The message is that we're still here and climate change hasn't gone away, said Kellie Elrick of Greenhouse Guelph about the Wednesday afternoon climate strike in St. George’s Square she and others organized.
The high school-based youth climate and art initiative held the strike following the recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) calling for a rapid and large-scale greenhouse gas deductions.
While the pandemic caused the group to hesitate before in planning a strike, the results from the report pushed them into action.
"The movement wasn't gaining traction, and in some ways, it fizzled out a bit," said Elrick about climate change strikes during the pandemic. “The great energy around activism and protesting comes from gathering, which was sort of illegal for a while."
Andrea Baker, another member of Greenhouse Guelph, mentions a lot of people don’t know about the IPCC report and finds it discouraging to see a lack of awareness of its findings.
“I thought once we had a very short timeline, that people would start to pay attention," said Barker. "They're (IPCC) saying we only have a few years, and the if government will stop procrastinating, we will see rapid action."
While climate change isn't getting the same response as the pandemic, Elrick adds it was cool for her to see people come together at the start of COVID-19 to enact change.
"It showed us that it is possible to create change on that scale."
On Thursday, over 50 residents young and old came to Downtown Guelph to voice their concerns around climate change. Some of the residents brought signs, banged drums or dressed up as animals.
Guelph resident Meghan Lewis came to the protest with her children. Having gone to other climate strikes in the past for Fridays for Future Guelph, her reasons for attending Thursday was to help voice concerns for her kids' future.
“I want them to be able to not worry if there is a future for them."
During the strike, the crowd listened to speakers from different environmental groups in Guelph and Wellington County talk about various issues, including water stewardship, veganism and the ongoing efforts of Indigenous land defenders at the Fairy Creek blockade.
Afterwards, residents were invited to share their thoughts and concerns about climate change.
Jordan Thakar, a second-year environmental chemistry student at the University of Guelph, spoke on a number of topics, including emphasizing the importance of voting in this year’s federal election.
“We are in a snap election, this is probably one of the most important elections... we'll ever be in, and they'll only continue to be more important,” said Thakar, "I hope everyone who can vote will be voting."
At the end of the event, Elrick read from a list five demands from Greenhouse Guelph they wished to see enacted.
These demands include divesting in fossil fuels, particularly calling upon major banks and the Ontario Teacher’s Pension Plan to divest and an updated and comprehensive climate education focusing on social, humanitarian and mental health issues around climate change.
The other demands include the return of public water stewardship and stewardship of Aberfoyle waters to the Six Nations of the Grand River; Support for the Fairy Creek movement and the protection of ancient forests in B.C.; and interim four year climate change targets for Guelph.
Additional information about the five demands can be seen on Greenhouse Guelph's Instragram page.
