HYDERABAD: Come September 25, and youngsters from the city will take part in a unique strike for climate action.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic has made all gatherings risky, it’s shoes which are going to do the tough talk.
Instead of congregating, the activists are going to leave their shoes with their personal messages on environment.
This initiative is being organised by Fridays for Future – Hyderabad chapter. The movement was started by teen climate activist, Greta Thunberg, who skipped her school every Friday and demanded that the Swedish government acts on climate change by sitting in front of the Swedish parliament.
The strike will be highlighting environmental issues which are yet to be addressed by the Telangana government. The group demands that the government should revive lakes instead of beautifying them, and conserve natural forests. After the strike, these shoes will be donated to the underprivileged through an NGO called Goonj. In the absence of strikers, the messages will be conveyed to the government and media through videography and photography.
23-year-old Angel Vinod, who joined the group when she was an undergraduate student, says: “The strike is a brilliant way to make children and young adults know about the local climate challenges. It’s an open and democratic forum which anyone can use to raise concerns about climate change. It also provides us an opportunity to interact with various stakeholders like lawyers and environmentalists, and learn from them. Our group has around 120 members now, but during events, we see participation from thousands of volunteers.”
Another group member, Priyanka Kota says:“Conservation is true development. The only way we survive is by co-existing with our ecosystems naturally. Let’s cherish the key to our existence.”The group has started a fundraiser on a crowdfunding platform to receive support for the event.