Students from London and Liverpool sat outside their schools for a few minutes this morning to demand that the government stops granting licences for new North Sea oil and gas projects.
Up to 30 students from one London school took part in the action, with groups from three new schools joining the actions for the first time today.
The action is the fourth in a series of mini school strikes organised by Students for Survival, a new direct action group set up by school-age students in support of Just Stop Oil. The group will stage sit-downs outside their schools every Monday and use the opportunity to encourage their classmates to join weekly Zoom calls to learn about civil resistance and join the school strikes.[1]
Alex, aged 16 from South London said:
“Our futures are being destroyed by climate breakdown and governments are still failing to act. Young people are rising up to demand an end to business-as-usual. We demand the government Just Stop Oil – continuing to dig for new fossil fuels in 2022 is genocidal.”
The action comes after last month’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Climate Impacts Report, which UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres described as a “damning indictment of failed climate leadership”. The report stated that “any further delay in concerted global action will miss a brief and rapidly closing window to secure a liveable future”.[2]
Hannah, aged 17 from South London said:
“Doing this action at school is miles outside of my comfort zone. But governments are not going to take notice of the climate crisis unless we make them. And if we don’t stop funding fossil fuels, everyone’s future will be wrought with suffering. So if there ever was one, I think now is the time to step out of comfort and into action. We have to disrupt the system and stop business as usual.”
Supporters of Students for Survival plan to take action with Youth Climate Swarm, Just Stop Oil, Extinction Rebellion, Insulate Britain and many other groups who are all making the same demand of the government.[3]
Zak, aged 15 from Norwich said:
“No one wants to be doing this – we’ve been brought up to be obedient and prioritise our education but when our government refuses to take meaningful action on the climate crisis what choice do we have? My generation will be affected by this more than anyone else. The government needs to get a grip and act in the best interests of the people.”
ENDS
Press contact: 07762 987334
Website: studentsforsurvival.org
Follow us on instagram: @students4survival.
Email us: [email protected]
Action photos and videos here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1zpSe11OrQLkIdgRPnSVJQY3UCZ0sMmB3
Notes for editors
[1] Students For Survival will be hosting zoom calls each Thursday at 7pm for interested students. Register here: http://studentsforsurvival.org/meetings
[2] https://twitter.com/antonioguterres/status/1498256378506448899?s=20&t=kqqXmZo7nt5SVWu7uNDWlQ
[3] Students for Survival is currently acting in support of Just Stop Oil. Just Stop Oil is a coalition of groups working together to demand that the government immediately halt all future licensing and consents for the exploration, development and production of fossil fuels in the UK. Further information here: https://juststopoil.org/.
