Three Northland schoolgirls organise strike to protest climate change

Russell School pupils Kira Kammerer, 12, Evie Trotter, 9 and Lia Kammerer, 12, have organised fellow pupil's to strike on March 15 to protest against the lack of action on climate change.

Many of today's students see climate change as their ''Nuclear Free moment" and three Northland schoolgirls have organised their fellow pupils to strike from school for the day to protest about the lack of international action on the issue.

Russell School pupils Kira Kammerer, aged 12, Evie Trotter, 9 and Lia Kammerer, 12, were inspired by an international movement of schoolchildren striking to draw attention to climate change, which will affect young people the most into the future.

At least 15 other schools from elsewhere around New Zealand are taking part in School Strike 4 Climate NZ protest and the three girls hope more Northland pupils will take part too.

"We are striking from Russell school on March 15 for the climate, we're going to meet at the school swimming pool gate at 8.45am and then walk down to the village green next to the Russell town hall. We will strike there for the whole school day,'' Evie said.

''We are striking from school to tell our politicians to take our futures seriously and treat climate change for what it is - a crisis. They can show us that they care by taking urgent action to move New Zealand beyond fossil fuels and get the job done of moving us to 100 per cent renewable energy for all.''

So far they have about 23 children striking with them, and hopefully getting some more students involved in the next couple of weeks.

''We are also hoping lots of the community will strike with us. We are doing this because we care about the earth, and we want the government to care and do as much as they can too.''

The campaign is student-led.

''Climate change is one of the biggest problems facing the world and it isn't being addressed quickly enough. In New Zealand, education is viewed as immensely important, and a key way to make a difference in the world,'' the protest website says.

''But simply going to school isn't doing anything about climate change. And it doesn't seem that our politicians are doing anything, or at least not enough, about climate change either. If this is 'our generation's Nuclear Free moment' it's time to start acting like it.

''So, as our contribution to the changes we want to see, we are striking from school. We are temporarily sacrificing our educations in order to save our futures.''

Check out which school are striking here:
https://www.facebook.com/schoolstrike4climatenz/?__tn__=kC-R&eid=ARC4U-92gjchWfVBJ3j9D5QG3F83KOX6IxcYHuKqTLVNVnTIN5dJe9M1vlJYRg9wGeFSpD9TfqKA09et&hc_ref=ARQsO-lp8MLMvIzHhkOPjDInr9sztkcwfiaIKKwxJnlG92g7ntfRU-DOenAxl-ikHOA&fref=nf

And what they want from Government here:
https://www.schoolstrike4climatenz.com/?fbclid=IwAR1B1AWmvMveWqBacnFg9NrUPTojsfFVxQTp4q7UcpdwotFsLu_n5jH99Lc