ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Up Prince Philip Drive, from Memorial University to the Confederation Building, walked a mass of about 150 protestors, made up of mostly high-school age people, chanting demands for change and action on the issue of climate change.
Putting off the Friday event was Fridays for Future St. John’s, a group inspired by Greta Thunberg to address their concerns about the climate.
Also on hand was the Social Justice Co-operative Newfoundland and Labrador, who asked people to sign their petition. Neria Aylward, the co-operative's project co-ordinator, says her biggest concern is lack of meaningful action taken by the provincial government.
“We’re collecting signatures to declare a provincial climate emergency,” Aylward said. “It’s really scary that our entire economic development plan is premised on fossil fuel extraction.”
Along with the declaration, the group is asking the government to appoint a task force that will build considerations for climate change into every policy it makes, Aylward says.
Walter Ferguson-O’Brien not only bore the cold, but made the march to the Confederation Building on crutches, never breaking pace.
“The world is changing and we don’t really know what is going to happen,” Ferguson-O’Brien said. “We have the time to do it now. This is when we have to do it.”
Also on the march was his sister, Alice. As the crowd chanted “Climate change is not a lie — we won’t let out planet die,” Alice spoke of the many repercussions she believes inaction on climate change will have.
“We’re going to see a huge refugee crisis, we’re going to see more poverty, we’re already seeing huge levels of drought and starvation and famine all over the world,” she said.
“I hope that we will be able to fix this and I will be able to go swimming in the ocean and that my kids won’t have to wear masks when they leave their house.”
She says she would prefer to be in history class and not standing on a hill in the cold, but her concerns are too many to not march.
Barb Neis was at the protest with her grandchildren and said everyone has an obligation to put pressure on the government to take action on climate change.
“It’s a long-distance race,” she said. “But we can’t stop. We have to keep going (and) keep the pressure up.”
Twitter: andrewLwaterman
RELATED
