On Friday 20th September RSPB stood in solidarity with young people across the world in the UK’s largest ever climate protest at the Global Youth Climate Strikes. Together, with almost 4 million others worldwide, people stood together to demand urgent action on the climate and ecological crisis.
In cities like Birmingham, Cambridge, Exeter, Cardiff, Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow and London (and even tiny islands like Rathlin and Orkney) team RSPB joined their communities and took part in actions to highlight the climate and nature crisis. They joined local marches, made banners, held reserve activities with the public like fossil free days or restoring peat bog to store carbon, volunteering on community farms to help survey wildlife and rebuild habitats, and symbolic stop-work actions like a minute of silence. RSPB youth groups participated in placard making sessions and led RSPB staff groups on marches. The day was full of many family-friendly events, and many staff members supported their children on the day too by helping them attend their local strike if they wanted to. We are so proud of everyone that got involved to help support young people up and down the country – thank you for your enthusiasm and energy, as well as your care and support for one another.
Edinburgh
RSPB Scotland’s Allie McGregor noted that the protests invigorated people who had been feeling powerless, angry and frustrated, “Every chant and every cheer had such a strong sense of determination about it that it was impossible not to feel truly moved.” The people and organisations participating in the strike came from a diverse range of backgrounds, movements, and beliefs. By working together and using our strengths, as well as celebrating our differences, we can find solutions to climate change and nature loss that are good for people too.
We are so proud of the young climate strikers from all over the world that have brought all these different people together, at an unprecedented scale, to fight for our planet. Our message to you is don't give up - you are doing brilliantly - and we are always here to support you.
Don't miss Allie's blog on her experience at the Edinburgh strike here.
Belfast
In England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, the RSPB’s work is more vital than ever. We actively restore nature on our reserves and in local communities, we help Governments and businesses to develop nature-friendly policies, we do scientific research to measure what’s happening to nature and find solutions to mend it, we make sure nature is part of the narrative around climate change in the media and in politics, we fight damaging new developments that threaten nature and promote environmentally sensitive ones, and we collaborate on all sorts of people-powered solutions to save our natural world. Because we can only save nature, together.
Cardiff
If you joined a strike or supported in another way on the day last Friday, we would love to hear about your experiences. Leave a comment below about what you did on the day, or simply how it made you feel. Could we do anything better next time, or is there anything else we should be doing? Let’s talk.
Rathlin Island (this was 40% of the island's population!)