The movement is growing.
Thousands of southern pupils dropped pencils and raised placards to demand environmental justice as part of the School Strike 4 Climate yesterday.
They were joined by people of all ages as the global movement expanded beyond just schools.
While counts varied wildly, Dunedin organisers estimated about 9000 protesters marched down George St into the Octagon yesterday.
This was nearly double the size of previous events.
The strikes were part of a global movement started by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg (16).
She shared pictures and videos of Dunedin's march with her 2.5million Twitter followers.
As crowds gathered in the Octagon, event co-organiser Zak Rudin (17), of Logan Park High School, greeted them with a battle cry.
"Welcome back to the revolution."
The climate crisis was a "massive holistic issue" which affected everyone, he said.
"We, therefore, stand for indigenous rights, environmental rights and human rights."
He demanded an immediate end to fossil fuel exploration and extraction.
Teacher aide and community worker Poutama Crossman-Nixon told the crowd manaakitanga, or support and hospitality, was the way forward.
About 500 people marched from Queenstown Gardens down to Earnslaw Park yesterday afternoon, in what is thought to be the largest peaceful protest in the town's history.
Wakatipu High School head boy Archie Ritchie (18) led the chants of "What do we want, climate justice, when do we want it, now," and "No more coal, no more oil, keep carbon in the soil".
In Wanaka, hundreds set off from Lismore Park to the Dinosaur Park on the waterfront where the numbers swelled to an estimated 600.
The crowd marched and chanted along Ardmore St to the Wanaka office of the Queenstown Lakes District Council where it halted and blocked traffic in both directions for some time.
In Invercargill, about 100 people from across Southland gathered at the Queens Park Feldwick Memorial Gates.
Co-ordinator Ashleigh Putt-Fallows said the existence of climate change had to be accepted.
In Oamaru, about 35 people planted 200 native plants at Cape Wanbrow.
Waitaki Forest & Bird chairwoman Chloe Searle said it was "really cool" to see the climate movement gain momentum.
In Alexandra, dozens of residents and school pupils chanted and marched down Dunorling St sporting banners.
Central Otago Mayor Tim Cadogan and council infrastructure services executive manager Julie Muir met residents outside and invited demonstrators into the council chambers for talks.
Related Stories
Comments
It is truly sad to see so many brainwashed ignorant children. Who is feeding this stuff to them. Do their teachers tell them that CO2 drives climate change or do they make them list the supposed effects and then use the internet to find what the actual data says. Good teachers will have done the latter but clearly most have not. Had they done so they would find that the actual data on extreme weather does not support the claims they are making.
The sea level is trundling along at 0.9mm/year around the NZ coast (0.7 for Dunedin) Tide gauges in NZ range from 1.3 to 2 mm/year, the difference is due to subsidence of the tide gauge. So no threat there.
The media have been part of an unrelenting campaign of misinformation and downright lies at the behest of the UN whose political objective requires a world crisis, real or manufactured.
The media have bought into this because their penchant for drama overrides their moral duty to report factually. ODT's mission statement on the Editorial page is totally ignored.
Had journalist or editors done their homework they would know that this is an international beat up unsupported by observational science.
But they refuse to even look.
You've got it perfectly--said it for me, thanks!
Peter Foster- You have got it- imperfectly. It is supported by science. What is sad is those who deny it.
How many got to the event by walking or cycling?, even walking or cycling produces co2.......its called breathing. How many went by vehicle?. Even bicycles need tyres, they are made by oil. The only way they would be legit is if they all walked or rode wooden bicycles. Until then they are virtue signaling.