Greta Thunberg began skipping school to sit outside the Swedish parliament, protesting the lack of action against climate change and its impacts on her future. Little did she know one day, this little act of rebellion will turn into a significant movement across various nations, joining all students and youngsters across the globe, demanding change and their right to a better future.
Fridays For Future (FFF) is a movement started by Greta Thunberg in 2018 when she decided to sit consecutively outside the Swedish parliament for three days. She posted about it and asked her friends to share more and more information about what she’s doing. Today the movement has spread over 7500 cities on all seven continents.
The motto or well-known slogan of the movement is ‘there is no planet B’. The hashtag #FridaysForFuture was started by them and now is a famous student strike.
What do they want?
The students aim at demanding those in power and authority, criticising and morally pressuring them into taking actions vital for the future of the human race, the future of the upcoming generation that makes up students. Another well-known hashtag and motto for the movement are ‘listen to the scientists’ urging people to come out of their ignorant bubbles of privilege and look at all the facts showing how if we don’t change our ways, we’re nearing the end of the world.
The movement is free of any political affiliation, and the aim isn’t political at all. It knows no borders, just immense care for the environment. The hope is that the decision-makers worldwide can learn from the many natural disasters due to climate control and prevent them in the future.
We demand that the world see beyond
SUVs, ACs, their pre-packaged convenience
Their oil-slicked dreams, beyond the belief
That tomorrow will never happen.
– Greta Thunberg
The popularity of this movement led Greta to the UN summit in 2019. Showing her anger, frustration, and devotion for this planet, she gave an utterly moving speech that went viral and sparked a similar urge to demand action amongst students worldwide.
Fridays for the future is also gaining a significant audience in India; children speak out against adults who have lived their life ignoring the warnings and ruining the planet one air conditioner at a time.
FFF believes the world that exists in these very adult’s nostalgic memories is long gone. We have been robbed of our dreams, our hopes; all we can aim for now is to create a different world. Scientists and activists have long been fighting the fight against disbelievers, and that time is long gone. What we need today is to fight against climate change and save whatever of the world we can.
