On 24 September there was a new global climate strike
Environment — di Redazione
On Friday 24 September, people took to the streets around the world for a new global climate strike, to call on governments for concrete action and climate justice.
On 24 September there was a new global climate strike
On Friday 24 September, people took to the streets around the world for a new global climate strike, to call on governments for concrete action and climate justice.
Last updated at 12:00 on 26 September
There was a new energy in the Italian streets and squares on Friday 24 September for the new global climate strike. New, or perhaps renewed. After the forced halt brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, climate activists from Fridays for Future returned with the energy that defines them to remind everyone that the fight against the climate crisis is the most important challenge of our time. And that we have the chance to win it, now.
Once again, we were by their side to report on and document the aspirations of a generation that wants to keep having a future, that is calling for climate justice. We were, among other places, in Milan, Bergamo, Bologna and Rome. Here is how it went.
The global climate strike in Milan
"I didn't sleep last night. We couldn't wait. We haven't had a march like this in ages. There's enthusiasm, there's hope, there's joy, but there's anger too. In short, we're back with a bang," Martina Comparelli, spokesperson for the Fridays for Future Italia movement, told us from Milan. "Only people have the power to change things."
Milan's activists gathered in Largo Cairoli at around 9:30 in the morning and marched all the way to the BAM, the Biblioteca degli Alberi di Milano. Their march was accompanied by chants, dancing and, above all, the ever-present placards that this year more than ever showed how the movement is taking on new shades. With them we talked about food, fashion, plastic and fossil fuels, but also about hopes for the future, about rights and about action. In the end, 100,000 people took part across our country.
"One of the things we can do is pay attention to what we eat," many people told us. "We can use public transport, cycle to school, but also choose more sustainable clothes and be mindful of fast fashion." "We shouldn't experience all of this as an obligation, but as an opportunity," one of the protesters stressed.
Walking along the march we also met Michela Bonserio, coordinator of Greenpeace Milan. "Italy presented an absolutely disappointing energy transition plan in July. What we need is a commitment to decarbonisation and not palliative solutions," she told us. "We are almost at the end of the moratorium on drilling. We need more — we need to take away oil companies' ability to explore our seas."
Rome and other Italian cities also took part in the global climate strike
In the Italian capital, activists gathered in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele. There we met Aboubakar Soumahoro, a trade unionist, who explained to us that "The salvation of our nature passes through participation, social and environmental justice, towards a model of eco-solidarity community that is happy." To see how things went in other Italian cities, browse this gallery.
