Maltese students to strike as the clock ticks on irreversible climate change

The Kunsill Studenti Universitarji will be rallying students from the University of Malta to march together towards Parliament in Valletta, joining thousands of students and youths in 92 other countries to demand that governments, authorities and stakeholders take the necessary action to halt climate change. 

The movement started in August when the 16-year-old schoolgirl Greta Thunberg held a solo protest outside Sweden’s parliament. Now, up to 70,000 schoolchildren each week are taking part in 270 UK towns and cities worldwide. 

The world’s leading climate scientists have warned there is only a dozen years for global warming to be kept to a maximum of 1.5ºC, beyond which even half a degree will significantly worsen the risks of drought, floods, extreme heat and poverty for hundreds of millions of people. 

The authors of the landmark report by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released on Monday say urgent and unprecedented changes are needed to reach the target, which they say is affordable and feasible although it lies at the most ambitious end of the Paris agreement pledge to keep temperatures between 1.5ºC and 2ºC. 

The world is currently 1ºC warmer than preindustrial levels. Following devastating hurricanes in the US, record droughts in Cape Town and forest fires in the Arctic, the IPCC makes clear that climate change is already happening, upgraded its risk warning from previous reports, and warned that every fraction of additional warming would worsen the impact. 

The Malta march gathers at noon and eaves the University campus at 12:30pm will pass from Msida, and is expected to arrive at Valletta by 13:00 to join youths already gathered there. Sixth form, secondary and primary students are encouraged to join at University. Traffic will be halted from University to Valletta for the safety of participants walking to the demonstration. 

“Youths are encouraged to gather on Friday 15th March at 12:30pm in front of Parliament, Valletta, where Kunsill Nazzjonali Taz-Zghazagh will be present, among other organisations, to deliver youth speeches in front of Parliament,” the KSU said. 

“People, particularly youths and students, are encouraged to join the climate strike and bring along placards expressing the environmental changes they want to see in our country, with the hope of encouraging change today, rather than tomorrow. Students who are unable to join the strike in Valletta are encouraged to organise their own gatherings in their school playgrounds.” 

Schools or colleges can register their gatherings here https://www.fridaysforfuture.org/join. 

The school climate strikes that have led to tens of thousands of young people taking to the streets around the world over recent months are poised to arrive in the UK next Friday. 

Thousands of pupils are expected to walk out of lessons at schools and colleges across the country amid growing concern about the escalating climate crisis.