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VIDEO: Teens protest climate change in Harrison

The group of five has been striking in Abbotsford for weeks to spread awareness about climate change

Five teens were out in front of Harrison’s village hall Friday (Aug. 2), protesting against the effects of climate change on our planet.

“Be a lorax: speak for the trees,” one shouted, as a car drove past on Hot Springs Road.

“We want a hot date, not a hot planet,” two others yelled in unison.

The quintet have been protesting in Abbotsford for several weeks, hoping to raise awareness about how climate change is affecting the environment and their future.

On Friday, during the hour and a half long strike in front of the village office, the girls held up signs with phrases like “There’s no Planet B” and “Like sea levels, we rise,” hoping to inspire adults to take action on climate change now, before it’s too late.

“It’s only 11 years until the damage of climate change is irreversible,” Angie Calhoun, 14, said. “We should be doing more now instead of waiting until later, until it’s too late.”

The group has been organizing under the banner of Fridays for Future, a movement started by 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg in August of last year. Thunberg continued striking on Fridays at the start of the school year to gain the attention of her Swedish government officials. Students from around the world soon joined in.

RELATED: Students worldwide skip class to demand action on climate

“Her quote is: you say you love your children above all else, yet you are stealing their future in front of their very eyes,” Lauren Palmer, 14, said. “We want to keep the earth here, because there’s no other planet to go to, yet anyway.”

The teens brought their protest to Harrison because of Palmer’s dad, Harrison councillor Gerry Palmer, she said.

“We know that Harrison village is doing well of doing these different things to help the environment,” she said, referring to Harrison’s proposed single-use plastics ban.

RELATED: Harrison to develop single-use plastic bylaw in advance of federal legislation

“It’s more to the adults. We still have to grow up here and future generations still need to grow up here, and it should be as beautiful as it was 100 years ago.”



grace.kennedy@ahobserver.com

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