Windsor strikes for climate change

A sea of worried faces and homemade signs, along with a single speaker is what you would have seen if you made it out to Charles Clark Square Sept. 27.

Student walk-outs and business closures in Windsor marked the final day in a week-long global climate strike, inspired by Swedish teenager Greta Thurnberg.

According to globalclimatestrike.net, 7.6 million people world-wide took to the streets just last week, with about 500 of those right here in Windsor.

Similar strikes occurred all over the country to show support for Thurnberg, who rallied a force of nearly 500,000 in Montreal to protest global warming. 

At least one member of Oneida Nation, just west of London, joined Windsor’s strike. Sharon George received a warm applause before she gave her speech at the event.

“Our elders spoke of a time when we would see the earth changing, where we would see the lands that were once plentiful with water, that they would dry up; there would be a time where we would see the black snakes—that has come to reality, that’s that pipeline drilling that has been spoken about,” said George.  

Last September, Thurnberg began spending her Fridays outside Swedish Parliament instead of being in class, striking to push for climate change. Thurnberg has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize — and young people all over the world have taken her activism to heart. 

Olivia Sauve, environmental activist, and Earth Strike Windsor lead organizer, arrived to the square on Friday by e-bike. 

“A lot of people don’t have the options they need to reduce their emissions on an individual scale,” said Sauve. “That’s why it’s important to come out to these things.” 

Sauve is confident that more strikes for climate change will be in store for Windsor.  

“Many sources agree, that only 100 companies are responsible for 71 per cent of [global] emissions … we’re here to show that we have a wealth of tools, like marching and strikes, that can be used to force the change that we need,” added Sauve.   

Green Party candidate for Windsor-West and law student, Quinn Hunt, also was present.  

“What we need to do is change [the largest polluters] by voting with our actual vote, voting with our dollars and voting with acts of civil disobedience like this strike,” said Hunt, reminding strikers of what difference they can make by simply showing up.