The scene in Canberra, Australia on Friday. Millions of young people around the world are protesting climate change and demanding action in what will likely be a record-breaking global climate strike. Photo: Stephen Smith/Flickr
From Sydney to Manila, Berlin to New York, young people are taking to the streets en masse to protest climate change and demand action from their elected leaders.
Walk-outs began early Friday in New Zealand and Australia. In Auckland, students shaved their heads and walked out. Meanwhile, protesters numbered about 100,000 in Melbourne in what was reportedly the largest demonstration to raise awareness of climate change in the nation’s history.
As daybreak moved west, strikes began cropping up in Nairobi, Berlin, London, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
Numerous outdoor companies have come out in support of the countless youth organizations coordinating local protests worldwide, including Patagonia.
In solidarity with the movement, the Ventura-based outdoor apparel giant decided to close all of its retail locations on Friday and employees will receive paid time off to attend a local protest. Additionally, Patagonia has made a major ad buy along select strike routes around the world and in print and digital with portraits of strikers and the words “facing extinction” resembling the company’s current home page.
“We all must make it clear to our elected leaders that there is no room in government for climate deniers and their inaction is killing us,” said Patagonia CEO Rose Marcario in a statement. “We need our leaders to act on the science and follow the market forces — do their jobs and create policies that protect our planet and our communities. Our customers are demanding we act—this generation of youth is not backing down and neither should we.”
Snowboard giant, Burton, has also completely shut down its website (it currently reads: “Closed for business. Open for action.”) and halted sales operations at all of its stores globally in solidarity with strikers. Burton stores are still open, however, to provide strikers with supplies to make signs and to serve as community gathering spaces.
Burton is on strike.
Referring to the work of teen Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who rose to prominence for her Fridays for Future movement and delivering a blistering speech at the COP24 climate summit in Poland last year, Burton CEO Donna Carpenter explained the company’s move is a direct result of Thunberg’s refusal to back down. Singlehandedly, Thunberg’s activism changed the way many are talking about climate change, including the Guardian which now openly uses the term “climate crisis”, and she was nominated earlier this year for a Nobel Peace Prize.
“I’ve been so inspired by Greta Thunberg and the students around the world who have used the weekly Fridays for Future protests to beg adults to pay attention to the climate crisis,” said Carpenter in a statement. “At Burton, we want to help preserve the winter outdoor experience for future generations, so I’m proud to have our company join Greta’s movement. As Greta said, ‘We’re all in the same boat, so everyone should be concerned about this.’”
