events to improve urban greenery and biodiversity.
Educational Sessions (Paathshala): Providing educational workshops and sessions to educate people about environmental issues and sustainable practices.
Kulhad Collection Drives: Promoting eco-friendly kulhads (traditional clay cups) to reduce plastic waste.
Chalk of Shame Drive: The “Chalk of Shame” drive stands out as a unique effort to raise awareness and promote cleanliness. This initiative involves writing impactful quotes to draw attention to pollution and environmental neglect in public spaces.
Digital Strikes: Utilizing digital platforms to raise awareness and mobilize support for climate action.
With young activists like Greta and others, we as activists and changemakers play an important role in the movement Fridays for Future, for climate justice in every possible and unique way, ensuring a healthier environment for future generations, striving to make a lasting impact on local and global policies, and inspiring others to join for making change.
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